Chivas Regal 18 Year Gold Signature

Vanilla, spicy, smooth

N: Apple juice, caramel, toffee, bread pudding. Vanilla and pear. Maybe light hints of tobacco and raisins. More orchard fruit with a dash of cough syrup. Noticeable ethanol presence. P: Ripe stone fruit, peach tea, creamy vanilla custard. Some hints of plums, raisins, and maybe dried red fruit. Bit of heat mid-palate leading into the finish, but it's pretty mild. Finish is put-you-to-sleep gentle: lingering vanilla, sour fruit, wet wood, and a little more apple juice for good measure. I wanted more from this. It plays everything safe and comes across bland in the process. There's just nothing that really stands out, except maybe the apple juice notes, which make me think more of hanging with my kid at daycare, which I would love to do, but probably not while sipping an 18 year old scotch. (Obviously, that situation calls for a cheap bourbon.) _____ A bunch of regular Distiller reviewers are chatting in real time on a new unofficial Distiller Community Discord server. Please join us: https://discord.gg/fzhzwHHX. (Link is good for 7 days - please comment if it's expired when you try it.)

Nose is spicy with hints of sweet fruit. Taste is smoothly and spicy but well balanced. The finish lingers but is soft and smooth. I’m generally a bourbon drinker and I enjoy this once in a while.