Scotch Whisky 101: How to taste whisky like a pro

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of whisky? For many of us, it is something our dads and uncles would drink. It was a staple in our parents’ home growing up. Not something we’re ever likely to order in a bar because… it’s our old man’s drink. Maybe you’ve tried it as well and said nope, not for you.

Whisky doesn’t have the young, cool reputation that its other spirit sisters (brothers?) Gin and Vodka seem to have created with the younger audience. Well, Chivas Regal is here to change that perception.

We came across Michael White’s page on Instagram. Goes by the name Chivas Mikey, he is the Brand Ambassador of Chivas Regal in the UAE. We heard he hosts fun whisky tasting sessions in Dubai and never one to say no to a good time, we rounded up some friends and headed to Twenty Three in Grand Plaza Movenpick Hotel for an evening of learning, drinking and all-round fun!

Mikey gave us a lesson on the basics of scotch whisky, with an intro to Chivas collection’s core range: Chivas Regal 12, Chivas Mizunara, Chivas XV, and Chivas regal 18 to finish off.

First off, lets address the big question: WHAT IS SCOTCH? Scotch is basically whisky made in Scotland. It is produced using just three natural ingredients: malted barley, spring water and yeast. Scotch whisky must be aged for at least three years in oak barrels and distilled and bottled at a minimum of 40% alcohol. To be called Scottish whiskey, it has to be produced, matured, and bottled in Scotland. Also, once whisky is out of the barrel, it doesn’t age like wine does. Once it is bottled, it is 12 yrs or 15 yrs or 18 yrs, and so on.

It’s good to understand what blended scotch whisky is.

In Scotland, there are 5 types of whisky:

1) Single malt which is one single whisky from one single distillery

2) Single grain whisky from one single grain distillery

3) Blended malt whisky which is different single malt whiskeys from different distilleries over Scotland blended together in an oak barrel

4) Blended grain whisky which is different grain whiskeys from different distilleries all blended together, and

5) Blended scotch whisky which is taking different single malt whiskies from different distilleries in different regions, and different single grain whiskies, and blending the grain and malts together at the very end. This includes brands like Chivas Regal and others you may have heard of.

Now that you know what a blended scotch whisky is, here’s a look at four of Chivas expressions we tasted during the evening:

CHIVAS 12 – Feel the burn

This is Chivas’ flagship bottle, in fact Chivas doesn’t do anything below 12 years. The bottle is matured in American oak barrels for 12 years. The flavour notes are spicy, strong, dry with hints of red apple and cinnamon. When you swirl your glass, you see the gold, amber colour which comes from the oak barrels it is matured in. The younger the whisky, the lesser it attaches to the glass. If you concentrate on how the whisky finishes, you are hit by a warm sensation in your chest. The older the whisky, the lesser the burn, the more it will settle on the back of your palette.

CHIVAS MIZUNARA – My favourite

Mizunara is a celebration of Scottish and Japanese heritage coming together. When Chivas’ Master blender travelled to Japan, he visited distilleries such as Nikka and Suntory and brought back barrels from Japan. What Chivas does is matures the whisky for roughly 12.5 years in American and European oak, after which it is finished off in Mizunara oak for 6 months to a year. Mizunara is a rare, expensive oak which is a lot more approachable on the nose. Flavour notes are more mellow than the 12, nutty with scents of sultanas, honey, and wood.

Mizunara was launched in Dubai just before the pandemic so you may not have come across it yet. It is available to purchase online from Dubai Duty Free.

CHIVAS XV – the gold bottle

XV is finished off in a grand champagne cognac cask. It was launched to celebrate the legacy left behind by brothers James and John Chivas, who created the Chivas brand in 1909. They pioneered the art of blending grain whiskies and malt whiskies together to create something much smoother and more accessible, and their legacy continues to this day through these varieties.

The use of champagne signifies celebration and XV is 15 in roman numerals which is the age of the bottle. When you swirl your glass, it attaches to the glass a lot thicker which is the influence of the cognac which is quite thick. To taste, you can get notes of orange, apple, cinnamon, ginger, which is quite warm and Christmas-like.

CHIVAS 18 – the incredible blend

This bottle has an incredible blend of 85 flavour notes in every drop. It was the brainchild of Chivas’ Master Blender who wanted to make something perfectly balanced and exceptionally smooth. Flavour notes are velvety with hints of dark chocolate and multi-layered aromas of dried fruit and toffee. It is smooth, with a lesser burn, and develops in the back of the palette.

Overall – did we feel the burn in our chests 4 tastings in? Hell yes! Could we smell and taste all these wonderful notes and flavours Michael mentioned? Hell NO! Haha It was still fun experimenting and pretending to be whisky connoisseurs for the night. We came back with lots of knowledge, and it has opened our minds to the world of possibilities with whisky.

Blended sessions experience:

Blended sessions experience:

If you’re not a big whisky drinker, or you’ve dabbled in it and would like to learn more – the Chivas blended session is a lovely experience. While it is predominantly known as the favoured drink of the older folks, they have different flavour profiles that cater to all. Chivas has created this platform to encourage young people to have fun, enjoy the drink, and to educate consumers on what scotch whisky is through a fun, interactive experience.

The evening is all about educating your palette, learning what scotch whisky is, finding out what you like or don’t. We tried four different cask finishes and they were all different in their own ways. You aren’t expected to down them like jägerbombs. Simply sip and savour. And come back and taste it. Or don’t. Really, you can drink whisky the way you like it.

With whiskies and wines, you need to know what you like. And you’ll only learn by experimenting. People usually end up buying expensive bottles assuming it must be good, but different tastes are for different palettes. There are no rules: you can add water or ice. It doesn’t ruin the drink in any way.

If you would like to book this experience, go here. The private session for you and your friends (6-8 people) takes place at bars around Dubai and is priced at approx. AED400 per person including cocktails, 4 tastings and plenty of food.

Slainte Mhath! (pronounced Slanja-Vah) i.e. ‘to good health!’ in Scottish.

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DISCLAIMER: This is a sponsored post with Pernod Ricard. All opinions are our own. To learn more about Chivas Gulf, go here.