21 Years Old Whisky
Browse our whisky database by the age of the whisky. The 'age' of a whisky is the time it spent in the 'cask' before being bottled. The longer a whisky remains in the cask, the more flavour it will acquire and the less spirit will remain.
The age of a whisk(e)y is determined by the length of time it has spent in the cask before being bottled. Once the whisk(e)y has been bottled the aging process stops. A whisk(e)y bottled at 10 years old will always be a 10 year old whisk(e)y even in a hundred years. By then the vintage of the whisk(e)y would still make it a rare and valuable item.
When dealing especially with blends, but also with single malts, some of the whiskies may be older than the stated age. However none of the whiskies will be younger.
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21 year old whiskies
BenRiach 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 56.70%
8
Reveals a rich profile by a succession of aromatic layers. Alcohol is perfectly tamed.
BenRiach Authenticus Peated Single Malt 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00%
8
Another region-buster and a good one too.
Glengoyne 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%
7
If this were a Lowland malt, it would be a star. As a Highlander, it gets lost.
Aberlour 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%
7
Great to see this once-reticent distillery releasing some really expressive bottlings.
Adelphi Dailuaine 21 Years Old, Cask 4150
Single Malt - Scotland - 56.10%
8
The confident virtues of a good Speyside whisky: malt, heather and peat. Well-combined but without either refinements or flourishes.
Antiquary 21 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 43.00%
8
Robust, hearty, embracing. Not much subtlety, but it knows its own mind. Very enjoyable. I imagine this with a decadent meal in Tangier.
Auchentoshan 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%
7
Gently restorative. Subtleties gradually become apparent. Not quite as complex as I remember it.
Auchentoshan 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%
8
A fruity rumble in the hay. Oo arr missus.
Auchentoshan 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%
7
Nose is very promising,not sure about the palate.
Ballantine's 21 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 43.00%
8
My personal taste is more robust, but I am in awe of the precision and refinement of the older Ballantine's.
Ben Nevis Dew of the Ben 21 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 43.00%
7
Somewhat lacking in complexity. For the drinker who wants an easily drinkable whisky with some maturity.
Bennachie 21 Years Old
Blended Malt - Scotland - 40.00%
7
It would take a particularly good parcel of this malt to mature for 21 years.
Benromach 21 Years Old, Old Tokaji Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 45.00%
7
Rather unbalanced. The nose is far more promising than the palate. What's the point of the finish?
Bushmills 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Ireland - 40.00%
7
A delicious whisky. The sweetness and nuttiness of Bushmills whiskey and of Madeira are an enjoyable double-act. The whiskey has to work hard to avoid being upstaged.
Bushmills 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Ireland - 40.00%
8
This whiskey has changed quite a bit in the last few years. It's now less subtle, more forthright, but no less delicious.
Bushmills 21 Years Old Madeira Finish
Single Malt - Ireland - 40.00%
8
Good flow, balance and grip. A powerhouse.
Cadenhead's Convalmore 1977, 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 64.40%
7
The best Convalmore I have tasted, with the typically big, fruity syrupiness. After dinner.
Cadenhead's Glencraig 1981, 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 56.20%
7
Pleasant, sociable. With mint tea and Moroccan food?
Cadenhead's North British 21 Years Old
Single Grain - Scotland - 57.80%
7
Somewhat one-dimensional.
Campbeltown Loch 21 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00%
8
A good, solid blend. Serve chilled, neat, with Loch Fyne oysters, pickled herrings and scallops.
Century Reserve 21 Years Old
Blended - Canada - 40.00%
7
Substantially more character than the 15 Years Old.
Chieftain's Choice Teaninich 21 Years Old Sherry Butt
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00%
7
Not much subtlety, but I always enjoy its big, confident, flavours.
Craigellachie Hotel Craigellachie 1982, 2003 Single cask bottling, 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 57.70%
7
I hope we will be seeing a little more of Craigellachie.
Dewar Rattray Glenglassaugh 21 Years Old 1986
Single Malt - Scotland - 53.40%
6
“Sweet and sulphury”now, there's a catchy brand name.
Dun Bheagan Littlemill 21 Years Old, Sherry finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00%
7
Full flavours but slightly tired. A Lowlander for Christmas? Well, perhaps for Boxing Day.
Evermore 2004 Blend, 21 Years Old
Blended - Japan - 40.00%
7
Perfect blend of aromas and textures. Really appealing. Makes you feel romantic.
Finlaggan 21 Years Old Islay Malt
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00%
7
Has mellowed with the extra years, but, as is sometimes the case with island malts, it seemed happier with the vigour of youth.
Glen Garioch 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%
8
A very sophisticated bottling. Perfect after a fine dinner.
Glen Garioch 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%
7
A reminder that a distillery with its own maltings gains a layer of character. So long as the maltings is working.
Glendronach Parliament 21 Years Old 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 48.00%
8
A well balanced sherried whisky. Rich, complex with a beautiful finish.
Glenfarclas 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%
8
A straightforward Speyside classic. Also big enough to benefit from considerable age.
Glenfiddich 21 Years Old, Gran Reserva
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00%
8
Delivers more than expected. Seems a bit bland at start but it displays an attractive array of aromas and flavours on time. The rum influence is under control.
Glenfiddich 21 Years Old, Millennium Reserve
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%
8
Lighter and more delicate than the 21 Years Old that appeared in a Wedgwood decanter in years past.
Glenfiddich Havana Reserve, 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00%
8
The less pronounced rum character of the two Caribbean accented whiskies in this tasting. When you cook, do you want the herbs and spices to announce themselves individually, or to be part of the blen...
Glenturret 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00%
8
After dinner.
Hibiki 21 Years Old
Blended - Japan - 43.00%
7
Its wide aromatic palette is well displayed. Nothing is missing except a longer finish maybe. A second sip keeps the pleasure on.
Hibiki 21 Years Old
Blended - Japan - 43.00%
8
Leaner, drier, less estery and more oaky than the version that has no age statement. I like each equally, in its own right.
Hibiki 21 Years Old
Blended - Japan - 43.00%
7
Just a little too fat for me,though a little unfair to slip two blends among all of these malts!
Highland Park 21 Years Old
- Scotland - 47.50%
8
A drier expression of HP from the norm and all the more fascinating for that.Recommended.
Highland Park 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 56.10%
7
A touch astringent for my tastes, but respectable. Ambassador, surely you should be really spoiling us?
Ichiro's Malt King of Spades, 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 57.00%
8
A liquid dessert. Reminds me of a rich Balvenie. Superb dram.
Isle of Jura 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00%
7
The sherry, and the balance of flavours, seem to work better in this version.
Isle of Jura 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00%
8
The perfect dram to sip on Valentine's night but I am not sure I would spare some for my sweetheart. I wish it had been bottled at a higher strength though.
Old Malt Cask Glencadam 21 Years Old 1985
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.00%
7
Well balanced and with real charm and some complexity.
Old Malt Cask Macallan 1986 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.00%
7
A good deliveryof oak and fruit,well combined. Quite a spicy character.
Old Malt Cask Port Ellen 1979 Sherry Cask 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.00%
8
Port Ellen had such a distinctive character. This seems to be one of the less robust bottlings, yet has some character.
Old Malt Cask Port Ellen 1982 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.00%
8
A big beast of a Port Ellen, nicely caught before the sherry-wood tipped it over the edge.
Old Pulteney 21 Years old
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00%
7
A two times dram. Fruity sweetness followed by a dry spiciness. The two faces meet up on time.
Rare Malts Benrinnes 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 60.40%
7
One of Speyside's secret delights. But a hard whisky to know. Big flavours, but tightly combined and unyielding.
Rare Malts Brora 1977, 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 56.90%
8
A lovely coastal malt. It's a shame that its surviving brother Clynelish is more muted.
Rare Malts Brora 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 56.90%
8
A good example of Brora as a distinctive maritime malt. Very appetising indeed, but quite different from Talisker, for example.
Rare Malts Caol Ila 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 61.30%
8
Confident. Austere.
Rare Malts Dufftown-Glenlivet 1975, 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 54.80%
8
Pale in colour but by no means anaemic in flavour. Has matured a lot since it was 15.
Rittenhouse Rye 21 Years Old
Rye - U.S.A. - 50.00%
7
Rye is a love or hate thing. I happen to love it. I usually prefer my ryes young, this works.
Rosebank 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 53.80%
8
At its best with a splash of water.
Royal Salute 21 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00%
8
In the rich, luxurious, style, this is a long established favourite of mine.
Royal Salute 21 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00%
8
After dinner, I would usually think of a malt, but have long enjoyed the unashamed luxuriousness of this blend. This example seems fractionally less voluptuous than I remember, but my memories may be ...
Royal Salute 21 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 43.00%
8
Antique shop aromas. Oak and fruit locked in a sensual embrace.
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 116.12 Yoichi 21 Years Old
Blended Malt - Japan - 54.20%
8
Ah Yoichi..it's Ardbeg in Hokkaido.
Scotch Malt Whisky Society Hakushu 1981, 21 Years Old, 120.1
Single Malt - Japan - 60.70%
8
A very enigmatic malt. Lighter in body but drier and more assertive in flavour than Yamazaki. A digestif.
Speyburn 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 60.20%
8
Very restrained, but lovely gentle peat smoke.
Speyburn 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 58.50%
8
Full of flavour and interest, but the sherry and oak verge on being overwhelming.
Taketsuru 21 Years old
Blended Malt - Japan - 43.00%
7
Sweet enough to be attractive,sharp enough not to be cloying and spicy enough to prickle the tastebuds.
A winner.
The Balvenie 21 Years Old PortWood
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00%
9
The full, honeyed, richness of the malt combines beautifully with what seems to be a generous kiss of port.
The Balvenie PortWood 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00%
8
This expression beautifully highlights the qualities of The Balvenie as a whisky that is full of rich flavours yet gentler and less robust than, for example, Glenfarclas or The Macallan.
The Dalmore 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%
8
Seductive, but it is all done with great finesse.
The Dalmore 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%
8
An assertive character, with a pleasant crisp feel on the palate. The dram to take on long forest walk. Invigorating.
The Glenlivet 21 Years Old Archive
Single Malt - Scotland - 0.00%
7
Slightly sweeter, fuller and more structured than an earlier (younger) version with no age statement.
The Glenlivet 21 Years Old Archive
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%
8
A first-class malt, but I would like a little more structure and style.
The Macallan 21 Years Old, Fine Oak
Single Malt - Scotland - 0.00%
8
Fine if you're a bourbon fan, but this is perhaps a little too far for me.
The Whisky Exchange BenRiach 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 56.70%
9
Complex with excellent balance. A typical for a Speyside, but it's one hell of a dram!
Wemyss Vintage Malts Mocha Spice 21 Years Old, 1990
Blended Malt - Scotland - 46.00%
8
Good palate whisky, but keep the water on the side.
Whyte & Mackay Special Reserve, 21 Years Old, Sherry Wood Finish
Blended - Scotland - 40.00%
8
Well-balanced and luscious. Keeps talking if you let it breathe. A blend of distinction.
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