Aberlour 21 and 25 Year Old Single Batch are the oldest permanent expressions the Speyside distillery has ever released. Both made their debut at Whisky Live Paris in September 2026, where we tasted them. The 21 Year Old is bottled at 48% ABV from American oak and sherry oak casks. The 25 Year Old is bottled at cask strength, 50.8% ABV, from American oak and Oloroso sherry casks including a single first-fill sherry hogshead. Both are non-chill filtered. From October 2026 they are sold in selected airports worldwide, at an RRP of $270 and $600.
Aberlour has never put anything this old into its permanent range. The Speyside distillery chose Whisky Live Paris to unveil a new 21 Year Old and 25 Year Old Single Batch, and we were at the stand with a glass of each.
Our verdict came quickly. These are two rich, sherry-led drams that any sherry lover will fall for: a big, mouth-filling texture and deep notes of raisins, dates, prunes and dark sweetness. Exactly the kind of whisky you want to have on the shelf as the evenings get longer.
Aberlour 21 and 25 Year Old: the key facts
Aberlour 21 Year Old Single Batch
ABV: 48%
Cask type: American oak and sherry oak |
Non-chill filtered: Yes | Size: 70cl | RRP: $270
Aberlour 25 Year Old Single Batch
ABV: 50.8% (cask strength)
Cask type: American oak and Oloroso sherry oak, including one first-fill sherry hogshead
Non-chill filtered: Yes | Size: 70cl | RRP: $600
Release: Debut at Whisky Live Paris, September 2026. Global travel retail from October 2026.
What are Aberlour 21 and 25 Year Old Single Batch?
They are the new top of Aberlour’s permanent range, sitting above the long-established 18 Year Old. “Permanent” needs a little explanation here. Both whiskies will be released every year, but each release is a single small batch drawn from a handful of decades-old casks, so quantities are limited and each year’s batch can differ slightly from the last.
Both are built on Aberlour’s signature double cask maturation: spirit matured in a combination of American oak and sherry casks, then married. It is the same house approach found across the range, taken here to more than two decades in wood.
Master Distiller Graeme Cruickshank hand-selected the casks for both batches. He has personally guided the 21 Year Old “from grain to glass”, which at 21 years means he was there when the spirit went into the cask.
How the Aberlour 21 and 25 Year Old tasted at Whisky Live Paris
Whisky Live Paris is a fitting launch pad. According to the distillery, Aberlour is the leading single malt brand in France, and the stand, with its deep red backdrop and bottles lit in open presentation boxes, was built for a moment like this.
In the glass, both whiskies go straight for the sherry lover. Here is what we wrote down at the stand.
Our notes from Paris (both expressions)
Nose: Raisins, dates, prunes, dark sweetness
Palate: Big, mouth-filling and rich, with dried fruit and deep sweetness carrying through
Finish: Long and warming, sweet dried fruit lingering
The mouthfeel is what stays with you. Neither is a delicate, lean dram. They coat the palate and hold there, which is exactly what two decades and more in part-sherry casks should deliver.
Aberlour’s own tasting notes for the 25 Year Old lean a little brighter than our impression, with orange, peaches and apricot. That fruit is there, but in Paris we found the sherry side doing most of the talking. At 50.8%, a few drops of water are worth trying to open up the lighter fruit.
Official tasting notes: Aberlour 21 Year Old Single Batch
Nose: Juicy cherries, baked spiced apples, sticky dates, toffee sauce, chocolate ganache, crystallised ginger
Palate: Fresh cranberries, blood orange slices, dark chocolate honeycomb, treacle tart with cinnamon and nutmeg
Finish: Complex and rich, with enduring festive spice
ABV: 48% | Cask type: American oak and sherry oak | Price: $270 RRP
Tasting notes supplied by Aberlour
Official tasting notes: Aberlour 25 Year Old Single Batch
Nose: Juicy orange slices, peaches in syrup, red liquorice, butterscotch, marzipan, cinnamon sticks, sweet toasted oak
Palate: Fresh apricot, glazed cherries, ripe red plums, vanilla ice cream, then fresh ginger and a hint of cardamom
Finish:Fruity and sweet with playful spice
ABV: 50.8% | Cask type: American oak and Oloroso sherry oak, incl. one first-fill sherry hogshead | Price: $600 RRP
Tasting notes supplied by Aberlour.
Aberlour 21 vs 25 Year Old: which one is for you?
| Aberlour 21 Year Old | Aberlour 25 Year Old | |
|---|---|---|
| ABV | 48% | 50.8% (cask strength) |
| Casks | American oak + sherry oak | American oak + Oloroso, incl. one first-fill sherry hogshead |
| Chill filtration | Non-chill filtered | Non-chill filtered |
| Official profile | Cherries, dates, toffee, dark chocolate, festive spice | Orange, peach, butterscotch, apricot, ginger, cardamom |
| Our impression | Rich sherry, raisins, dates, prunes, full body | Rich sherry, dried fruit, full body with more power |
| Scale | Small annual batch | Ultra-limited annual batch |
| RRP | $270 | $600 |
| For | The sherry lover wanting a well-aged dram to open | The collector wanting the rarer, cask strength bottle |
The difference between the two is less about style and more about scale and strength. The 21 Year Old is the one you open on a cold evening. The 25 Year Old, bottled at cask strength from a very small number of casks, is the rarer statement, and the display box underlines that it is meant as a centrepiece.
Who is Aberlour?
Aberlour Distillery was founded in 1879 by James Fleming in the village of Aberlour, in the heart of Speyside. Speyside is the area around the River Spey in north-east Scotland, home to the densest cluster of malt distilleries in the country and known for fruit-forward, elegant single malts.
Aberlour’s identity is built on double cask maturation, and sherry has long been central to it. The distillery is best known among enthusiasts for A’bunadh, its cask strength Oloroso expression, and for age-stated double cask bottlings such as the 12 and 18 Year Old. Today Aberlour is part of Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky arm of Pernod Ricard.
That background explains the new pair. A 21 and 25 Year Old from a distillery with this sherry pedigree was always going to lean rich, and they do.
Price and availability
Aberlour 21 Year Old has an RRP of $270 and Aberlour 25 Year Old an RRP of $600, both for a 70cl bottle.
At launch, both are a global travel retail release. From October 2026 they will be available in limited quantities in selected airports worldwide, as well as at the Aberlour Boutique in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, which opened in 2025 as the brand’s first branded store.
No domestic retail release or local pricing in euros, pounds or Danish kroner has been announced yet. If you are not flying soon, keep an eye on specialist retailers and auction platforms, where travel retail bottles usually surface after launch. We will update this article if a wider release is confirmed.
Our take: two dark-evening drams for sherry lovers
If you love rich, sherried single malt, both of these belong on your list. They deliver what the Aberlour name promises: depth, dried fruit, sweetness and a texture that fills the mouth.
If you are buying one, the 21 Year Old is the smarter buy. At $270 for a non-chill filtered 21-year-old at 48%, it gives you the full character of the pair. The 25 Year Old is for the collector who wants the rarer, cask strength bottle and the added weight that comes with it.
Neither is for the drinker chasing a light, fresh, bourbon-cask style of Speyside. These are whiskies for slow sipping, and with the dark autumn and winter evenings now arriving, the timing could hardly be better.
FAQ: Aberlour 21 and 25 Year Old
What is Aberlour 21 and 25 Year Old Single Batch? They are two new permanent expressions from Aberlour Distillery in Speyside, and the oldest it has ever added to its core range. Both are released annually in small single batches, matured in American oak and sherry casks and non-chill filtered. They debuted at Whisky Live Paris in September 2026.
What is the difference between Aberlour 21 and 25 Year Old? The 21 Year Old is bottled at 48% ABV from American oak and sherry oak casks. The 25 Year Old is bottled at cask strength, 50.8% ABV, from a very small number of casks including a single first-fill sherry hogshead. The 25 is rarer and more powerful; the 21 is the easier bottle to open.
What do Aberlour 21 and 25 Year Old taste like? When we tasted them at Whisky Live Paris, both were rich, sherry-led drams with raisins, dates, prunes and dark sweetness, and a big, mouth-filling texture. Aberlour’s own notes add cherries, toffee and dark chocolate for the 21 Year Old, and orange, apricot, butterscotch and ginger for the 25 Year Old.
How much do Aberlour 21 and 25 Year Old cost? Aberlour 21 Year Old has a recommended retail price of $270 and Aberlour 25 Year Old of $600, both for a 70cl bottle. These are the global travel retail prices. Local prices in euros, pounds or Danish kroner have not been announced, and secondary market prices may be higher given the limited quantities.
Where can I buy Aberlour 21 and 25 Year Old? From October 2026, both are sold in limited quantities in selected airports worldwide through global travel retail, and at the Aberlour Boutique in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. No regular shop release has been confirmed yet, so travellers passing through major international airports have the best chance of finding a bottle.
Is Aberlour 25 Year Old cask strength? Yes. Aberlour 25 Year Old Single Batch is bottled at its natural cask strength of 50.8% ABV and is non-chill filtered. The 21 Year Old is not cask strength but is bottled at a higher-than-standard 48% ABV and is also non-chill filtered, which helps preserve texture and depth.
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