🥃 Chivas Regal 12 Year Old
The base expression of Chivas Regal: a blended Scotch whisky aged 12 years, 40% ABV; based on Strathisla and other Speyside malt whiskies.
Chivas Regal 12 Year Old is the best-known expression of the brand: a blended Scotch whisky from Chivas Brothers. According to Difford's Guide, it has 40% ABV and is aged 12 years, with no vintage or release year given. The base is single malt whiskies from Speyside, including Strathisla.
Difford's Guide writes that the brand was created in 1909 by the owners of Chivas Brothers with the US market in mind, and the company's archive names Charles Howard as the author of the blend. Under the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, a blend is a mixture of single malt and single grain whiskies, each aged at least 3 years in oak casks in Scotland. The cask types used for this expression are not named in our sources.
Why this matters to you. 12 years is the age of the youngest whisky in the blend, so compare it with the Extra 13, 18 and 25 by age and description, not by name. This is a blend, not a single malt. The WHO reminds us that there is no safe level of alcohol.
Facts
| Year founded | 1909 (Chivas Regal, Charles Howard); Chivas Brothers: 1857 |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, sections 3 and 12 (blended Scotch whisky; age) |
| Raw material | single malt (mostly Speyside, including Strathisla) and Scotch grain whiskies |
| Minimum maturation | 12 years (age of the youngest whisky); at least 3 years by law |
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 40% ABV |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Chivas Regal 12 Year Old → packed in → 🍷 Oak barrel ← packed in ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Oak barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Single Grain Scotch Whisky
- What it contains
- 🍷 Ethanol
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 British
- Part of
- 🥃 Chivas Regal, 🥃 Blended Scotch Whisky
- Related to
- 🥃 Speyside whisky
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Gold Signature, 🥃 Chivas Regal 25 Year Old, 🥃 Chivas Regal Extra 13, 🥃 Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Gold Signature, 🥃 Chivas Regal 25 Year Old, 🥃 Chivas Regal Extra 13, 🥃 Strathisla, 🥃 Johnnie Walker, 🥃 Ballantine's, 🥃 Haig Dimple 15 Year Old, 🥃 Black Dog Gold Reserve 12 Year Old
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that 12 is the age of all the whiskies in the bottle?
No, it is the age of the youngest. Under the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009, the stated age must refer to the youngest whisky in the blend; the rest may be older.
What is the ABV of Chivas Regal 12?
40% ABV, according to Difford's Guide.
Which whiskies form the base of the blend?
Strathisla and other Speyside malt whiskies from the Pernod Ricard group, according to Difford's Guide; the blend also includes grain whisky.
What to read next
- 🥃 Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Gold Signature — 18-year-old blended Chivas Regal Scotch whisky; 40% ABV; all whiskies in the blend are at least 18 years old; created in 1997.
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🍷 Ethanol — The alcohol formed during fermentation that makes you drunk.
- 🍷 Oak barrel — A wooden barrel of oak staves in which wine matures and breathes.
- 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky — Scotch from a single distillery: only malted barley, water and copper pot stills; at least 3 years in oak, 40% vol. or more.
Similar
🥃 Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Gold Signature · 🥃 Chivas Regal 25 Year Old · 🥃 Chivas Regal Extra 13 · 🥃 Black Dog Reserve 18 Year Old · 🥃 Bombay Dry Gin · 🥃 Bombay Sapphire East
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Difford's Guide: Chivas Regal 12 Year Old (40 % alc./vol.; 12 years; Strathisla and other Pernod Ricard Speyside malts; created 1909 for the U.S. market)
- Difford's Guide: Chivas Brothers (owner Pernod Ricard; range: Chivas Regal 12, 18, 25, Extra 13 Oloroso Sherry Cask launched July 2020)
- Chivas Brothers archive: Timeline (Charles Howard created Chivas Regal in 1909 as a blend with 25-year-old whisky; Strathisla 1786, bought 1950)
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 3: definition and categories of Scotch Whisky (Scotland, min. 3 years, min. 40 % ABV)
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 12: age statements (age of the youngest whisky)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)