Chivas Masters

Master Your Knowledge of Chivas

It wouldn’t be a whisky edition, without featuring one of Scotland’s most adored whiskies – Chivas Regal. Here we take a look back in history of where the Chivas story began to where it is today. Once you’re a master in the history of Chivas, keep turning the pages as we showcase some of the cocktails from this years Chivas Masters competition for you to mix, shake and serve in your venue - could you be the next Chivas Master?

This famed whisky producer can trace its beginnings back over 200 years, to the opening of a grocery store, dealing with high-end products and affluent customers, at 13 King Street, Aberdeen, called the ‘Italian Warehouse’. At that time, both the Chivas brothers, James (1810 – 1886) and John (1814 – 1862), were not even born.

The siblings grew up to the north of Aberdeen, before moving to the city in 1836. James joined the Italian Warehouse when he arrived in Aberdeen, while John chose a career in clothing, and was the sole partner within five years. James brought in a partner, Charles Stewart, and they announced that ‘Chivas & Stewart’ could supply every article necessary for a country family – including such oddities for the time (and later) as tongues, candles, Caribbean rums, coffee and butlers. Alcohol, especially whisky, played a major role in their business, as did Royal patronage, with the first Royal Warrant bestowed in 1843 on behalf of Queen Victoria, though not solely for whisky. That Royal Warrant was to supply goods and provisions to the royal family. The partnership between James and Charles folded in 1857 and John joined his brother in the business, until he passed, five years later.

Chivas Brothers may not have been a business focusing solely on whisky but it soon became an integral part of it. A knack for blending whiskies, both grain and malt, into a much-loved house style made them very popular. The developments in the industry, such as the advent of grain whiskies in the 1830s, greatly assisted their endeavours, allowing them to lay down barrels of grain whisky for ageing and subsequent blending. They saw their house style as one of ‘smoothness, richness and harmony’. It was during the 1850s when James Chivas responded to demands for smoother whiskies that the decision to create a proprietary blend was made. The 1860 Spirits Act brought benefits to the Scotch whisky industry by permitting the blending of whiskies in warehouses. The first such blend was soon launched, the ‘Royal Glen Dee’. It was followed in the 1860s by ‘Royal Strathythan’ and other brands, such as ‘Royal Loch Nevis’.

Chivas Regal is part of the Pernod-Ricard empire, while the house style has been handed down across the years from blender to blender. Current Master Blender, Colin Scott, has been with Chivas for more than three decades, ensuring continuity of style and quality. Although always a blend, the heart of this great whisky is a classic malt from Speyside, the Strathisla.

The Strathisla Distillery is the oldest operating distillery in the Scottish Highlands – at Keith, Moray – and dates back to 1786. The company

today sees it as the ‘spiritual heart’ of Chivas Regal. To protect this vital resource, Chivas Brothers purchased the picturesque distillery, nestled on the banks of the River Isla, in 1950. Master Blender, Colin Scott, describes the fullbodied style of the Strathisla malt, produced by the short copper stills and natural spring water, as a “classic Speyside malt”, noting it “has a deep fruitiness with a complex array of nutty and hay-like flavours and is the heart of all the Chivas Regal blends.”

Colin Scott, the custodian of blending for Chivas Regal, was almost born for the role. He grew up near an Orkney distillery, into a family that had already had two generations involved with the whisky industry. He joined Chivas in 1973, working under the guidance of former Master Blender, Jimmy Lang. When Jimmy retired in 1989, Colin took over the reins.

Like most whisky producers, Chivas Brothers benefited from the tragedy that was the aphid phylloxera as it swept France, destroying not just the wine industry but also cognac and brandy production. Many consumers filled the void by turning to the top whiskies. Chivas Brothers then made headlines in 1909, when they became the first producer to offer a luxury whisky – a “25-Year-Old” blend that they named ‘Chivas Regal’. This new whisky was shipped across to New York, where it was enjoyed by ‘the social elite of Manhattan’, but its fame very soon spread far beyond that city. The decision to blend and ship such a whisky was made because of the booming American economy of the day and the high demand for all luxury products from that nation. It was the first time that the name ‘Chivas Regal’ appeared. This original premium whisky quickly became the leading brand in the United States and remained so until the advent of Prohibition.

Chivas have, of course, now expanded the range to include ‘12 Year Old, 18 Year Old and Extra.

Just as they enjoyed the ‘benefits’ of phylloxera’, Chivas also suffered from the other whisky producers when Prohibition was introduced – at one stage, it seemed that the final bottle of ‘Chivas Regal 25 Year Old’ would be among those corked on 20th January 1920. However, when the restrictions were lifted, Chivas Regal returned to America in 1938, but in a new guise. The restrictions had been removed back in 1933 but the whisky business takes time, especially the introduction of a new product. This time, their whisky was released as a ‘12 Year Old’ blended whisky and remains so, to this day. In 1949, the rest of the world had the opportunity to sample the ‘12 Year Old’, as it went global. This was made possible as the company had been purchased by Seagrams that year, allowing for extensive marketing and distribution. Meanwhile, back in the United States, Chivas Regal was heavily supported by extensive advertising in such publications as ‘The New Yorker’.

In 1997, Master Blender, Colin Scott, added a new whisky to the range, the ‘18 Year Old Gold Signature’ blend. This ultra-premium Scotch, deep, complex and exceptionally rich, is a unique blend crafted in the Chivas Regal house style. More recently, in 2007, again at the hand of Scott, the world was introduced to the latest Chivas, the revamped ‘Chivas Regal 25 Year Old’. The new Chivas Regal ‘25 Year Old’ blends, recreated in the same traditions and style by Master Blender Colin Scott, pay homage to the original blend from 1909. A rare and exclusive blend of the finest Scotch whiskies, Chivas 25 Year Old is available only as a strictly limited release in individually numbered bottles.

The famous ‘12 Year Old’ remains the best known and most popular of their whiskies, sold in over 150 countries around the globe.

As well as its popularity among whisky lovers, Chivas Regal has always enjoyed a ‘celebrity’ following, and in 1990, sponsored Frank Sinatra’s Diamond Jubilee Tour. To Sinatra and his boys, Chivas Regal represented affluence, prestige and all the joys of life. It had long been a favourite of Sinatra’s and the rest of the ‘Rat Pack’ and was regularly requested by them as their ‘backstage whisky’.

TASTING NOTES

CHIVAS REGAL 12 YEAR OLD

A radiant, warm amber colour and an aromatic infusion of wild herbs on the nose with heather, honey and orchard fruits. Rich and fruity on the palate, this Chivas bursts with the smooth taste of ripe, honeyed apples and notes of vanilla, hazelnut and butterscotch before a generous, lingering finish.

CHIVAS REGAL 18 YEAR OLD

An intense, dark amber hue brings a rich, indulgent and multi-layered aromas with hints of dried fruit and buttery toffee. A velvety, dark chocolate palate yields to elegant floral notes, a wisp of sweet, mellow smokiness and an extremely warm, long finish.

CHIVAS REGAL 25 YEAR OLD

Chivas’ oldest family member is rich gold in colour with an enticing fruity nose of sweet orange and peach, followed by notes of marzipan and nuts. There are hints of rich, mild chocolate orange on the palate and a fondant creaminess before a smooth, rounded and luxuriously long finish.

CHIVAS REGAL EXTRA

Released in 2014 Chivas Regal Extra promises a rich and generous Scotch Whisky experience. The blended whiskies are matured in the finest Oloroso sherry casks which guarantee for prime quality, deep amber colour along with rich, sweet and spicy flavours.

MASTER CHIVAS COCKTAILS

THE BLENDED PRINCE

BY ELTON SHERCHAN

Ingredients:

• 70ml Chivas Regal 12 Year Old • 20ml Plum Zoine • 10ml Aguo Syrup • Top with Lemonade tonic water

Method: Add ingredients to shake (apart from Lemonade), shake and pour into glassware. Top with lemonade tonic water

Garnish: Two pieces of dried lemon, one piece of plum, one piece of chocolate

Glass: Bespoke tall glass

Now you know the history behind the liquid, it’s time to get crafty and start mixing with Chivas. Below we showcase cocktails created by entrants to this years Chivas Masters competition. Go on, give’em a go.

VICTORIA

BY DONALD LAU

Ingredients:

• 45ml Chivas Regal 12 Year Old • 10ml Preserve lemon juice • 90ml 7 Up

Method: Build and top with 7 Up

Garnish: Lemon peel

Glass: Tall

FRONT COVER

BY DONALD LAU

Ingredients:

• 40ml Chivas Regal 12 Year Old • 10ml Port Wine • 2.5ml Peppermints White liqueur • 10ml Campari • 10ml Simple Syrup

Method: Build and stir

Garnish: Orange peel

Glass: Rocks

AFFINITY

BY LEO CHEUNG

Ingredients:

• 50ml Chivas 12 Year Old • 20ml Sweet Vermouth • 20ml Dry Vermouth • 2 x Dashes of aromatic bitters

Method: Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into martini glass

Garnish: Lemon twist