Whisky I've Drank: Chivas Regal Aged 18 Years Gold Signature

By Colleen Graham
Chivas is known for a series of fine blended Scotch whiskies ranging from a 12-year-old to an amazing 25-year-old bottling. It is the middle of the range, the 18-year-old Gold Signature, that is the most popular and reasonably-priced for a Scotch that will impress your taste buds and any friends you may have over for an evening sipper.
Beyond the normal tasting of the Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Gold Signature Scotch, I was asked to compare it to another considerably more expensive blended whisky, the Johnnie Walker Blue Label.
The Comparison:
The profiles of the two Scotches are completely different - with Chivas being "bolder, sweeter, and with notes of charcoal" and Johnnie Walker Blue being "oakier, softer, and with notes of hay". I think which is better is subjective to individual taste.
Personally, I enjoy a very bold Scotch most of the time so my preference would lean toward Chivas. Though I really enjoy Johnnie Walker Blue, it can be too light for me, especially when the ice melts. It would depend on what mood I'm in at the moment as to which I choose. I see Chivas being a year-round Scotch and Johnnie Walker Blue a summer Scotch.
I also did a comparison with Johnnie Walker Black and that is a closer match to Chivas 18 in terms of its bold side, but again, I'm leaning toward a preference for Chivas.
Yet another consideration is the price. Since the average person may well find the pricier Scotches something of a luxury, it seemed worthwhile to compare two beverages from either end of the premium spectrum as a way of discovering what you might be missing when you don't choose the more expensive option.
Beyond a subtle smoothness found in the Johnnie Walker and a completely different flavor profile, the money is well-spent either way. Again, Scotch and whisky in general are so subjective to taste that each person should follow their own preferences.
Tasting Notes on Chivas 18YO:
Chivas Regal 18 is a rich amber color, that of red wheat, and it opens with the aroma of sweet citrus, apple and a slight amount of oak.
The velvet palate is filled with caramel and peat with warm, burnt orange notes. It finishes very dry and slightly spicy with a satisfying smoke at the back.
About Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Gold Signature Scotch Whisky:
Distilled by Chivas Brothers in Aberdeen, Scotland
Master Blender Colin Scott
40% ABV (80 proof)

Whisky I've Drank: Johnnie Walker Red Rye Finish Blenders´ Batch

By WhiskyNotes

Back to basics. Johnnie Walker Red Rye Finish is the first expression in a new Blender’s Batch series. It is not usually the kind of whisky I write about, but in this festive season it is all over the place, here in Belgium you don’t have to wait long for a Red Rye commercial when you turn on the TV.

The Blender’s Batch range is all about variation and experimentation. For this first release they used whiskies matured in first-fill American oak which were blended and finished for six months in casks that previously held rye whiskey. It is a wide-scale evolution of a previous experiment, Johnnie Walker Select Casks Rye Finish, that was released in the US last year.

Later on new experiments will follow, not just finishes but also variations in malting, fermentation and distillation processes. Expect a Johnnie Walker Triple Grain American oak soon. I’ve also seen a Major Peat experiment, as well as The Bacchus (with Roseisle malt matured in wine casks) set for May 2017.

Johnnie Walker Red Rye Finish is made from four whiskies including malt from Cardhu and grain from Port Dundas. Most of all this is a cocktail whisky aimed at a Manhattan or Old Fashioned.

I asked myself whether it was a good move for Johnnie Walker to dive into this limited series concept, where a new marketing campaign is launched every few months and the whisky disappears after a while. It may not work for consumers who stick to the reliability of the ubiquitous Johnnie Walker Red. But we can only applaud the open spirit.

Johnnie Walker Red Rye Finish

(40%, OB 2016, Blender’s Batch #1)

Nose: 

sweet and spicy. There’s honey, toffee, oranges and baked apple. Warming wood spices, mainly cinnamon and ginger. Sugared cereals. Light bread crust. An ever so light hint of cedar oak. It’s in the same ballpark as a Red Label but with more spicy oak. A good thing, it gives it a little more depth. Mouth: same kind of spiciness at first. Pepper, ginger, oak shavings. Then the common blend character comes out, with caramel sweetness, vanilla and a slightly harsh, grainy tang.

Finish: 

not too long, with a vague sweetness and the lingering grainy notes.

Oak is usually what a cheap blend hasn’t been exposed too (at least not long enough) so in a way the spicy notes of this Red Rye Finish give it some depth and a sense of age. I wouldn’t sip this like a malt whisky, but given the price point, this is not bad and I agree it works well in cocktails. Around € 20.

Score: 71/100

Whisky I've Drank: Tomintoul - Glenlivet 12 Years Old

By WhiskybyEdzell
TOMINTOUL 12 YEAR OLD GLENLIVET by Whyte and Mackay, Distillers Glasgow.. Very unusual early 1990's 12 year old Glenlivet now discontinued. Round bottle of fluted glass. Large silver screw top. A dearly departed friend of the whisky connoisseur. This single malt was produced by Whyte and Mackay when they took over the Tomintoul Distillery in 1973 and launched in 1975 as something quite different. Known with affection as the " perfume bottle" or the "aftershave" it contains the finest Speyside single malt. Light, floral and fragrant it is typical of it's class and much lamented in whisky circles. Richard Patterson, master blender at Whyte and Mackays will extol it's virtues all day long. Now too rare to open on anything but very special occasions. In original packaging in top condition. Sold at a very keen price. This is a good investment.
- A 1980s bottling of Tomintoul-Glenlivet, with 43% ABV, and 750 ml.