Chivas Regal 18 Year Gold Signature

Nose: Orchard fruit juice, caramel, toffee, and bread pudding. Vanilla with pear. Perhaps faint traces of tobacco and raisins. More orchard fruits with a touch of medicinal syrup. Ethanol is noticeable. Palate: Ripe stone fruit, peachy tea, and smooth vanilla custard. Hints of plums, raisins, and possibly dried red fruits. A little spice on the mid-palate moves into the finish, but it's quite tame. The finish is incredibly smooth: lasting vanilla, tart fruit, damp wood, and a bit more apple juice to round it out. I expected more from this. It's overly cautious and ends up tasting dull. Nothing really pops, aside from the apple juice notes, which remind me of being at my kid's daycare, a place I'd happily be, but not usually while enjoying an 18-year-old scotch. (That scenario definitely calls for a budget bourbon.)

Review #4 - Whisk(e)y #3 Smell - Overwhelmingly sweet fruit, baked apples and honey, tasting sweet and a bit floral. A very rich smell, and the alcohol is not detectable at all. Taste - Very smooth, with hardly any alcohol burn. The flavor is distinctive, very heavy, rich, similar to the smell, especially when compared to what I've had so far. Malt and walnuts are very apparent, along with honey, fruit, and dark chocolate, mostly sweet, but there's also a hint of grains. The whisky has a viscous, oily texture. Finish - Medium-long, becoming dry at the end, with a slight tingle of spice on the tongue. After adding ice, this latter taste is greatly amplified, becoming very peppery, with the sweetness fading. It initially seemed a bit much, but I think I began to enjoy it more as I continued to drink. Rating System: 5.0 - Perfect 4.5 - Exceptional 4.0 - Very Good 3.5 - Good 3.0 - Decent 2.5 - Average 2.0 - Below Average 1.5 - Barely Drinkable 1.0 - Undrinkable 0.5 - JB

A pleasant, smooth, and floral 18-year-old blend. I don't understand the criticism this whisky receives here; perhaps it's due to the commercial brand? It's exactly the type of whisky I enjoy. It has a nice light amber color. The nose offers a touch of cinnamon, dark chocolate, and a bouquet of tulips. It's lightly bitter on the palate with notes of ripe blueberries, vanilla, and winter spices. The mouthfeel is soft. The aftertaste is very mellow, with barely any burn, a bit dry, some tannins, and lightly floral, not unpleasant. However, the taste disappears quickly and dries out the mouth. This means a one-star reduction.

A balanced Blended Scotch Whisky from Strathisla Distillery in Speyside, Scotland, composed of 'over 20 of Scotland's finest & rarest Scotches aged for at least 18 years.' It presents a rich aroma of buttery mint toffee, sweet citrus, malted barley, sherry, baked apple, caramel & dark chocolate. The complex palate adds notes of Sherry, nut, butterscotch, floral, oranges, lemons & dark chocolate. It concludes with a complex & balanced finish, hinting at spice & smoke. February / March 2019 / August 2022

Nose: Sweet fruit, melon, orange, banana, and honey lead. Oak, malt, and a hint of spice accompany these. Palate: A very smooth, creamy, and silky mouthfeel. Vanilla notes alongside oak and cinnamon. Fruity and spicy. Finish: Long, warm, and sweet. Oak, honey, and spice are prominent. Overall: A rich flavor profile. My favorite expression from the Chivas range. 90/100

Smell: inviting, mild spices, vanilla sweetness, orchard fruits. Slightly floral. Taste: balanced, sweetness and spices that coat the mouth evolve together. Almond. Spices and dryness become dominant with subsequent sips. Finish: long, oaky, chocolate, nuts. Overall, well balanced, complex, a nice dram, but I feel it's missing a bit more character. I agree with a fellow member who said "I like more whisky in my whisky" in their review.