🥃 Royal Salute 21 Year Old Signature Blend
The flagship Royal Salute expression: a blended Scotch whisky since 1953, every component at least 21 years old; 40% ABV; blue porcelain flask.
Royal Salute 21 Year Old Signature Blend is the flagship and original expression of the Royal Salute brand, a blended Scotch whisky. It was created in 1953, ahead of the coronation of Elizabeth II, and according to Pernod Ricard the recipe has not changed since then. The strength is 40% ABV, and every whisky in the blend is at least 21 years old.
The blend includes malt and grain whiskies from across Scotland. The blenders go through hundreds of casks so that the oak complements the spirit rather than masking it; the brand's spiritual home is the Strathisla distillery. The whisky is bottled in a blue porcelain flask, and since 2022 there is also a blue glass bottle. Tasters describe baked apple, pear, dried fruit, toffee, honey and a light smoke.
Why it matters to you. This is the reference point for the whole range: Royal Salute 21 Year Old Malts Blend has the same age but no grain whisky, and Stone of Destiny is considerably older. The colour of the flask tells you which version you are holding. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.
Facts
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 40% ABV |
|---|---|
| Minimum maturation | 21 years for each component |
| Year founded | 1953, before the coronation of Elizabeth II |
| Raw material | single malt and grain Scotch whiskies |
| Cask type | oak casks |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Royal Salute 21 Year Old Signature Blend → packed in → 🍷 Oak barrel ← packed in ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky, 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 Royal Salute, 🥃 Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Blended Scotch Whisky
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Strathisla, 🥃 Chivas Regal 25 Year Old, 🥃 Royal Salute 21 Year Old Malts Blend, 🥃 Royal Salute 21 Year Old Malts Blend, 🥃 Royal Salute 38 Year Old Stone of Destiny, 🥃 Royal Salute 38 Year Old Stone of Destiny
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that the recipe has not changed since 1953?
Pernod Ricard and The Whiskey Wash state so; only the look of the flask has changed.
What does the number 21 mean?
The age of the youngest whisky in the blend: every component has been matured for at least 21 years.
How does it differ from the Malts Blend?
Signature Blend contains both malt and grain whiskies, while Malts Blend contains only malt whiskies.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky — Scotch from a single distillery: only malted barley, water and copper pot stills; at least 3 years in oak, 40% vol. or more.
- 🥃 Chivas Regal 25 Year Old — The oldest Chivas Regal expression: blended Scotch whisky with all whiskies aged 25 years or more; 40% ABV; a limited release with numbered bottles.
Similar
🥃 Royal Salute 38 Year Old Stone of Destiny · 🥃 Royal Salute 21 Year Old Malts Blend · 🥃 Dewar's 12 Year Old · 🥃 Dewar's White Label · 🥃 Dewar's 15 Year Old · 🥃 Bunnahabhain 18 Year Old
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Pernod Ricard: Royal Salute brand page (The Signature Blend 21 YO, 40 % ABV, unchanged since 1953; The Stone of Destiny 38 YO, 40 % ABV; all whiskies at least 21 years)
- The Whiskey Wash: 7 things you didn't know about Royal Salute's Signature Blend (every component min. 21 years; grain and malt from across Scotland; recipe unchanged since 1953; blue porcelain flagon)
- Whisky For Everyone: Royal Salute 21 Years Old The Signature Blend review (28.01.2025; 40 % ABV; porcelain flagon, sapphire-coated glass bottle since 2022)
- Scotchwhisky.com (Whiskypedia): Royal Salute (1953; Charles Julian; Strathisla and the Royal Salute Vault; ceramic flagons)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)