It's the 1950s versus 1970s versus 2010s in this month's Killing Whisky History episode. This trio of Chivases, or Chivae, presented me with a pair of surprises, one positive, one not. If you think the 8:30 runtime is long, you should have seen the 14:30 Heaven's-Gate-director's-edition Ralfy-sized second cut. No, you shouldn't have seen it. It has been destroyed. This edit was approved by blind studio executives and me.
The brand and bottle history lessons end at 3:42, after which the tastings and faces begin.
Great video! I bought a bottled of the 12 year old a year or so back and I too was amazed at how little it had going on, especially the almost total absence of a finish. I do think the 18 year old is fairly solid and a huge upgrade over the 12, for what it's worth.
ReplyDeleteThe 1950s version sound really interesting, how did you happen upon that mini?
Hey Fletcher. Thanks! I agree, the 18yo is still decent stuff, especially since some places/states still sell it for $60ish. The old Johnnie Walker 18yo Gold Label had a bizarre crash in quality in the two years before it was killed off. Hopefully Pernod does neither with Chivas 18.
DeleteI'm not 100% certain when I got the '50s Chivas, but I did go through a phase of collecting old minis via online groups. That potentially-unwise period is mostly responsible for this video series.