Whisky Review
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#206  Chivas Regal 18 YO Blended Scotch
This cost is what I found the likely shelf price for a 750ml bottle to be, based on an average of costs throughout the USA. Your price may differ significantly. This is not an advertisement of sale, this bottle is likely empty by now anyway Cost$6500Bottle Image. Image is © Practical Whisky. Bottle, logo and other trademarked imagery are © their respective owners.
00-09:Horrid
10-19:Awful
20-29:Unpleasant
30-39:Poor
40-49:Below Average
50-59:Average
60-69:Recommendable
70-79:Very Good
80-89:Excellent
90-99:Fantastic
Taste Score
                 87    
The whisky's score as weighed against the cost of a bottle. Adj. Score
               78      
ABV40%
AwardsTaste Award: Silver
Tasting # 228: Chivas 18YO  (30-JAN-2008)
NotesHaving already tasted the fair Link to another review12 YO and fabulous Link to another reviewCentury finding Link to another review18 year old was a must. Were it not for the recently introduced 25 year old, I could have checked the Chivas Brothers off my list!
SmellIt certainly smells nice. Lots of good things all wafting around. Mums, a grassy scent and a light malt with a creamy, salty top are all here. Plus there's something central amidst the grain that smells like egg batter, reminds me of making french toast. With a bit of water I get really nice candied almonds, but the taste doesn't hold up to water, so smell your glass afterwards.
TasteSherry leads the opening, nice and restrained though. Wood appears, velvety and bringing malt and a bit of walnut with it. The build adds smoke, just a whisper of peat and it crests with fruit appearing=> mandarin oranges and more sherry. Maybe vanilla. Leans slightly toward a bit of prickle and then fades into smoke and more nuts. The wood is still here, very easy, and a nice finish of sherry and smoke. Really well balanced, tons of flavor that holds together well. Water didn't improve it and it lost a few nice notes toward the peak. High 80s, well worth enjoying slowly.
Tasting Score87
Comments
Richard
21-Jun-2010 00:34:50 GMT
                 86    
Powerful sherry aroma, enough to worry me that it would be overpowering the in taste. The initial taste is sweet. Dry fruit and cane sugar. Again, without balance this would be far too sweet. But what great balance. In the same way that malt sweetness balances the bitterness of hops in beer, the finish here is a moderate peat with a little smoke. So as the dram fades, I get alternating sweet fruit with a beautiful (but not overpowering) peat influence. Just don't add too much water. Overall a beautiful dram that walks a razors edge. I've found that if I have this as a dessert dram I get more sweetness and less peat. But if I have this after eating something sweet that sweetness is downplayed some and the peat influence increases. I enjoy it more that way.

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