Comments on: On the take with Chivas Regal 18

By: C.Y

C.Y — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 06:55:56 +0000

Hie there….i m not commenting….but i have question to ask. Is whisky or any liquor out there same as wine? i mean…is it older is better ? and….the quality of raw material of wine effects its quality…same goes to liquor?

generally…i just want to know what factor that determine the quality of liquor, beer and wine, is it age, raw material or process….? i am just curious to know. Please explain if possible…thank you…

By: Scotch Hobbyist

Scotch Hobbyist — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:29:13 +0000

Thanks John. I agree that the Chivas 18 vs JW Blue comparison that Chivas Brothers is pitching is something of a mismatch. However, it does seem to make good business sense for them. I mean, what do they really have to gain if they get a bunch of bloggers and/or journalists to rate Royal Salute a couple of points higher or lower than JW Blue? On the other hand, just getting Chivas 18 to be described as being “competitive” with JW Blue gains them quite a bit of credibility.

As for JW Blue being the best scotch of any kind, there’s no way to get everybody to agree on something like that. I get it, though. There’s likely to be a difference in palate preference between a sports car fanatic who occasionally drinks whisky and a whisky fanatic who spends a lot of time over-analyzing the profiles of dozens of different single malts. JW Blue is a somewhat complex and high quality whisky that’s likely to seem very accessible to the palate of the occasional drinker.

Cheers,
Jeff

By: John

John — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 04:43:11 +0000

This tasting pairing is all over the web. I enjoyed reading your review, but the more obvious matchup in terms of price and presumed quality is CR Royal Salute or even CR 25 versus Big Blue.

One pricelist I have puts the big JW at $230, while the CR’s are $60 for the 18 you chose, $160 for the Royal Salute and $260 for the 25. The CR 25 is only as slight stretch over JW Blue, while the well-regarded Royal Salute is $100 less.

By the way, one top-of-the-line sports car forum — they know how to spend big money I guess — judged Blue the best Scotch of any kind, blend or single-malt. This is kinda silly. After all, there are rare Scotches that go for lots more and one would think, must be fabulous, unless they are to be collected and never opened.

By: Scotch Hobbyist

Scotch Hobbyist — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 18:01:38 +0000

Hey Jason,
Thanks for leaving a comment here after trying it yourself! Sorry to hear how disappointed you are. Although, I totally get it. These Chivas blends are so “polite”, it’s hard to imagine any single-malt fanatic getting excited about them.

I think I’ll have to pull my 200ml bottle back out and see if it seems any more “grainy” than the first time around…

By: Jason's Scotch Whisky Reviews

Jason's Scotch Whisky Reviews — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 17:43:21 +0000

Working my way through a bottle of Chivas 18 over the last few weeks and I find it sweet, thin and grainy. Real disappointment. Over rated in my opinion.

By: Scotch Hobbyist

Scotch Hobbyist — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:21:03 +0000

I can’t comment on the taste (although I’d like to try it sometime). Taking into account the other factors (price, packaging, story, etc.), it’s certainly a lot closer, and definitely a very generous gift. I’d certainly be impressed by such an offering.

However, at least here in America, I feel like any other high-end blend given to the uninitiated whisky drinker would come with a disclaimer: “This is the [Chivas] version of Johnnie Walker Blue.”

The Johnnie Walker/Diageo marketing team has done a great job of making this the case.

By: Arthur

Arthur — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:45:33 +0000

would a chivas royal salute 21yo be a good substitute gift for blue label??

By: Scotch Hobbyist

Scotch Hobbyist — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 07:11:13 +0000

It’s a good dram (especially the nose). Just don’t try drinking it side-by-side with that Octomore.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 07:10:28 +0000

Nice one. I saw this in the shop the other day and thought it good to try sometime. Lucky you on the score.

By: Scotch Hobbyist

Scotch Hobbyist — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:39:53 +0000

I’d love to get somebody elses opinion on that particular comparison. I’m curious to see if others see the similarity or if I’m just oversimplifying the flavors.