Chivas Regal 12 Year Old Scotch Review

Not having had premium scotch in a while, I decided to get myself a small, 200 mL, bottle of Chivas Regal 12 year old scotch. The 200 mL bottle costs $13.95 while the 375 mL $23.45 and the 750 - $44.95. I like these 200 mL bottles for two reasons - first they are cheap, second, they are more easily found than the 50 mL sampler size bottles. Most LCBO stores have at least 1 display with 200 mL bottles with a variety of alcoholic beverages.

Don't pay attention to the color of the scotch in the picture. It does not represent the true color because the bottle is thin and the light is bright. Pouring a couple of fingers into a glass reveals its true color - deep gold/copper. Swirling the glass shows a medium oiliness the scotch has. It sticks to the walls, but it does not stick as much as Century 15 or Maker's Mark. The aroma the scotch gives off is mostly sweet with hints of caramel which reminded me of Cadbury's Caramilk chocolates. A few more swirls reveal a flowery undertone mixed with a sharp alcoholic scent. The Chivas Regal 12 year old has an oily and sticky mouth feel. The taste is similar to the aroma only stronger on the alcohol. Some smoky notes appear at the end and come back again in the finish which is medium to long. Surprisingly, the caramel flavour does not last a long time in the finish, but makes way for the flowery notes. For a premium scotch, the finish is flavourful, but I have had better ones.

Once I had a couple of fingers straight, I decided to go for the spring water and cut the next pour. This resulted in a stronger caramel aroma with less of the alcoholic scent, a slight overall improvement. It even unlocked a bit of the smoky character which was previously more noticeable in the finish. The taste changed, but only slightly. I was able to detect a hint of the sweetness not only at the beginning but also at the end. The finish remained the same.

I will not be trying it in a Rob Roy tonight, but if you have tried it, leave a comment and let me know how it is. I will update this post in the future if I decide to make a Rob Roy with this Chivas Regal.

Scores:
Cost - $13.95 CAD for 200 mL bottle, $23.45 for 375 and $44.95 for a 750
Taste - 7.8/10

Overall - 7.8/10...it's OK, but nothing exceptional for a premium scotch