Side by side : Chivas Regal

One of the big blends @ChivasRegal, owned by Chivas Brothers who are owned by Pernod Ricard have been getting creative in the last couple of years with a range of Extra 13yos

Here I try their standard 12yo against the 13yo Tequila Cask.

Chivas say:

"Only the finest malt and grain Scotch whiskies make it into Chivas Regal 12. Strathisla single malt runs through the heart of all Chivas blends – intertwined with Strathclyde single grain and more – to create a whisky that’s remarkably smooth."

They are currently owned by French company Pernod Ricard using Strathisla, Scarpa and Longmorn malts in their blends. Their recent Extra 13yo range includes a Bourbon, Oloroso and Tequila cask partial finish.

Let's try the two drams:

Dram	Chivas Regal 12yo	Chivas Regal 13yo Extra Tequila Cask Selection
Characteristics	40% ABV Chill Filtered, Coloured FF & RF Sherry, Bourbon & Red Wine Casks	40% ABV Chill Filtered, Coloured Tequila Casks Finish
Distillery notes	Blending Speyside whiskies that have been aged for longer results in a smoother, richer taste – which you can find in every bottle of Chivas Regal 12. Luxurious flavours lie at the core of our signature whisky. With crisp orchard fruits, wild heather and sweet honey notes, your whisky drinking experience just got a lot more indulgent. Nose: Wild herbs, heather, honey and orchard fruits. Palate: Round and creamy with honey, vanilla, hazelnut and butterscotch. Finish: Rich and lingering.	Chivas Regal Extra 13 Tequila Cask Selection is an exceptionally smooth whisky that adds a new layer of flavour to the luxurious Chivas house style. Finishing a portion of our blended Scotch whisky in tequila barrels is sure to take your taste buds on an adventure. A portion of Chivas Extra 13 is finished in tequila barrels, adding an extra touch to this 13-year-old whisky. Smooth whisky has always been our thing; but finishing whisky this way takes it to another level for an extraordinarily palatable whisky drinking experience. Nose: Vanilla sweetness with zingy citrus. Palate: Light and fruity vanilla notes with grapefruit and pineapple. Finish: Extra smooth and rounded.
My thoughts:
Appearance
	Coloured pale gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up quickly and fall as slow thick legs.	Coloured mid gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up quickly and fall as slow thick legs.
Nose	It's quite closed - a little time opens it up to reveal orchard fruit: apples, pears, peaches; heather, honey, vanilla, buttered popcorn.	Also quite closed and very similar to the 12yo, this one smells 'a little thicker' maybe a touch more complexity: some herbs, citrus and a little damp oak.
Palate	Smooth thin arrival, sweet honey and a little brown sugar to start. The orchard fruit from the nose are here, a little vanilla, hazelnuts and a gentle ginger spice. There's some sweet citrus as the liquid disappears. Surprisingly inoffensive!	Another smooth thin arrival, sweet honey and brown sugar again but with a malt note. The citrus from the nose is back: sweet oranges. There's a little vegetal note and some zingy pineapple note here too. It's all a little subdued - you need to hunt for it.
Finish	Short and fruity with a little spice.	Short and fruity, a little malt and tropical fruit.
Overall	This was actually the first time I'd tried Chivas Regal 12yo (Dram 2,492!) and I was pleasantly surprised - I was expecting the harshness of a young grain and a little malt but this wasn't harsh at all. The 40% ABV and chill filtering has taken any body out of this whisky leaving it thin and inoffensive. But I guess you have to start somewhere! The Tequila Cask finish had the same thin mouthfeel but delivered a little more flavour on the palate. I've never tried Tequila but really liked the Glasgow 1770 finished dram. The website says "A portion of this blended Scotch whisky has been finished in tequila casks" so we don't know what % of what's in the bottle or for how long - there were some vegetal and pineapple notes, so slightly different from the standard 12yo.

Thanks to @WhiskynStuff and @whiskyresource for the sample swaps!