CHIVAS REGAL

Chivas Regal is a premium Scotch whisky produced by Chivas Brothers, owned by Pernod Ricard. According to the bottle label it was founded in 1801 in Aberdeen, Scotland. The Chivas brand's home is Strathisla Distillery at Keith, Moray in Speyside, Scotland.

Chivas Regal is one of the best selling premium whiskies in the world. It is the best selling premium Scotch whisky in Europe and Asia Pacific and is rated one of the world's most powerful spirits brands.Chivas Regal is one of the best performing spirits brands globally, with sales having grown by 61% between 2002 and 2008.

It is not commonly drunk in Scotland, where blended whiskys are considered of poor quality.

Chivas Regal Family

Chivas Regal whiskies are blended in a distinctive house style of a mellow, honeyed flavour.

• Chivas Regal 12 Year Old: Blended from whiskies matured for at least 12 years. A smooth whisky with a honeyed, mellow taste.
• Chivas Regal 18 Year Old: Blended from whiskies matured for at least 18 years. Chocolate and orange notes, some citrus and spice on the nose and a full, fruity, citrusy and spicy palate, with sherry notes to finish.
• Chivas Regal 25 Year Old: Created using whiskies aged at least 25 years; available only in limited quantities with a retail price of c$300. The blend has tasting notes of apricot and peach.

History

1640: The House of Schivas, a large mansion, is built at Schivas in Aberdeenshire. The name is derived from the Gaelic 'seamhas', meaning narrow place. For centuries, people nearby took the name of Chivas.

1801: Chivas Brothers traces its roots to the opening of a grocery store in Aberdeen. The store sold luxury foodstuffs such as coffee, exotic spices, French brandies, and Caribbean rums to a wealthy clientèle. Chivas Brothers started to produce a smooth blended whisky as an alternative to the whiskies available at that time, which were often harsh and poorly matured.

1843: Chivas Brothers were granted a Royal Warrant to supply goods to Queen Victoria. Chivas Brothers was described in 1890 as 'undoubtedly the finest purveying business in the north of Scotland' by 'Scotland of Today' magazine.

1909: Chivas Regal 25 Year Old was launched as the original luxury Scotch, and soon became a leading brand in the U.S, where the booming economy after the turn of the century was fueling demand for luxury goods. Chivas Regal continued its success until prohibition in the 1920s.

1949: Chivas Regal was purchased by Seagrams, a Canadian company which had extensive dealings with American bootleggers during Prohibition and which provided a much wider distribution and marketing system.

1950s: Chivas Regal was re-launched in the U.S following the disruption of both prohibition and World War II, and became a fashionable drink of the era. According to Chivas press releases, it became a firm favourite with Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack, but no independent source has ever been cited to support the claim.Sinatra requested Chivas Regal as well as many other booze brands backstage at performances, and Chivas sponsored Frank Sinatra's Diamond Jubilee Tour in 1990.

Owing to this success, The Company Chivas Brothers was finally able to buy the Strathisla Distillery which produces the sweet, honeyed malt whisky which is a small element of the Chivas Regal blend.

1997: Master Blender Colin Scott created a new blend of aged whiskies to produce Chivas Regal 18 Year Old.

2000: Chivas Regal was acquired by Pernod Ricard upon the break up of Seagrams Group.

2001: Chivas Regal becomes widely available in China, whereas with the U.S in the early 20th century, the economic boom is driving demand for luxury goods. Chivas Regal is now the most popular premium spirit brand in China.

2007: Chivas Regal 25 Year Old, created by Master Blender Colin Scott is launched at an event at the New York Public Library, attended by stars such as Julianne Moore, Lucy Liu, Diana Krall, and others.

2007: Chivas Regal sales reach a record high of over 4.4 million 9 litre cases.

2009: According to the whiksy writer Jim Murray,Chivas Regal is "not remotely in the same league as in the '70s and early '80s... how on earth can a 12-year old blend with so many whiskies for inclusion be so unremittingly dull?"

The Strathisla Distillery

A small quantity of the single malt whisky that is included in Chivas Regal is produced in Speyside, in the oldest working distillery in the Highlands of Scotland - Strathisla Distillery.

Strathisla Single Malts have a natural sweetness and help to provide some taste to Chivas Regal. Sadly, according to experts such as Jim Murray, Chivas Regal lacks the strong character of a single malt.