Chivas Regal

Chivas Regal is a blended Scotch whisky produced by the Chivas Brothers subsidiary of Pernod Ricard in Scotland.

History

Chivas Regal was created in 1909 by Chivas Brothers Master Blender Charles Stewart Howard as a 25-year-old luxury whisky.[1]

1939 saw the debut and continued success of Chivas Regal 12-year-old Blended Scotch in the US, at what was to become a global standard proof value of 75 degrees, i.e., 42.8% ABV.[2] (The Americans mark it as 86 proof as they double the ABV to arrive at proof value.) Henceforth, quality, age (generally 12 years), cost (high), popularity (sales) and demography (high-end) would define a "premium" Scotch Whisky.[3]

In 1997, the Chivas Regal range was expanded with the launch of much older whiskies, such as the Chivas Regal 18 Years Old, and in 2007 the Chivas Regal 25 Years Old.[4][5] Other expressions followed, like the Chivas Regal Mizunara in 2014, Chivas Regal The Icon in 2015 and the Chivas Regal XV in 2018.

In 2001, Pernod Ricard acquired Chivas Brothers.[6] Its sales grew by 61% between 2002 and 2008.[7] 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.[8] It has been the world's fourth-best-selling Scotch whisky since 2016.[9][10] Chivas Regal has been the market-leading Scotch whisky aged 12 years and older in Europe and Asia Pacific.[11]

In 2025, Chivas Regal 18 partnered with Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc in a campaign combining whisky and music.[12]

Product line

• Chivas Regal 12 Years Old: blended from whiskies matured for at least 12 years.
• Chivas Regal Extra: a blend with a higher proportion of sherry casks.
• Chivas Regal Extra 13: blended from whiskies matured for at least 13 years.
• Chivas Regal 18 Years Old: blended from whiskies matured for at least 18 years.
• Chivas Regal 25 Years Old: created using whiskies aged at least 25 years and available only in limited quantities.[13]
• The Chivas Brothers' Blend: a 12-year-old blend intended to reflect the original Chivas house style, with a predominance of Speyside malts, in particular Strathisla and Longmorn.
• Chivas Regal Ultis XX: a blended malt whisky containing no grain whisky.
• Chivas Regal Mizunara: originally released for the Japanese market in 2014. Part of the blend is matured in Mizunara oak casks. Made its debut in the US in January 2019.[14]

Strathisla distillery

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.[17] 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.[18][19][20][21][22]

Awards

Chivas Regal whiskies have received numerous international awards across major competitions including the International Spirits Challenge (ISC), the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC), the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) and the World Whiskies Awards (WWA). Chivas Regal 18 Years Old and Chivas Regal XV were awarded in the World's Best Blended Scotch Whisky category by The Beverage Testing Institute in 2025.[23]

In popular culture

• 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?"
• Frank Sinatra would often request to have a bottle of Chivas Regal handy in his dressing room during tours. Later, his 1990 "Diamond Jubilee" tour was sponsored by Chivas Regal.[98]
• It was a favourite whisky of the journalist and novelist Hunter S Thompson.[99]
• Tom Waits mentions Chivas Regal in the song "Downtown" on the 1980 album Heartattack and Vine.
• In the 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.

Sponsorships and partnerships

External links

• Chivas Regal
• Strathisla Distillery, home of Chivas Regal
• Whisky Distilleries
• Strathisla Distillery
• Pernod Ricard Parent Company Homepage
• Chivas Wine
• Chivas 21