The Chivas Distilleries hadn’t strayed much with their bottle designs when it came to profiling their whisky portfolio. They did however leverage color to visually distinguish between the various bottlings and much of these colorings to me have been carefully picked such that it aligns closely with their branding – regal, high stature and luxurious.

Purple – aka the Chivas Brother’s Blend, is the colour that’s mildly fashioned over this specific bottling – the metal foil garnered around the neck with a tad bit laid across beneath all the white detailing. This detailing in itself is a bit unorthodox considering their usual ‘ornate’ crest – though the white trails still capture all the essence of the Chivas Regal. The highlight though is at its centre – an image of the Chivas Brothers themselves. The carton however has a lot more purple real estate with bits of Gold and Silver which I feel is a great way to attract preying eyes subconsciously, considering the purple shade has always been associated to royalty and the elite.

The Blend was introduced in 2012 as an ode to its makers, John and James Chivas, who pioneered the art of blending whisky in their very own grocery – Chivas Brothers Ltd, catering to the affluent and the rich! The bottle is a 12 year old blend of grain and malt, with a rather higher malt content – a large portion of which comes from Strathisla and Longmorn while the rest from other parts of Scotland.

The expression was initially launched exclusively at Duty Free outlets. The motivation- almost one in five Chivas bottles sold comes from these very outlets and one in three if you were looking for something in the 18 years range- compelling reasoning indeed!

ABV: 40% alc

Eye: Pale Amber

Nose: Butter, malt and cream with the sweetness of vanilla, raisins and honey. Light tart from apples and the nuttiness of almonds along with a faint woodiness complimented by white pepper, ginger peels and cinnamon sticks.

Taste: Malty and creamy with the sweetness of vanilla and grapes, some wood and light peat along with green apples and some citrus.

Finish: Medium – Winey with hints of spice.

On Dilution you identify a lot more sweetness from the grain while also appreciating citrus and lime on the palate. Wood and smoke seem more accentuated on the nose.

The Chivas Brother’s Blend is definitely creamy, very much congruent to what Colin Scott their master distiller had intended. It is mildly velvety on the tongue, yet light and sweet with a very enjoyable nose. On the palate the whisky comes short with not a lot to rave about; you also run the risk of a watered down dram should you over dilute it – very much the case with its younger sibling the 12 YO!

The Brother’s Blend is a lot more heavy on the malt with flavors coming through from it’s aging in both Ex-Bourbon and European barrels. I find this a one up from both the Regal 12 and the Chivas Extra, and worth a share with the mates.

Preference: This whisky can be had neat, or with a bit of water, keeping in mind that you don’t overdo it. Cocktails could also be an alternative with several available online.

Sláinte!