Created by Sandy Hyslop, Chivas Regal’s Director of Blending, and his blending team, this expression is aged for a minimum of 15 years in French oak casks, the new 80 proof expression delivers a velvety interpretation of the traditional Chivas. 

“Chivas XV is a whisky that successfully combines the Chivas tradition and passion for blending with a modern thirst for shared experiences,” Chivas Regal’s Director of Blending Sandy Hyslop. “Whether you’re an aficionado or a beginner, forget what you know about whisky – Chivas XV is challenging conventions as the ultimate drink to enjoy on an evening out. Now that’s worthy of celebrating.”

As a permanent part of the Chivas Regal range, the new expression like all Chivas’ blend is Strathisla Single Malt, produced at Strathisla, the oldest working distillery in the Speyside region of the Scottish Highlands. 

Chivas XV retails for $49.99.

The post Chivas Goes To Oak For XV appeared first on The Whiskey Lifestyle.

Ingredients:

• 2 parts Chivas Mizunara
• 1 part sweetened condensed milk
• 1-part fresh espresso
• 1 pinch(es) of salt
• Orange zest, to garnish
• Grated hazelnut, to garnish

Instructions:

Add whiskey, sweetened condensed milk and salt to a glass with ice. Stir all ingredients together. Add espresso and stir again. Grate orange zest and hazelnut over the top of the drink.

The post Cocktail of the Week: Chivas Mizunara Iced Coffee appeared first on The Whiskey Lifestyle.

Every year, the Chivas Venture gives away $1 million in funding and expert coaching to social entrepreneurs, who blend profit and purpose to have a positive impact on the world… just like Chivas does with their whisky. Launched in 2014, the global platform has received over 10,000 applications and supported 120 startups. From turning plastic waste into affordable housing and cow manure into sustainable fashion, these startups have already enriched the lives of more than 2 million people in over 50 countries, across 6 continents.

This year, a panel chose Strella Biotech, a startup creating bio-sensing platforms that can predict the ripeness of fruits. They use this information to optimize the supply chain and increase produce quality, as the U.S. representative of the global competition.

“I stumbled across the fact that 40% of food is wasted before it is consumed and thought it was the most ridiculous thing I’d heard in a while,” says Strella BioTech Founder Katherine Sizov of the company’s inspiration. “I went to my grocery store and asked why there was food waste, and the answers the grocers gave led me further up the supply chain until I found some really big sources of food waste I thought I could solve.

This year’s panel of judges included television personality Andi Dorfman, Krost CEO Samuel Krost, The Influencers Dinner Founder Jon Levy and Chivas Regal VP of Marketing Sona Bajaria. “I am humbled to be part of a brand with a long history of generosity and entrepreneurship that has built a program around supporting the next generation of social entrepreneurs,” says Bajaria. “Every year, Chivas Regal invests $1 million in no-strings funding for entrepreneurs that blend profit with purpose to create positive change for a better future.

“Strella BioTech stood out to our judges panel as they showcased a problem that is a massive issue with an attainable solution,” she adds. “We were incredibly impressed with their emerging technology and strong business plan, coupled with their passion for solving a $1 trillion issue in the US. Detecting food decomposition for the ability to ultimately eliminate food waste altogether is something that could completely change our world for the better.”

Now, Strella will move on to the final competition this summer where they will face off against 26 other startups all vying to make change our planet, one idea at a time.

“I’m super excited to represent the US as a part of the Chivas venture program,” sayd Sizov. “I want to convey the entrepreneurial spirit and technological advances that inspired me to start a business in the first place. I think the US presents an incredible opportunity for young people to pursue impactful global change.”

The post Chivas Regal Gives To Social Good Via Venture appeared first on The Whiskey Lifestyle.

Chivas Regal, a division of Pernod-Ricard, is releasing in the United States the first, blended Scotch whisky that has been partially finished in casks of rare, Japanese mizunara oak. The whisky was first released in Japan in October 2014. It has since been rolled out elsewhere, and is now available in the US. The expression appears to be based on the 12 YO Chivas Regal expression in the Chivas core range.

Mizunara oak, typically called Japanese oak, has been used for aging Japanese whiskies since about 1930. During the Second World War, Japanese whisky makers were unable to source supplies of European or American white oak, so they turned to a native oak variety instead. The term is derived from mizu (water) and nara (oak).

The “oak” is actually two different species; Quercus mongolica or Mongolian oak and Quercus crispula or Japanese oak. Both types of wood are utilized in barrel making. Mongolian oak is quite rare and slow growing. It takes about 300 years before a tree can be used to fashion barrels, compared to 100 years for the American white oak. Quercus crispula is slightly faster growing and can produce a useable tree after about 200 years.

Neither species grows straight, and both tend to have a lot of knot holes. A typical 100-year-old American white oak trunk will yield between 20% and 25% of its trunk into useable barrel staves. The yield from both Japanese and Mongolian oak is less than 10%.

Moreover, the oak wood tends to be soft and porous. Barrels made from it are prone to leaking and easily damaged. A new barrel of “mizunara oak” from Hokkaido, the region considered to produce the best quality wood, costs around $7,000 per barrel, almost 20 times the cost of a typical American bourbon barrel.

The wood typically imparts aromas and flavors of sandalwood and a kind of Japanese incense called kara to maturing whisky. Kara incense is made from the resin impregnated heartwood of the Aquilaria tree.

Compared to American and European oak species, Japanese oak is particularly high in trans-oak lactones and vanillins. These lactones, when dissolved in alcohol, can impart very strong coconut aromas, as well as notes of exotic spices.

Bowmore was the first Scottish distillery to age its whisky in casks made from mizunara oak.  The original Bowmore Mizunara Oak Finish was a blend of Bowmore whiskies aged 12 to 18 years, which had been finished for a few months in specialty made casks crafted from mizunara wood.

On a recent visit to Bowmore, however, I did notice additional casks of Bowmore Mizunara Cask Whisky being matured and was told that this whisky would remain in those casks for several years, rather than months.

In Japan, mizunara casks are typically puncheon size, roughly 70 to 100 gallons, about one-third to one-half the size of an ex-bourbon cask

There have been a number of other distillers that have finished their whiskies in mizunara casks. Glendalough, an Irish craft distillery, released a 13 YO, Cooley sourced single malt whiskey that was finished for a period of 6 to 12 months in mizunara casks.

Bainbridge Organic Distillers, a craft distiller on Bainbridge Island, Washington, released a single grain whiskey called Yama, which had been exclusively matured in small, 10- and 15-gallon barrels of Quercus crispula.

Finishing whisky in mizunara casks has not been without some controversy. Many Japanese distillers argue that it takes at least 15 years of maturation in mizunara casks for the influence of the wood to truly manifest itself. Using mizunara casks to finish a whisky is dismissed as little more than a marketing gimmick.

Without question the full impact of mizunara cask maturation is far more evident in say the Suntory Yamasaki 18 Mizunara Cask, with its pronounced coconut and tropical fruit notes, than it is in whiskies that have just been finished in mizunara casks. Still, mizunara cask finishes do appear to impart some of the woods characteristic aromas and flavors.

Chivas Regal, Mizunara Scotch Whisky, 40% ABV, 750 ml, $45

The color is a rich gold. On the nose, there are notes of pear and peach, along with some cotton candy, followed by some caramel and vanilla. There are some dried fruit notes of raisin and fig, along with a bit of digestives. On the palate, the whisky is smooth and creamy, with a distinctive honey sweet note. There are flavors of stone and tropical fruit, a hint of creamy vanilla, along with some cinnamon and toasted wood. There is some sherry influence that becomes more pronounced as the whisky opens up. The finish is medium length, sweet and features peach, tropical fruit and a hint of licorice and lingering spice notes of pepper, cinnamon and a bit of clove.

This is an excellent whisky. Its Chivas DNA, however, is unmistakable. It shares the sweetness, fruitiness and creamy character typical of its Chivas relations. It does seem a bit spicier, although it is hard to tell whether that is the influence of the mizunara finish. On the whole, the mizunara influence is pretty subtle. The pronounced coconut notes typical of mizunara matured whisky are lacking. Still, it’s worth a taste, especially when tasted blind against the regular 12 YO.

The post Chivas Regal Debuts The First Mizunara Finished Blended Scotch Whisky appeared first on The Whiskey Lifestyle.

First up is a seasonal spin on a classic cocktail. Created by Naren Young, Head Bartender at the iconic Dante in New York City, this Julep has a little snow on its roof.

The Julep

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ oz. Monkey Shoulder whisky (infused with freeze dried cranberries)
• ½ oz. Becherovka
• ½ oz. cranberry syrup

Instructions:

Muddle torn mint leaves in crushed ice in a Julep or Bechrovka Cup. Build over crushed ice & stir well. Cap with more crushed ice and garnish with a large mint sprig, three cranberries, confectioner’s sugar and a small straw.

Looking for a seasonal spin on a different classic? London’s Green Room at The Curtain Hotel & Members Club heats up my favorite cocktail — The Old Fashioned.

Fireplace Old Fashioned

• 1 ½ oz Woodford Reserve
• 1 ½ tsp Marshmallow Syrup (prepared in-house at Green Room, but can be store bought)
• 3 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters

Instructions:

Stir the ingredients over cubed ice, then strain into a rocks glass over fresh cubed ice and garnish with a toasted marshmallow.

Next up is this a sipper appropriately named for the season. Created by the team at New York’s The Fat Radish, this grapefruit-forward cocktail will definitely keep you warm.

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