Chivas Regal

History

Chivas Regal was created in 1909 by Chivas Brothers Master Blender Charles Stewart Howard as a 25-year-old luxury whisky. The 12-year-old blended Scotch debuted in 1939 in the US at 75 degrees proof (42.8% ABV, marked as 86 proof in America). This established the brand's association with quality, age, high cost, popularity, and a high-end demographic. The range expanded in 1997 with older whiskies such as the 18-year-old, followed by the 25-year-old in 2007.

Later expressions include the Mizunara (2014), The Icon (2015), and XV (2018). Pernod Ricard acquired Chivas Brothers in 2001, and sales grew 61% between 2002 and 2008. Volume sales reached 4.9 million nine-litre cases in 2012 and 2013 but declined to 4.4 million in 2015. Since 2016, it has been the world's fourth-best-selling Scotch whisky and the market leader for Scotch aged 12 years and older in Europe and Asia Pacific.

Product line

Chivas Regal 12 Years Old is blended from whiskies matured for at least 12 years. Chivas Regal Extra contains a higher proportion of sherry casks, while Extra 13 uses whiskies aged at least 13 years. The 18-year-old and 25-year-old expressions are blended from whiskies matured for at least 18 and 25 years respectively, with the 25-year-old available in limited quantities. The Chivas Brothers' Blend is a 12-year-old blend reflecting the original house style, dominated by Speyside malts such as Strathisla and Longmorn.

Chivas Regal Ultis XX is a blended malt whisky with no grain whisky. The Icon, launched in 2015 as a Dubai Travel Retail exclusive, is a 25-year-old blend sold in a hand-blown Dartington Crystal decanter. Chivas Regal XV is a 15-year-old blend finished in Grande Champagne Cognac casks.

In popular culture

In the 1973 film The Exorcist, Father Dyer brings Chivas Regal for Father Karras after his mother's death, remarking on its cost. Frank Sinatra often requested a bottle in his dressing room and his 1990 Diamond Jubilee tour was sponsored by the brand. It was a favourite of journalist and novelist Hunter S Thompson. Tom Waits mentions it in the song Downtown on his 1980 album Heartattack and Vine.

In the 1975 film The Prisoner of Second Avenue, Jack Lemmon's character orders a bottle after a robbery. In Only Fools And Horses (1982), Delboy asks for a large Chivas Regal to impress Boycie. Charlene and Stevie Wonder's 1982 duet Used To Be references the whisky. In Risky Business (1983), Joel Goodson pours Chivas Regal with Coca-Cola after his parents leave.

The Beastie Boys song Brass Monkey (1987) includes the lyric we don't mind Chivas. Characters in Charles Willeford's 1987 novel The Shark-Infested Custard favour the brand. In Working Girl (1988), Tess McGill orders a Chivas at an engagement party. In Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Daniel and Jonathan drink Chivas shots during a business dinner.

El DeBarge mentions it on DJ Quik's 1998 album. Kelly Clarkson's 2007 album includes a hidden track titled Chivas about an ex met at a bar. In Mad Men, Ted Chaough compares margarine to Chivas Regal. In American Dad!, Roger dispenses Chivas Regal as the King of Spring Break.

Sponsorships and partnerships

In October 2025, Chivas Regal announced a global partnership with Indian couturier Gaurav Gupta, creating limited-edition bottle designs for Chivas Regal XV and Chivas Regal 12 Years Old, launched for Diwali and the festive season. The collaboration combined the brand's I Rise, We Rise ethos with Gupta's future primitive aesthetic. The XV edition features gold tones and Indian motifs, while the 12-year-old edition uses a silver aesthetic. Gupta designed three characters: the Winged Panther (freedom and courage), the Serpent (infinite possibility), and the Third-Eye Sun (wisdom and clarity).

The XV edition was exclusive to Global Travel Retail, and the 12-year-old edition was available at select luxury retailers. In March 2025, Chivas Regal appointed Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari HP Formula 1 driver, as a Global Brand Ambassador. Leclerc and the brand hosted a pop-up piano bar named Leclerc's in Melbourne on 11 March 2025, ahead of the Formula 1 season opener. Nick Blacknell, Global Marketing Director, noted parallels between the 88 notes of a piano and the 85 flavour notes of Chivas 18 Year Old.