I like your approach of not reviewing the top end stuff as many other reviewers do. We need more of the mid to lower budget whisky reviews. My best value blended scotch would be Teachers. Best value blended malt, the Naked malt (43% abv in the US). Best value single malt, Finlaggan old reserve. Keep it up amigo, your content and point of view is getting better and better 👏✌
Agree. Pls keep the regulars coming. Once in a while a vid about expensive/exclusive whisky is nice, but not as if the expensive stuff is normal everyday stuff.
Couldn't agree more, never had a bad Chivas Regal 12 and one of the budgets I would recommend to people starting their journey. I have seen it as low £16 on offer which is solid bang for the buck. Hip flask dram was always Talisker 10, metallic, warming and not too wild. Cheers.
Blends, more so than blended malt and perhaps even more so than single grain, seem to be the unloved middle child of modern whisky. It's not all just cheaply made stuff though 🙂
Nice review Shane. Just trying some of this again and I'd say you're spot on: you could do a lot worse than this economical blend. It's the equivalent of £36 in my market so I'm in no rush to pick another one up, but at a hotel bar, or on a flight I could happily sip on it.
I tried chivas regal 12 in fact it is good whisky but now I am thinking of buying chivas regal 12 or JW Gold Label so do you think it is worth spending more and getting JW Gold Label ?
Hi! I think it depends on prices where you are. I do think that Gold Label is better than Chivas 12 but not twice as good and where I am Gold Label is around £40 whereas I can get Chivas on offer for £20-22. Chivas is the winner in terms of bang for your buck. Gold Label is nice but If you're considering buying Gold Label, I'd recommend looking to see how much you'd have to pay for a Clynelish 14. Gold Label has a lot of Clynelish in it but Clynelish 14 is a higher ABV with more flavour IMHO.
I go to Spain quite a lot. There’s only certain brands you tend to see when you are there. This is one of them and I like it. However, I tend to opt for Ballantine’s Finest. It’s usually the equivalent of a tenner for 70cl and really nice to have in the hotel room. Not an aged blend mind you.
Funny how different markets get such different choices. I like Ballantines Finest too. About the same as this Chivas. It's all down to the age as you say. Chivas seems to have a bit more malt content and is noticeably older but you can't beat that smooth grainy character of Ballantines Finest when you factor in the price 👍
Really good review. I think now, more than ever, we have to keep are feet grounded. I expained recently that I had a CR 12 from the 80's bottled at 43% which was a lot better and probably had a lot of older stuff in it. I agree with you about its value but once your in your in. A little bit more cash can get you something quite a lot better. However, if you like a little grain element, and sometimes I do, it's well worth considering. WT
Thanks WT. Go Team Grain! I like the occasional foray into grain too. More and more as times goes on. Probably a hard thing to explain to people who haven't had that epiphany themselves but it offers something you don't get from malt. Cheers 🥃
I enjoy the Chivas, however for the same price I prefer the Glenfidich 12, and as for budget and hip flask filler hard to beat the Glen Moray Elgin Classic at 13€.
Thanks Marton. That's interesting. I've been tempted by the 15 and 18 for a while. It's really only the ABV that have kept me away. Perhaps I'll get some samples instead of forking over the cash for a whole bottle. Cheers 🥃
@@WhiskyLock i had only a dram from the 18 and it was nice but a bit flat. Maybe it was just an old, long open bottle on the shelf. But yeah overall i consider the 12 as a absolut winner of value there. 🥃
That's good to know - earlier in my whisky journey this year I was looking for the typical no-nonsense 'Whisky-Brand Whisky' flavour which is somehow in my head, and yet have not managed to really find it in the cheap (scotch) blends, including JW12, which was actually not cheap at all
When I first tried Chivas 12 I honestly hated it, despite enjoying comparably priced Whiskies such as Balantinnes, Teachers and JW black. That said I was gifted a bottle recently and I'm thinking of going back to it and trying it again. If one thing has been true of my Whisky journey it's that my tastes have changed drastically over the years. Thanks for the review!
Yes, very interesting how our tastes and preferences change. In particular I always think that once you've tried all the different styles, sometimes there's value to be had in the standard stuff because your experience can allow you to appreciate it for what it is (and for what it's not). A perk for having been around the block a few times 😉
@@WhiskyLock indeed I agree. In fact Ballantines Finest is actually in my Whisky Top 5. Everything else in there is a higher strength integrity bottling, but sometimes it's just nice to reach for something simple and enjoyable. Feels like going back to zero in some sense. In addition global availability helps, when I was last in Vietnam I was able to find Ballantines in local liquor stores to enjoy alongside the locally produced stuff so it in some sense has become my 'old reliable' dram.
@@whistlestopwonders Old reliable indeed. I'm often conflicted when giving grades to whiskies like Ballantines Finest, because if it's a style that you enjoy (I do too) then there's essentially nothing to dislike about it. Highlights the problem with comparing whiskies of different styles and putting them all on a linear scale. It's an oversimplification at best but also somewhat useful and many people will want to know. Cheers 🥃
I haven't tasted this for ages and certainly not since I got seriously into whisky three years ago. In Bulgaria I can have a 0.7 l bottle for roughly 20 £ by current exchange rates, but I can't afford the time and liver for it. Instead, I've been thinking of getting miniature bottles of the standard blends available in the market and bring check them out side by side. They are dirt cheap and won't have me stuck with full full size bottles for months. I'm talking Johnnie Walker, Chivas Regal, Grant's, Dewar's, Ballantines, Cutty Sark, Famous Grouse, J&B and everything else, provided it is at least half-decent and available. Cheers!
If you're drinking so little that the good stuff lasts you a decent time and you don't have whisky drinking guests then honestly you probably don't need this Chivas. But getting a range of samples like you suggested is a great idea 👍
@@WhiskyLock I drink a single dram (25-30 ml) 4-5 times a week. I keep no more than six open bottles of malt whisky, one bottle of bourbon, one bottle of rum and one bottle of brandy. It takes me 8-10 months on average to finish a bottle of whisky. Rum, bourbon and brandy take at least 1 year per bottle. Guests are rare and far between and they don't drink or drink microscopic amounts😄 I also treat my colleagues at the office with some fine whisky or other quality spirist on proper occasion like my birthday and also share samples every now and then, but that's about it. So, yeah, I don't need standard blends on a regular basis😄
Enjoyed the review, but I just cannot get on with the CR12. I'm no whisky snob - I have blends and singles at 40% - but I just can't get anything from this. I recently did a taste comparison with Monkey Shoulder, to see if my opinion had changed. As it was, the MS blew the CR12 away and so my opinion of it remains unchanged. Thanks for sharing, cheers 🥃🥃
Thanks Nick. It's not going to be for everyone. What is? The last couple of times I've tried Monkey Shoulder I thought it had slipped quite a lot but possibly just a bad batch or two. Chivas is definitely lighter, more subtle and refined than Monkey so that may be why it doesn't resonate with you. Cheers 🥃
@@WhiskyLock Agreed, we all find something different in whisky and that’s the beauty of it. Re the MS, my current bottle is definitely different to the previous one I had! Perhaps time to have a wee dram ….! 🥃🥃
The problem with Blended Scotches like Chivas Regal or even lower end variants, is that there are better quality Single Malts available for just about the same price. In the USA, I can still find, even with inflation, malts like Glen Moray Elgin Classic and a litany of Mystery Malts for less. That being said, I'll gladly drink Chivas Regal in a plastic cup with ice, but I'm not buying it. The only Blended Scotch worth buying IMHO are the Compass Box Glasgow or Artist Blends.
Yes that's true. By the time you get up to a price point where you get a decent blend it's be becoming difficult to justify against similarly priced malts. It's the same problem over here although supermarket special offers change that a little when you can get them. I don't think I've tried Glasgow or Artists blends yet. If I have it was a while ago but I'm pretty sure I have some samples somewhere and I've never been too disappointed with a Compass Box product.
JW vs Chivas... the eternal battle. Clash of the Titans 😂 I agree that JWB has more going on but I also really like the smooth easy drinking Chivas. Cheers 🥃
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I like your approach of not reviewing the top end stuff as many other reviewers do. We need more of the mid to lower budget whisky reviews. My best value blended scotch would be Teachers.
Best value blended malt, the Naked malt (43% abv in the US). Best value single malt, Finlaggan old reserve.
Keep it up amigo, your content and point of view is getting better and better 👏✌
Thanks for the kind words WH. I really liked Naked Grouse. Surprisingly good! I used to like Teachers too but it's been a very long time. Cheers 🥃
Agree.
Pls keep the regulars coming.
Once in a while a vid about expensive/exclusive whisky is nice, but not as if the expensive stuff is normal everyday stuff.
Couldn't agree more, never had a bad Chivas Regal 12 and one of the budgets I would recommend to people starting their journey. I have seen it as low £16 on offer which is solid bang for the buck. Hip flask dram was always Talisker 10, metallic, warming and not too wild. Cheers.
Solid, dependable stuff and £16 is ridiculously good value!
There are some respectable blends that have their place for enjoyment, and thanks for giving them some air time.
Blends, more so than blended malt and perhaps even more so than single grain, seem to be the unloved middle child of modern whisky. It's not all just cheaply made stuff though 🙂
It's quite pleasing.
Nice review Shane. Just trying some of this again and I'd say you're spot on: you could do a lot worse than this economical blend. It's the equivalent of £36 in my market so I'm in no rush to pick another one up, but at a hotel bar, or on a flight I could happily sip on it.
Yeah it's one of those drams that a lot of bars have and you know what you're going to get. Dependable 👍
I tried chivas regal 12 in fact it is good whisky but now I am thinking of buying chivas regal 12 or JW Gold Label so do you think it is worth spending more and getting JW Gold Label ?
Hi! I think it depends on prices where you are. I do think that Gold Label is better than Chivas 12 but not twice as good and where I am Gold Label is around £40 whereas I can get Chivas on offer for £20-22. Chivas is the winner in terms of bang for your buck.
Gold Label is nice but If you're considering buying Gold Label, I'd recommend looking to see how much you'd have to pay for a Clynelish 14. Gold Label has a lot of Clynelish in it but Clynelish 14 is a higher ABV with more flavour IMHO.
I go to Spain quite a lot. There’s only certain brands you tend to see when you are there. This is one of them and I like it. However, I tend to opt for Ballantine’s Finest. It’s usually the equivalent of a tenner for 70cl and really nice to have in the hotel room. Not an aged blend mind you.
Funny how different markets get such different choices. I like Ballantines Finest too. About the same as this Chivas. It's all down to the age as you say. Chivas seems to have a bit more malt content and is noticeably older but you can't beat that smooth grainy character of Ballantines Finest when you factor in the price 👍
You should try the DYC 8 year old. Go native!!!
@@stevegray8038 Was gonna one time but opted for Vat 69 instead. Liked that too.
Really good review. I think now, more than ever, we have to keep are feet grounded. I expained recently that I had a CR 12 from the 80's bottled at 43% which was a lot better and probably had a lot of older stuff in it. I agree with you about its value but once your in your in. A little bit more cash can get you something quite a lot better. However, if you like a little grain element, and sometimes I do, it's well worth considering. WT
Thanks WT. Go Team Grain! I like the occasional foray into grain too. More and more as times goes on. Probably a hard thing to explain to people who haven't had that epiphany themselves but it offers something you don't get from malt. Cheers 🥃
I enjoy the Chivas, however for the same price I prefer the Glenfidich 12, and as for budget and hip flask filler hard to beat the Glen Moray Elgin Classic at 13€.
Glen Moray is probably the king of extreme budget single malt 👑
Totally agree with every word and I even prefer the 12yo a lot over the 15(XV) actually. That one is much more harsh and the grain heavy.🥃
Thanks Marton. That's interesting. I've been tempted by the 15 and 18 for a while. It's really only the ABV that have kept me away. Perhaps I'll get some samples instead of forking over the cash for a whole bottle. Cheers 🥃
@@WhiskyLock i had only a dram from the 18 and it was nice but a bit flat. Maybe it was just an old, long open bottle on the shelf. But yeah overall i consider the 12 as a absolut winner of value there. 🥃
That's good to know - earlier in my whisky journey this year I was looking for the typical no-nonsense 'Whisky-Brand Whisky' flavour which is somehow in my head, and yet have not managed to really find it in the cheap (scotch) blends, including JW12, which was actually not cheap at all
I think I know what you mean and you might find it in this. Agreed that JW Black fails on price and quality.
When I first tried Chivas 12 I honestly hated it, despite enjoying comparably priced Whiskies such as Balantinnes, Teachers and JW black. That said I was gifted a bottle recently and I'm thinking of going back to it and trying it again. If one thing has been true of my Whisky journey it's that my tastes have changed drastically over the years. Thanks for the review!
Yes, very interesting how our tastes and preferences change. In particular I always think that once you've tried all the different styles, sometimes there's value to be had in the standard stuff because your experience can allow you to appreciate it for what it is (and for what it's not). A perk for having been around the block a few times 😉
@@WhiskyLock indeed I agree. In fact Ballantines Finest is actually in my Whisky Top 5. Everything else in there is a higher strength integrity bottling, but sometimes it's just nice to reach for something simple and enjoyable. Feels like going back to zero in some sense.
In addition global availability helps, when I was last in Vietnam I was able to find Ballantines in local liquor stores to enjoy alongside the locally produced stuff so it in some sense has become my 'old reliable' dram.
@@whistlestopwonders Old reliable indeed. I'm often conflicted when giving grades to whiskies like Ballantines Finest, because if it's a style that you enjoy (I do too) then there's essentially nothing to dislike about it. Highlights the problem with comparing whiskies of different styles and putting them all on a linear scale. It's an oversimplification at best but also somewhat useful and many people will want to know. Cheers 🥃
I haven't tasted this for ages and certainly not since I got seriously into whisky three years ago.
In Bulgaria I can have a 0.7 l bottle for roughly 20 £ by current exchange rates, but I can't afford the time and liver for it.
Instead, I've been thinking of getting miniature bottles of the standard blends available in the market and bring check them out side by side. They are dirt cheap and won't have me stuck with full full size bottles for months. I'm talking Johnnie Walker, Chivas Regal, Grant's, Dewar's, Ballantines, Cutty Sark, Famous Grouse, J&B and everything else, provided it is at least half-decent and available.
Cheers!
If you're drinking so little that the good stuff lasts you a decent time and you don't have whisky drinking guests then honestly you probably don't need this Chivas. But getting a range of samples like you suggested is a great idea 👍
@@WhiskyLock I drink a single dram (25-30 ml) 4-5 times a week. I keep no more than six open bottles of malt whisky, one bottle of bourbon, one bottle of rum and one bottle of brandy. It takes me 8-10 months on average to finish a bottle of whisky. Rum, bourbon and brandy take at least 1 year per bottle.
Guests are rare and far between and they don't drink or drink microscopic amounts😄 I also treat my colleagues at the office with some fine whisky or other quality spirist on proper occasion like my birthday and also share samples every now and then, but that's about it. So, yeah, I don't need standard blends on a regular basis😄
Enjoyed the review, but I just cannot get on with the CR12. I'm no whisky snob - I have blends and singles at 40% - but I just can't get anything from this. I recently did a taste comparison with Monkey Shoulder, to see if my opinion had changed. As it was, the MS blew the CR12 away and so my opinion of it remains unchanged. Thanks for sharing, cheers 🥃🥃
Thanks Nick. It's not going to be for everyone. What is? The last couple of times I've tried Monkey Shoulder I thought it had slipped quite a lot but possibly just a bad batch or two. Chivas is definitely lighter, more subtle and refined than Monkey so that may be why it doesn't resonate with you. Cheers 🥃
@@WhiskyLock Agreed, we all find something different in whisky and that’s the beauty of it. Re the MS, my current bottle is definitely different to the previous one I had! Perhaps time to have a wee dram ….! 🥃🥃
@@NickDV007 indeed it is 🙂 yes, better have another dram to check! 🥃
I like this product, although I do find it a bit on the bland side.
Yes, not many blends have the wow factor that you get from good malts. Pleasant enough though.
Good info next time I’m at a basic bar.
They really spoil you guys. My nearest bar has Grouse or Jacobite 🤢 I know what you mean though 😉 Cheers!
Chivas 12 is hard to beat for the price.
True that! 🥃
The problem with Blended Scotches like Chivas Regal or even lower end variants, is that there are better quality Single Malts available for just about the same price. In the USA, I can still find, even with inflation, malts like Glen Moray Elgin Classic and a litany of Mystery Malts for less.
That being said, I'll gladly drink Chivas Regal in a plastic cup with ice, but I'm not buying it.
The only Blended Scotch worth buying IMHO are the Compass Box Glasgow or Artist Blends.
Yes that's true. By the time you get up to a price point where you get a decent blend it's be becoming difficult to justify against similarly priced malts. It's the same problem over here although supermarket special offers change that a little when you can get them.
I don't think I've tried Glasgow or Artists blends yet. If I have it was a while ago but I'm pretty sure I have some samples somewhere and I've never been too disappointed with a Compass Box product.
@@WhiskyLock Both are legitimately excellent. I hope you get around to reviewing them.
@@MrChristopherMolloy thanks for the pointer 🙂
@@WhiskyLock My pleasure. Thanks for the vids ✌️
❤️👌👍
I like screw tops because the corks are noisy and the wife can’t hear and count my glasses.
😂 love it!
😁🥃👍🏻
Not a bad whisky But jw black is better
JW vs Chivas... the eternal battle. Clash of the Titans 😂
I agree that JWB has more going on but I also really like the smooth easy drinking Chivas. Cheers 🥃
If it’s 12 years old you should throw it out that stuff is expired
😂 past its best 🤔