Rating: 17/23 I recently inherited this old bottle of Chivas 12. It's one of those ones that someone bought and forgot about frequently, leaving it a bit over half full 13 years after bottling. So this is sort of Chivas 25. But not actually. N: A bit of sharp, alcohol, waxy bite. Hints of caramel malt, but not a lot. This has a nice waxy layer, but there isn't much else there. I'm surprised. The alcohol is a bit overwhelming on the nose. P: OK, this is surprisingly complex and balanced. It's sweet with malty toffee richness balanced with smoke, black pepper, ginger, cinnamon, clove, robust vanilla, and faint woody undertones. It's quite complex and mellow, while also being surprisingly full. I wouldn't expect this of a 12 year old scotch, but I think that the extra years interacting with the air in the bottle really helped this. There is some charred wood as well, but it isn't overwhelming. And there certainly isn't any sulphur. F: Clean with remnants of the malty caramel. Mild woody notes with woody spices and some vanilla. A thin layer of clean water with light minerals. This is a totally fine, but fairly boring, finish. - Conclusion - This is just very approachable and easy to sip. It's quite good. The Sexton (9/23) is nowhere near this. There's a bit of a more mature, decadent vibe going on in McIvor 17 (16/23), but this is more complex while being similarly balanced. Between the two, I think I like this better. The malt really shows more here as well. There's a little more burn to the McIvor (which really doesn't burn much), but there's a little more ethanol flavor here. They're close. I don't think that this is going to be higher than a 17, but when I opened this bottle, I though that it wasn't going to be higher than a 12. Bladnoch 17 California Red Wine Cask Finish (17/23) is more interesting and out there than this, but it's less balanced and complex. This is another case where the two aren't too far apart, but I honestly think that this is better. I'm now thinking at least a 17 for this, but it could be an 18. Maybe even a 19 Glen Grant 18 (17/23) is fresher with more floral, woody, vanilla, and bourbon character. Those flavors are more overt, but also carry more life. This has a more full, oily decadence, but it's a bit muted (not quite muddled) in comparison. Honestly, these two are the closest that I've found so far. It's a tough call. I might be able to be convinced that this is slightly better, pushing it up to an 18, but I'm not there right now. So it's a 17, which is frankly amazing for the likes of Chivas 12. I guess that extended air did a lot of good. I sure would have expected it to get bitter and watery over this time period.