 | |
| Type | Scotch whisky |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard) |
| Country of origin | Scotland |
| Introduced | 1909 |
| Alcohol by volume | 40% |
| Variants | 12 year old, 15 years old, 18 year old, 25 year old |
| Related products | Royal Salute whisky |
| Website | Chivas Regal |
Chivas Regal (/ˈʃɪvəs/) is a blended Scotch whisky produced by the Chivas Brothers subsidiary of Pernod Ricard in Scotland.
Chivas Regal was created in 1909 by Chivas Brothers Master Blender Charles Stewart Howard as a 25 year old luxury whisky.[1] Chivas Regal has been the market-leading Scotch whisky aged 12 years and older in Europe and Asia Pacific.[2] Its sales grew by 61% between 2002 and 2008.[3] 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.[4] It has been the world's fourth best selling Scotch whisky since 2016.[5][6]
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.[11] 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 distilleries in the Lowlands.[12][13][14][15][16]
Chivas Regal whiskies have performed well at international spirit ratings competitions. In 2013, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition jury awarded its Double Gold Medals to the Chivas Regal 18yr, 21yr and 25yr whiskies.[17]
| Whisky | 2003 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chivas Regal 18yr Gold Signature Blended Scotch Whisky | Gold | Double | Silver | Double-Gold | Bronze | - | Gold | Gold | Double-Gold |
| Chivas Regal 21yr Royal Salute Blended Scotch Whisky | Silver | Double-Gold | Silver | Silver | Silver | - | Gold | Gold | Double-Gold |
| Chivas Regal 25yr Original Blended Scotch Whisky | - | - | - | Double-Gold | - | - | Double-Gold | Double-Gold | Double-Gold |
| Source:[18] | |||||||||
In the 1973 film The Exorcist, 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?"
It was a favourite whisky of the journalist and novelist Hunter S Thompson.[19]
Tom Waits mentions Chivas Regal in the song “Downtown” on the 1980 album Heartattack and Vine
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 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 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 song Brass Monkey, released in 1987, includes the lyric "we don't mind Chivas".
In Working Girl, from 1988, savvy New York City receptionist Tess McGill played by Melanie Griffith orders a "Chivas" during an engagement party for her friend Cynthia (Joan Cusack), immediately prior to a proposal from her boyfriend Mick Dugan played by Alec Baldwin.
In the 1993 film Mrs. Doubtfire, Daniel and Jonathan drink shots of Chivas during their business dinner at Bridges.
Kelly Clarkson's 2007 album My December 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 compares it to Budweiser (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 orders "Two Chivas, neat" during a scene in the White House.
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 Outstanding Achievement in Sports Category.[20]
Chivas Regal signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the British Premier League football team Manchester United in August 2018.[21] 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.[22]
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.[23]
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.[24][25]
