Chivas Regal 12 and 15 (40%)

Back in the 1980s, when I first started getting interested in Scottish whisky, higher end offerings were few and far between. I remember that Glenfiddich was around, and I expect so, too, were the other famous ‘glens,’ Glenlivet and Glenmorangie. But for us youngsters, there was only one proper ‘luxury’ choice: Chivas Regal.

We weren’t sure why we liked Chivas so much, of course, but we knew that we did. And long before I understood that the aging of spirits stops when the liquid quits the barrel for the bottle, we revelled in the ten year old bottle my friend discovered hidden away in his father’s cellar, convinced that we were drinking not 12 year old spirit, but 22 year old whisky!

Today, of course, the Pernod Ricard-owned brand offers numerous declarations, including a 25 year old that presently retails for $360 at the LCBO. In the lead up to Robbie Burns Day on Thursday, January 25, though, I’ve elected to focus on the more moderately priced 12 year old Chivas Regal and 15 year old, Cognac barrel-finished Chivas Regal XV.

Chivas Regal is famously a lighter blend, which may be why my friends and I found it so appealing in our youth. (Or it might have been simply that we were impressed by the age designation and luxury price point. Frankly, that was probably it, if I’m honest.) That relative delicacy, however, causes some to overlook what is in fact a whisky of complexity and sophistication, enjoyable both on its own – which, let’s face it, is not always the case with blends – and mixed into a highball or cocktail.

On the nose, the 12 year old has a lovely and floral herbaceous quality to it, a walk in the garden rather than a plunging one’s nose into a handful of harvested herbs, with honey and vanilla in support. On the palate, there is more honey up front, with a touch of tropical fruitiness, perhaps mango or pineapple, leading to a creamy mid-palate of vanilla and caramel, candied orange peel and raisin, and a dry, slightly oaky finish.

The three extra years and Cognac barrel finish makes the XV a whisky of a quite different character, certainly richer and to my palate of greater weight. The aroma trades the 12 year old’s herbals for a fruitier character, with orchard fruit and raisin, cooked rather than fresh vanilla, and hints of red apple skin. The flavour begins much more sweetly than does its younger sibling, with orange toffee notes up front leading to stewed fruit, vanilla, caramel, hints of fresh tropical fruit, and a finish that is just off-dry, rather than fully dry, and carries just a suggestion of aged Cognac’s famous rancio character, here represented by the merest hint of old leather.

Overall, I was delighted to reacquaint myself with these lovely whiskies that bring complexity and dignity to the oft-maligned blended Scotch category. Drink the 12 year old in a highball or cocktail, but save the XV for solitary sipping.

Chivas Regal 12 year old 87 ($60 - $66)

Chivas Regal XV 15 year old 89 ($90 - $95)