Chivas Regal Strathisla 12 Year Distillery Collection

Stop number 21 on the SDT is Strathisla. This Speyside single malt is a bit of a rarity. It is almost exclusively sold to Chivas Brothers to be used as their primary blend component for Chivas Regal, and is not often sold as an official distillery bottling. 40% ABV and it appears to have colorant added, making it a solid amber color. I'm also fairly certain that it is chill filtered. A fairly light nose with typical Speyside notes. Fruity: sweetened white peach tea, honeydew, green grapes, apple or pear or both, and maybe some pineapple. Floral honey, some vanilla and light toffee and caramel. Faint charred oak and cereal malt. There was a brief note of licorice but it was gone very quickly. I nosed this immediately on the second pour and got a lacquer thinner smell, but it faded pretty fast, so make sure you give it time to breathe. The palate was somewhat bitter up front but did have a light sweetness to it. Dry oak/tannins with bitter dark chocolate. Light pepper and maybe some sour pineapple. No complexity to it and rather weak. A very thin and light mouthfeel with a light oiliness. Dry. The finish is short to medium short. Bitter with oak and something like a metallic taste that came and went. It was more of a sensation than an actual taste if that makes any sense. I can see why this is a blending whisky and not primarily a single malt. It's too light and lacks enough character to hold its own with the big boys. Likely a high proportion of refill casks, with a fairly good mix of American and European oak, leaning towards the American side. The nose is pleasant enough, but the palate and finish are too bitter and it falls apart at the end. At least at around $40 it's not a big hit to the whisky budget. Thanks to Pranay for the generous sample. 2.75. Cheers

I'm happily back from my doctor ordered sabbatical tonight. I'm finally starting to feel somewhat normal again after a bit of a lengthy health scare. I'm going to try to resume this awesome Scottish Distillery Tour by knocking down a couple of samples on this fine, cool Virginia evening. My welcome back dram of choice is a Speyside single malt from Strathisla. This is their 12-year old bottling. This sample was graciously supplied by my friend Pranay. Thanks, sir. This malt is primarily used as a component of several Chivas Bros blended whisky offerings. This somewhat rare single malt version is a standard 40% ABV and clearly has coloring added. On the nose, there's your typical candied fruit and sweet sherry and after I let it sit in the glencairn for about 10 minutes I picked up a nice hit of green apple and cinnamon spice. Like warm, apple pie. The palate is almost identical: sherry, orchard fruits and a hint of grandma's apple pie. Sadly, it's thin all the way from beginning to end with a finish that is short and uninspired, to say the least. There's no burn whatsoever and the flavors hang around and feel artificial. If this is how this malt tastes from the cask (after blending it down to the low ABV), then this should really only be used in blends. There isn't much redeeming here. Even the $35-40 you'd have to spend on a bottle could probably be better spent elsewhere on a higher quality single malt. Thanks again to Pranay for the sample and the ability to tick off another distillery on our ambitious tour. Mark it down and move along. Cheers. Oh yeah, I'm thrilled to be back. Hopefully for the long haul this time.

This is a whisky that I have never heard much about; not much talk nor have I seen it lingering on a shelf, until now, thanks to Pranay. A fruity nose of apples and/or pears and peaches. Some floral notes of honeysuckle add to the fruity aromatics. A light caramel or toasted coconut add to the soft nose. All-in-all, a pretty straightforward Speysider. A thin viscosity body holds a slightly brown sugar sweetness countered with a white pepper spice. Oak tannins are found giving a dryness. For me, not much more that I could really discern. The finish is somewhat short this is bitter with dried ginger providing a small amount of zing. This is a simple Speyside whisky that would appeal those who have been sipping blends as a crossover Scotch. Pleasant, but nothing that stands out or grabs you. Not a whisky to lose yourself in thought but would be fine in mass social occasions. [Dry Glass: Sawdust][82/100][Tasted:7/7/17]

Its no wonder why i like Chivas Reagal 12yo and 18yo, it is because is full of this "rare" whisky. And i say rare because they only sell (as the official distillery) this 12yo expression leaving everything else for the Chivas Reagal and for the independent bottlers. Lots of history around this distillery, it once burned in a fire and some other time it exploded (1876 and 1879). But history does not pay in this dram. It is a little simple. Bottled at 40%abv with a deep gold color. On the nose is a little fruity, green apples, oranges, vanilla cream and honey. On the palate 3 notes: hay, tobbacco and bitter nutty finish which is very short. Overall i give this dram an 78 over 100.

As part of our little sample sharing team, this is my 2nd offering for round 2. For a 12 year old, I expected more. Granted, I didn't expect any ethereal life altering drink, but I did expect more out of something hailing from Speyside after 12 years of maturation in Sherry cask. This is like a Diet Coke with a fruit backbone. For the price I paid for this ( $40), it would've been better to take that money and use it for something like Compass Box Great King Street. Pass on this...not worth the money, or the hit on your liver. ( Lee, Scott, Paul, Ryan...going to apologize in advance...this one isn't up to par).

Strong component of malt and cereals on the nose, accompanied by honey, peach in syrup, raisins, nutmeg, cinnamon, candied orange. Slight presence of wood in the background. Sherried notes rather common but enjoyable. The mouth is warm and spicy, with hazelnuts, citrus fruits, honey and butter biscuits. Pepper. Little evolution or complexity, simple and direct. Fairly short finish, nutmeg, pepper, orange peel. A whisky without frills, which offers a disengaged but pleasant drink, perfect for sharing. Even without having tried it, I think that the new version with the lowest grade has only to lose in comparison.