BLEND BASH! Mother's Toddy vs Dad's Dram vs Chivas Regal 12

While in Edinburgh two years ago, Kristen and I wandered through a Royal Mile shop full of tartans and kilts (there are a couple of those stores in Scotland). She exited without buying anything. Meanwhile, I bought these two random minis...

...because what the shit.

👆 Not a preferred reason to buy whisky.

I decided to do a blind Taste Off between Mother's Toddy and Dad's Dram, but needed some additional perspective so I added a more recognizable blend to the blind match up.

This is the same Chivas 12 that I'd included in episode 5 of Killing Whisky History (watch it now!). Trying to consume this whisky has proven to be a fugly slog, so this Taste Off offered an opportunity to knock down another ounce.

There was only one issue with the blind tasting. The Chivas was dark orange compared to the very lightly colored tourist drams. And there was one surprise: I thought Mother's Toddy was Dad's Dram, and vice versa. See why below...

THE NOSES

Whisky	Notes
Dad's Dram blended whisky The Scottish Collection 40%abv	Lots of barley with some decent industrial stink. Brown sugar, fresh linen. Quite grassy, with a hint of lime.
Chivas Regal 12yo Blended whisky Pernod Ricard 40%abv	Vodka. Nail polish. Grape candy and flower kiss candy. Sawdust, wet cardboard and little bit of maple syrup. Loads of vanilla.
Mother's Toddy Blended whisky The Scottish Collection 40%abv	Leather shoes. Iodine and band-aids. Pine-scented car deodorizer and new plastic toys. Citrus and wet dog hair in the background. Some shoe polish to go with those leather shoes.

THE PALATES

Whisky	Notes
Dad's Dram	Fudge and caramel meet herbal and grassy bitterness. Lemons and barley. Gets more herbal with time, picking up a milk chocolate note.
Chivas Regal 12yo	Thin, with plenty of ethyl heat. A vodka-like bite. A hint of coconut. Otherwise it's all flat vanilla and caramel.
Mother's Toddy	Iodine and wood smoke. Vanilla, salt, toffee and toasted oak. Small notes of grapefruit and pineapple appear after some time.

THE FINISHES

Whisky	Notes
Dad's Dram	An herbal bite that grows a bit sharp at times. Tart lemons and a hint of vanilla.
Chivas Regal 12yo	Heat, grain, vanilla, coconut-flavored vodka, sour, icky.
Mother's Toddy	Lots of barley. Tangy and salty. A hint of smoked salmon.

COMMENTARY AND RATINGS

Whisky	Notes	Rating
Dad's Dram	The prettiest of the three, so I thought it was Mother's Toddy. Apparently Papa enjoys the lighter stuff. It's decent overall, though a bit thin on the palate, and its finish starts to reveal some premature whisky and limp casks. *cough* But it's better than Chivas.	78
Chivas Regal 12yo	I was going to be nice about this, but... This is miserable whisky, descending to Dewars and Cutty levels. What the hell is going on over there? Where's the malt? Stay away from bottling code 2016/03/24 LPBK0521.	69
Mother's Toddy	Oh, Mama, I like your style. Plenty of Island malt going on. A very good nose. The low abv starts showing on the too brief finale. At around 46%abv this would be Mother's Papa's little helper.	82

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Apparently Mother's and Dad's are part of a whole series. Unfortunately, I don't know where to get them, other than at some of Scotland's tourist shops. Dad's Dram would be a perfectly respectable $20 700mL bottle, while Mother's Toddy is preferable to the current version of Johnnie Walker Black Label. But these cost me $10+ per mini, so you may want to save your GBP for something else. Also, sayonara Chivas Regal.

Killing Whisky History, Episode 5 - Three Decades of Chivas Regal 12

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.

Taste Off Reboot! Chivas Regal 12 year old (2015) versus Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 year old (2015)

As you read this right now, I am driving across the country, going as far as I can from my old home in Long Beach.  The destination is a one month respite in Upstate New York, with a 9 day Scottish excursion hidden within that month, and then an arrival in my new home of Columbus, Ohio.  And so, in honor of Los Angeles County and the film industry which I have left behind, I am doing something that I have already done before.  It worked so well the first time that I definitely had to do it again.

Welcome to The Johnnie Walker Black Label versus Chivas Regal 12yo Taste Off!!!  49 months ago, I posted a Johnnie Walker Black Label versus Chivas Regal 12yo Taste Off and it became my most popular review ever.  I'm not saying it's my best, I'm saying it's my most viewed, thus my development executives say I need to reboot it.  To my long time readers, I'm sorry, I know I promised never to review Johnnie Walker Black again, but I need to bury some ghosts, if ghosts can be buried.  Perhaps they can be buried in the commas I've used in this paragraph.,

I come to this Taste Off with mixed feelings.  Over the past couple years I've had a number of disappointing bar pours of Chivas and Black Label.  And, with so many of Pernod's and Diageo's brands going NAS, I've been wondering if more 12 year old malt whisky is going into these two blends than in all of the 12 year old single malt scotch bottlings put together.  Maybe I should just try these blends, then comment.

Note: Both of these whiskies were bottled November 2015.

CHIVAS REGAL 12 YEAR OLD

Brand: Chivas Regal

Ownership: Pernod Ricard (via Chivas Bros. Ltd.)

Type: Scotch Blended Whisky

Age: minimum 12 years

Alcohol by Volume: 40%

Bottling: November 23, 2015
(200mL purchased at a local liquor store)

versus

JOHNNIE WALKER BLACK LABEL 12 YEAR OLD

Brand: Johnnie Walker

Ownership: Diageo

Type: Scotch Blended Whisky

Age: minimum 12 years

Alcohol by Volume: 40%

Bottling: November 4, 2015
(200mL purchased at a local liquor store)

NEAT TASTE OFF

Chivas 12yo
Its color is a somewhat subdued medium gold.  The nose starts with vanilla and caramel, never shaking those off.  Smaller notes of orange and lemon and apple peels, salty corn chips, mint candy, and coconut appear in the mid- to background.  Caramel and brown sugar lead the palate.  Some tangy orange meets sea salt, cassia cinnamon, and spearmint leaves.  But WOW mostly caramel.  It finishes on cinnamon, sugar, mint, caramel, and......vodka.

JWBL 12yo
Its color is DiageoDoublePlusOrangeGold™.  The nose starts off with the caramel too, adding in overoaked buttery chardonnay.  But then that's met with mild pepper and smoke, roasted almonds, hint of flower blossoms, and a slight raisiny cheap cream sherry thing.  Toffee and nondescript underripe citrus lead off the palate.  The mash-up of the supposed 43 different single malts leaves a bit of a Brown character, like a mush-up of 43 different colors.  There's a slight spicy zing and Sugar Daddies.  The "smoke" note isn't really smoke, rather a combination of mild earthiness, cracked pepper, and road dust.  Its mouthfeel is thinner than that of the Chivas.  It finishes with vanilla, the aforementioned "smoke" (quotes included) note.  Caramel, a mild bitterness, and more vanilla.

WITH WATER (~30%abv) TASTE OFF

Chivas 12yo
The nose leads with orange Smarties and Pixy Stix.  Then caramel and vanilla.  Then celery and parsley.  The palate has somehow picked up more raw heat.  There's caramel, lots of sugar, and a weird bitter note that's neither woody nor herbal.  It finishes identically to the palate.

JWBL 12yo
Much louder raisins on the nose.  A hint of hot tar and moss.  More of that buttery chardonnay thing.  The palate moves closer to the neat version of Chivas.  Very sweet with caramel, mellow sherry, and a woody bitterness.  In the finish there's sherry, caramel, butter, a bleh sweetness, and a dingy smoky aftertaste.

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THOUGHTS, COMMENTS, OPINIONS, ETC...

Black Label wins again, though both of their scores are much lower than last time.  I'll do some pros and cons here...

Chivas Pros: It's much better when served neatly.  It has a respectable mouthfeel considering how much it has been filtered and watered down.  The neat palate doesn't completely suck.  Likely has less added colorant than Black Label.

JWBL Pros: Every element has more complexity than the Chivas, making for a more engaging drink.  It too is better when neat.  Holds up better on the rocks.

Chivas Cons: There can't be more than 20% malt content in this thing.  It's almost grain whisky.  It finishes poorly.  It sucks with water.  It vanishes on the rocks (maybe not totally a bad thing in some cases, which in turn is a bad thing).

JWBL Cons: Though its more complex than the Chivas, that's not saying much.  The finish is uninspiring and the palate is only one step above that.  Don't add water.

Overall Pros: I didn't buy 750mL bottles of either of these.  The Black Label was better than the recent bar pours I've had of it.

Overall Cons: I'm probably done with Chivas Regal 12.  Though these were 200mL, I had little interest in going past the 120mL mark of either of these.

I feel somewhat better now, since I doubt that much 12 year old malt whisky actually goes into either of these.  As I referenced above, you could have told me the Chivas was all grain and I would've believed it.  Black Label probably has more malt in it......or it is just some Caol Ila and Talisker livening it up a bit more than the Glenallachie and Tormore do for the Chivas?  I feel like I should be bummed about how far the Black Label's quality has fallen, but I don't.  Keep up the great work, Diageo!

I'm having a sip of Glenfiddich 12yo right now and it beats the pants off of both of these whiskies.  If 'Fiddich 12 is only $5-$10 more than the Chivas and Black Label in your market, it's worth paying up for it (or, even better, Tomatin 12).  Hell, Buffalo Trace, Elijah Craig 12yo, and Old Grand Dad 114 bourbons are about the same price as Chivas and JWBL and they are so much more fun than either scotch.  Just something to consider...

Chivas Regal 12 year old (2015)
Availability - Wherever scotch is sold
Pricing - $20-$40(!)
Rating - 74

Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 year old (2015)
Availability - Like Trump's face on CNN, it's everywhere
Pricing - $25-$45(!)
Rating - 79

NOT Single Malt Report: Chivas Regal 18 year old Blended Whisky

Let's talk about Smooth.  Most scotch buyers want smooth.  Most drinkers do not want to wince.  Most drinkers don't want Islay Stank in their mouths the next morning.  Most drinkers want a quiet but tasty libation.  The cheap blends aren't smooth, and I know this because in a previous chapter of my life I consumed a high quantity of cheap blended scotch whisky.  Many of the whiskies we geeky geeks geek about can be thunderous, trying, or even abusive experiences to most palates.  Some folks don't want Penderecki's Threnody, they want a three-minute pop song.

May I introduce, Chivas 18.  Produced and engineered to be smooth, Chivas 18 is much cheaper than Johnnie Walker Blue Label (engineered for the same purpose).  Hell, Costco has this thing on sale for $45 sometimes, so you can get three (or more) bottles for the price of one Blue.  I will not declare that Chivas 18 is great nor profound whisky, but it tastes good, has some character to it, and has an actual finish.  The last of which cannot be said of JW Blue Label.  But as I cannot write a paragraph without including some complaint, I do mourn the quantities of 18 year old Longmorn, Glenlivet, and Strathisla being expended to create smooth.

Let's have a sip.

Brand: Chivas Regal

Ownership: Pernod Ricard (via Chivas Bros. Ltd.)

Type: Scotch Blended Whisky

Age: minimum 18 years

Alcohol by Volume: 40%

Bottling: 2014, I think
(Mini purchased at a local liquor store)

Its color is a red orange gold.  Definitely redder than DiageoGold™.  The nose is pretty straightforward at first.  Sherry, vanilla, halvah, hazelnuts, and very distant fruits (melon and pear).  There is a slight burnt note, but it vanishes after a couple minutese.  After 20 minutes, notes of oranges and orange blossoms arrive.  More raisins and prunes.  In fact there's a good funky sherry note somewhere in the back; it's too bad it was watered down so.  The palate is very easy, stress-free, steady, polished, frictionless.  Lots of dried fruits and caramel sauce.  A roasted/malty note in background.  It's lightly tingly, but even that bite is comforting.  It grows fruitier with time, think citrus and tropical stuff.  The caramel remains prominent throughout.  It finishes with the dried fruit, lychee, some flower blossoms.  The slight burnt thing comes back for a moment: e150a?  Finally, caramel candies and a subtle bitterness.

'Tis schmoove.  The thesaurus has "velvety" and "creamy" as synonyms for "smooth" but, due to the level of filtering and added water, Chivas 18 never earns those adjectives.  But it does have a dependable and enjoyable level of fruitiness and some pleasant sherry.  While in its current state there's nearly zero complexity, I do think the potential is present for a really good whisky if it were (here it comes again) bottled at 46%abv, unfiltered, and uncolored.  Instead what we have here is easy drinking.  If you want more from your whisky, go elsewhere......to, say, Compass Box?

Availability - Very wide

Pricing - $55-$70, often cheaper at Costco

Rating - 82

Taste Off!!! Chivas Regal 12yr versus Johnnie Walker Black Label

TASTE OFF!

It's a head-to-head between two heavyweights.

In one corner, wearing the gold & red label, owned by Pernod Ricard stands

CHIVAS

Chivas Regal 12 years old

Brand: Chivas Regal

Ownership: Pernod Ricard (via Chivas Bros. Ltd.)

Distilleries: include the 12 owned by Pernod (especially Strathisla)

Type: Scotch Blended Whisky

Age: minimum 12 years

Alcohol by Volume: 40%

Chivas Regal is currently owned by Pernod Ricard -- Diageo's biggest nemesis (or second biggest, after me) -- and is the fifth best-selling Scotch blend in the world.  This 12yr is the top selling Scotch blend in its age category in Europe and Asia.

The Chivas bros, James and John, were grocers who obtained the Royal Warrant to supply food and goods to Queen Victoria's homes in the 1840s.  Once blended whiskies became legal via license, the Chivas Brothers firm created a smooth blend for their wealthy customer base.

In the early 1900s they created one of the first ultra luxury blends, the Chivas Regal 25 year old, for US export.  It was enormously successful until Prohibition silenced alcohol sales.

After Seagrams purchased the brand in 1949, the 12 year old blend was released to more acclaim.  It became the Rat Pack's Scotch of choice.

Today Chivas Regal's range includes the 12, 18, and 25 year old blends.  The Chivas home and the "Ultimate Chivas Experience" can be found at the Strathisla Distillery's visitor center.

My previous experience with Chivas?  None, actually.  Time to fix that.

In the other corner, representing Diageo, wearing the black and gold label stands

BLACK LABEL

Johnnie Walker Black Label

Brand: Johnnie Walker

Ownership: Diageo

Distilleries: 40 of 'em, including Caol Ila and Talisker

Type: Scotch Blended Whisky

Age: minimum 12 years

Alcohol by Volume: 40%

On the other hand, I have a long complicated history with Black Label.  A real love-hate thing.  But most recently, it's been love.  I posted a very positive report on it in November, please give it a read for the full scoop.  I've mostly brought the Black Label in as a comparative device, a sounding board for the Chivas.  Can the Chivas compete?

Let's Taste Off!

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FIRST, NEAT

Color

Chivas Regal 12yr (CR12) - Pale gold

Johnny Walker Black Label (JWBL) - Considerably darker

Nose

CR12 - Vanilla, herbal, spritely, cocoa, and a hint of bourbon

JWBL - A touch of peat, some grain whisky, sherry, much oakier but pleasant

Palate

CR12 - Tastes younger than 12 years, a little crazier and messier; salty, some vanilla, under-ripe fruit

JWBL - Vanilla, sherry, bourbon, light peat smoke, Nillas, malty, very silky

Finish

CR12 - Drying, sweet, calms down from the palate

JWBL - Moderate, peat first, then fruity sweetness and vanilla

THEN, WITH WATER

Nose

CR12 - Similar to neat, a bit more grains and bourbon, dusty, vanilla

JWBL - Like the CR12 the grains and bourbon come out to play, vanilla, a whisper of basil

Palate

CR12 - Woody, sweet at the start, vanilla, but very quiet

JWBL - Malty, vanilla, grass and hay, mellowed but lovely

Finish

CR12 - Not much, very drying, some vanilla

JWBL - Keeps the moderate length, BIG vanilla

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THOUGHTS, COMMENTS, OPINIONS, ETC...

I was very impressed with how the Chivas held up.  My experience with Scotch blends this month hasn't been that positive.  I've found them pretty mundane for the most part.  The only two new ones I've enjoyed are Famous Grouse and......Chivas Regal 12yr.

On the neat serving, Chivas has a lovely nose.  Its palate is so-so, but it smells delicious.  Black Label holds much more complexity in the palate and finish, but the Chivas can compete nose-wise.

Chivas doesn't swim very well, its palate and finish mostly dropping away.  Meanwhile Black Label can be lovely with a couple drops of water.

So, I recommend Chivas neat.  It's a great starter whisky since it's smooth, mild, and noses very well.  For some more rough-housing, go Black.

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RATINGS

Johnnie Walker Black Label's pricing/rating won't change from its own report, but I'll list it here for official purposes:

Availability - Everywhere!

Pricing - Bargain! at $25, Acceptable at $35

Rating - 88

Here's the call on Chivas Regal 12yr:

Availability - Wide
Pricing - Great at $20-$23
Rating - 80 (but only when served neat)

(NOTE: Please see my updated Chivas 12yo vs. JW Black 12yo Taste Off completed in 2016, if you're dying to find out how the current stuff rates!)