Chivas Regal () is a blended Scotch whisky produced by the Chivas Brothers subsidiary of

Pernod Ricard Pernod Ricard () is a French company best known for its anise-flavoured pastis apéritifs Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis (often referred to simply as ''Pernod'' or '' Ricard''). The world's second-largest wine and spirits seller, it also produ ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

History

Chivas Regal was created in 1909 by Chivas Brothers Master Blender Charles Stewart Howard as a 25-year-old luxury whisky. 1939 saw the debut and continued success of Chivas Regal 12-year-old Blended Scotch in the US, at what was to become a global standard proof value of 75 degrees, i.e., 42.8% ABV. (The Americans mark it as 86 proof as they double the ABV to arrive at proof value.) Henceforth, quality, age (generally 12 years), cost (high), popularity (sales) and demography (high-end) would define a "premium" Scotch Whisky. In 1997, the Chivas Regal range was expanded with the launch of much older whiskies, such as the Chivas Regal 18-year-old, and in 2007 the Chivas Regal 25. Other expressions followed, like the Mizunara in 2014, The Icon in 2015 and the XV in 2018. In 2001,

acquired Chivas Brothers. Its sales grew by 61% between 2002 and 2008. In global terms, Chivas Regal recorded volume sales of 4.9 million nine-litre cases in 2012 and 2013, but sales decreased to 4.4 million cases in 2015. It has been the world's fourth-best-selling Scotch whisky since 2016. Chivas Regal has been the market-leading Scotch whisky aged 12 years and older in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

Asia Pacific Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

Product line

*Chivas Regal 12: blended from whiskies matured for at least 12 years. *Chivas Regal Extra: a blend with a higher proportion of sherry casks. *Chivas Regal Extra 13: blended from whiskies matured for at least 13 years. *Chivas Regal 18: blended from whiskies matured for at least 18 years. *Chivas Regal 25: created using whiskies aged at least 25 years and available only in limited quantities. *The Chivas Brothers' Blend: a 12-year-old blend intended to reflect the original Chivas house style, with a predominance of Speyside malts, in particular Strathisla and Longmorn. *Chivas Regal Ultis: a

blended malt whisky A blended malt, formerly called a vatted malt, or pure malt, is a blend of different single malt whiskies from different distilleries. These terms are most commonly used in reference to Scotch whisky, or whisky in that style, such as Japan ...

containing no

grain whisky Grain whisky normally refers to any whisky made, at least in part, from grains other than malted barley. Frequently used grains include maize, wheat, and rye. Grain whiskies usually contain some malted barley to provide enzymes needed for mashin ...

. *Chivas Regal Mizunara: originally released for the Japanese market in 2014. Part of the blend is matured in Mizunara oak casks. Made its debut in the US in January 2019. *Chivas Regal The Icon: blended from whiskies matured for at least 25 years. Launched in 2015 initially as a Dubai Travel Retail exclusive. This blend is sold in a hand-blown Dartington Crystal decanter crafted from green glass. *Chivas Regal XV: unveiled in 2018, Chivas Regal XV is a 15-year-old blended Scotch whisky which has been finished in casks that previously held

Grande Champagne Grande Champagne is a French district, called a ''cru'', known for its cognac. It produces the finest cognacs in a zone of 34,703 hectares, of which 17% is dedicated to production of cognac, which can be marked as Grande Champagne or Grande Fi ...

Cognac.

Strathisla distillery

Strathisla distillery in Speyside is home to Chivas Regal and its visitor centre. Founded in 1786 as Milton/Miltown distillery, it is the oldest working distillery in the Highlands of Scotland. The Strathisla single malt is the core malt whisky in all Chivas Regal blends, buttressed by malts from Longmorn, The Glenlivet, Allt-a-Bhainne, Miltonduff Distillery and Braes of Glenlivet (now Braeval) among other distilleries, and grain from

Strathclyde Strathclyde ( in Welsh language, Welsh; in Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic, meaning 'strath

alley An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane, footpath, path, or passageway, often reserved for pedestrians, which usually runs between, behind, or within buildings in towns and cities. It is also a rear access or service road (back lane), or a path, w ...

of the River Clyde') was one of nine former Local government in Scotland, local government Regions and districts of Scotland, regions of Scotland cre ...

distilleries in the Lowlands.

Awards

Chivas Regal whiskies have performed well at international

spirit ratings With a growing number of offerings, such as those produced by an increasing number of microdistilleries, various mechanisms have arisen to provide reviews and opinions of individual varieties of spirits. These events generally use expert panels ...

competitions. In 2013, the

San Francisco World Spirits Competition The San Francisco World Spirits Competition was founded in 2001 by Anthony Dias Blue as an off-shoot of the San Francisco International Wine Competition. It assesses hundreds of entrants annually (1,407 in 2013 from 63 countries) with tastings i ...

jury awarded its Double Gold Medals to the Chivas Regal 18yr, 21yr and 25yr whiskies.

San Francisco World Spirits Competition annual ratings

In popular culture and sponsorships

*In the 1973 film ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on The Exorcist (novel), his 1971 novel. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller (play ...

'', the character Father Dyer brings this whisky for Father Karras to drink after the death of his mother. They share it and he remarks "Where'd you get the money for the Chivas Regal, the poor box?" *

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

would often request to have a bottle of Chivas Regal handy in his dressing room during tours. Later, his 1990 "Diamond Jubilee" tour was sponsored by Chivas Regal. *It was a favourite whisky of the journalist and novelist Hunter S Thompson. *Tom Waits mentions Chivas Regal in the song “Downtown” on the 1980 album ''

Heartattack and Vine ''Heartattack and Vine'' is the seventh studio album by Tom Waits, released on September 9, 1980, and his final album to be released on the Asylum label. "On the Nickel" was recorded for the Ralph Waite film of the same name. It was used as th ...

''. *In the 1975 film '' The Prisoner of Second Avenue'', Jack Lemmon orders a bottle of Chivas Regal in a liquor store after having his apartment robbed. *In ''

Only Fools And Horses ''Only Fools and Horses'' (titled onscreen as ''Only Fools and Horses....'') is a British television sitcom that was created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Ki ...

'' Series 2, episode 3, " A Losing Streak", first broadcast in 1982, Delboy asks for a 'Large Chivas Regal' at the bar to try and impress Boycie. *In 1982 Charlene and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

released "Used To Be", a duet containing a reference to Chivas Regal. *In '' Risky Business'' (1983) Joel Goodson (played by Tom Cruise) pours a glass of Chivas Regal and Coca-Cola after returning home from dropping his parents off at the airport. *The

Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...

song Brass Monkey, released in 1987, includes the lyric "we don't mind Chivas". *The characters in

Charles Willeford Charles Ray Willeford III (January 2, 1919 – March 27, 1988) was an American writer. An author of fiction, poetry, autobiography and literary criticism, Willeford wrote a series of novels featuring hardboiled detective fiction, detective Hoke ...

's 1987 novel ''The Shark-Infested Custard'' favor, and lament the expense of, Chivas Regal throughout the book. *In ''

Working Girl ''Working Girl'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy drama film directed by Mike Nichols, written by Kevin Wade, and starring Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver and Melanie Griffith. Its plot follows an ambitious secretary from Staten Island ...

'', from 1988, savvy New York City receptionist Tess McGill played by

Melanie Griffith Melanie Richards Griffith (born August 9, 1957) is an American actress. Born in Manhattan to actress Tippi Hedren, she was raised mainly in Los Angeles, where she graduated from the Hollywood Professional School at age 16. In 1975, 17-year-old ...

orders a "Chivas" during an engagement party for her friend Cynthia (

Joan Cusack Joan Mary Cusack ( ; born October 11, 1962) is an American actress and comedian. She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in the comedy-drama '' Working Girl'' (1988) and the romantic comedy '' In ...

), immediately prior to a proposal from her boyfriend Mick Dugan played by

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his leading and supporting roles in a variety of genres, from comedy to drama. He has received List of awards and nominations received by A ...

. *In the 1993 film '' Mrs. Doubtfire'', Daniel and Jonathan drink shots of Chivas during their business dinner at Bridges. *

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...

's 2007 album ''

My December ''My December'' is the third studio album by American pop singer Kelly Clarkson. The album was released on June 22, 2007, through RCA Records. Clarkson confirmed the name of the album in her journal on her fanclub website on February 27, 2007. ...

'' includes a hidden track entitled "Chivas". The track is about an ex she ran into at a bar while drinking Chivas. *In the ''Mad Men'' season 6 episode, "The Better Half", Ted Chaough compares Fleishchmann's margarine to Chivas Regal (because it's a relatively expensive brand of margarine), while

Don Draper Donald Francis "Don" Draper, born Richard "Dick" Whitman, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the AMC television series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), portrayed by Jon Hamm. At the beginning of the series, Draper is the charismatic yet en ...

compares it to

Budweiser Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, a brand of Belgian company AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. Budweiser is a filte ...

(because he compares margarine to butter). *In the ''American Dad!'' season 6 episode, "Spring Break-Up", Roger (as "Scotch Bingington") invites Spring Breakers to party at the Smith household. As the self-proclaimed "King of Spring Break," he has a staff that dispenses Chivas Regal. *In the ''House of Cards'' season 3 episode "Chapter 29", First Lady

Claire Underwood Claire Underwood (née Hale) is a fictional character in '' House of Cards'', played by Robin Wright. She is the wife of the show's protagonist Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and the main protagonist in the final season. She is a lobbyist and ...

orders "Two Chivas, neat" during a scene in the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

. *British rapper M.I.A. namedrops Chivas Regal in her song " Teqkilla". At the time, M.I.A.'s fiance was Benjamin Bronfman, who belonged to the family that owned Seagrams. *In 2011, Chivas Regal sponsored

The Asian Awards The Asian Awards is an annual award ceremony for the global British Asian, Asian community which takes place in the United Kingdom, with 14 categories that include business, philanthropy, entertainment, culture and sport. Nominees are selected by ...

Outstanding Achievement in Sports Category. *Chivas Regal signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the British Premier League football team Manchester United in August 2018. As a follow-up in October 2019, it created a special Manchester United-themed 13-year-old blended Scotch whisky in honour of former team manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Partly matured in ex-rye casks, this expression was created exclusively for the US where Manchester United reportedly has over eight million fans. *The launch of Chivas 13 Manchester United edition follows that of a similar release in Australia in August 2019, viz., Chivas Extra 13 American Rye, a 13-year-old Australia-exclusive blend finished in ex-rye whisky casks. *The Chivas Regal Ultis 1999 Victory Edition: a 20 year old Blended Malt bottled in 2019, using single malts of 1999 vintage from the Strathisla, Longmorn and Braeval distilleries, in tribute to Manchester United winning The Treble (the Premier League, FA Cup and the European Cup in the same season) in 1999.

References

External links

Chivas RegalStrathisla Distillery, home of Chivas RegalWhisky DistilleriesPernod Ricard Parent Company Homepage

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