Chivas Regal 12 Year Old Scotch

The nosing finds dry grainy notes with background scents of dried flowers and parchment, and deeper fragrances of light toffee, almond paste and yellow fruit. Entry is oily, buttery and semisweet; the whiskey dazzles at midpalate with layered flavors of brown butter, cooking oil, barley malt and oatmeal cookie underpinned by the single malt foundation. Concludes smoky, satiny and ultra-sophisticated. Best Buy.

Superb! Gold/amber color. The enchantingly sweet and delicate nose is soft and refined, emitting mature, bountiful aromas of pears, apricots and heather. The palate entry is smoky, then the roasted, peaty qualities accelerate in the throat where they seem to cascade in a complex, vanilla/butterscotch aftertaste that lingers. The intricate flavors are beautifully melded and somehow keep evolving at the rear of the tongue. Chivas’s top-notch character is at once powerful and understated.

Medium gold appearance. Moderately light bodied. Dried citrus, salt, minerals. Subtle smoky malt nose reveals a firm feeling mouthfeel with a minerally complementing a fruity entry through a subtle finish.