Review: Chivas Regal XV 15 Years Old

According to the company, Chivas Regal is “shaking up the Scotch whisky category in the U.S.” with the launch of a new product: Chivas Regal XV. While standard Chivas is 12 years old, this one is 15. So, you know, shaking things up.

All Chivas bottlings are blends that are built around Strathisla single malt, the oldest operating distillery in Speyside. Chivas XV is aged in French oak and “selectively finished in Grande Champagne Cognac casks,” and, per the company, it is “encouraged to be enjoyed in a high-energy, celebratory moment, proving that a serious whisky doesn’t need a serious setting.”

I, unfortunately, tasted this whisky at my desk, alone. Here’s what I thought about it.

As with many a mainstream blended Scotch, Chivas 15 arrives with a barely-there nose, presenting classic aromas of sesame, almond sandies, sandalwood, and a slight whiff of furniture polish. (Bizarrely (or not), I used almost identical language about that furniture polish note in my review of Chivas 12.) Creamy and effusive on the palate, the light lemon notes endemic to Chivas become more prominent, sharpened up through notes of pencil lead and rosemary, before settling into a groove that evokes bittersweet chocolate, burnt caramel, and lingering, overcooked almond cookies. As for those Cognac casks — any influence they might have had is hard to detect.

All told, if you’re a fan of Chivas 12, Chivas 15 will introduce few surprises. For better or for worse.

80 proof.

B+ / $50 / chivas.com [BUY IT NOW FROM CASKERS]

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