Every whisky in Johnnie Walker & Sons XR 21, a blended Scotch, spent at least 21 years in cask before earning its place in the bottle. The recipe draws on the private blending notes of Sir Alexander Walker, knighted in 1920 for services to the whisky trade, and the blend leans rich rather than smoky: honey and dried fruit on the nose, dark chocolate and hazelnut across the palate, and a long finish where a soft thread of smoke finally arrives. Bottled at 40 percent, XR 21 stays polished from the first pour to the last drop of the 750ml. This is Scotch for slow evenings and good company serve it neat in a proper glass and skip the ice.