Royal Salute 21, Blended Scotch Whisky, 43% abv.

Bartender said Royal Salute is usually 40% abv. He noticed the 43% abv is almost random at shops. Admittedly didn't know if it was significant or not.

Nose: full bodied aromas, warm cognac, boiled raspberries, fruit jam in general, burnt caramelized red fruits, honey. After some air time, it smells more like honeyed fruit jam if there is such a thing, just that there are more sweet notes than than sour notes now. Always thought Royal Salute smelled like sweetened X.O.

Palate: smooth, abv effects are light, initial palate is like V.S. or V.S.O.P. cognac,
mid palate is boiled lemon, some lemon merringue, older grapefruit skin or promegranate skin but not in the tropical sense, wood elements begin to show up,
back palate has some wood, gets a little juicy.

Finish: medium, a little dry, sandpaper, cherry seeds, ground grape seeds with water, smoked grape popsicles.

This pretty good for a daily sipper, the aromas are quite nice, presenting an aura of sophistication in my opinion, however the body of flavors is a little plain although texture-wise it's pretty smooth. The finish is a little strange, but it's uniqueness is appreciated. I imagine not so different from the standard 40% version. Took my time with this one. Overall, quite nice.

Grade: C+

Whiskyanalysis.com, 8.53 ± 0.63 on 8 reviews but not sure which abv
Lawhiskeysociety, B from 3 reviews for 40% abv.

Image courtesy of Eric Yee.

Eric Yee

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