1/Chivas Regal 25 is a $646 blend this week — the house's flagship, priced for the cabinet.
2/The engine's third-closest match to it sits in the same family: Chivas Regal 18, at $114. One maker, two age statements, five hundred and thirty-two dollars between them. The 18 is $114 now, where it was $136 when we last wrote it up.
3/What makes this pairing stand out is the agreement. The value model and the profile model usually pull apart; here both rank the 18 third-closest to the 25. Two independent reads landing on the same bottle is rarer than one.
4/Not the same whisky — the 25's extra seven years in oak are real, and they are some of what the $646 buys. But as the engine's stand-in, it's $114 against $646. Which would you actually pour? If your local ticket on the 18 differs, tell me.
| slot | 08-13 | 08-20 | 08-27 | 09-03 | 09-10 | 09-17 | 09-24 | 10-01 | 10-08 | 10-15 | 10-22 | 10-29 | 11-05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list / member | 645.99 observed | 645.99 observed | 645.99 observed | 645.99 observed | 645.99 observed | 645.99 observed | 645.99 observed | 645.99 observed | 645.99 observed | 645.99 observed | 645.99 observed | 645.99 observed | 645.99 observed |
| basis | mean | median | sd | min | max | range | cv | se mean | latest | own-range pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 645.99 | 645.99 | 0.00 | 645.99 | 645.99 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 645.99 | 100 |
| member | 645.99 | 645.99 | 0.00 | 645.99 | 645.99 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 645.99 | 100 |
| moments | m1 mean | m2 var | m3 skew | m4 ex-kurt | 95% band of the mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 645.99 | 0.00 | null | null | 646.0 – 646.0 |
Royal Salute 21, $210 at Dan Murphy's, and it drinks its age: orchard fruit in masses, a hint of passion fruit, oak gone soft and round, a banana note with a drop of water. Thick and chewy, a nut on the finish. One for the patient sipper. More in this week's piece. Fancy a dram?
Friday night, cupboard open, deciding what to pour. Chivas Regal 18, $125, gives a Royal Salute 21 drinker about 86% of the whisky for 60% of the price. Vanilla, almond, toffee. More on Royal Salute 21 in this week's piece.
Royal Salute 21 is $210 this week. Hand it to a Chivas Regal 25 drinker and they'd pay $502 for it, 78% of what their own bottle sets them back. Across the nearer drinkers the figure runs from $107 to $502. Where it all settles is in this week's piece.
A pour of Royal Salute 21 lands 274th of 310 at Dan Murphy's per standard drink: at $210 for about 22 pours, that's $9.51 a glass at home, a touch over a pub pint's $6.28 a drink. One for the lover of rounded orchard fruit. More in this week's piece.
Royal Salute 21 is $210 at Dan Murphy's this week. That is the number to carry to the counter.
| # | candidate | price | CEARP | price − CEARP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glenfarclas 25 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $389.99 | $575.91 | -185.92 |
| 2 | Chivas Regal 18 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky 700mL | $124.95 | $537.54 | -412.59 |
| 3 | Royal Salute 21 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky 700mL | $259.99 | $528.82 | -268.83 |
| 4 | Glen Moray 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $342.99 | $514.90 | -171.91 |
| 5 | Glenfiddich Gran Reserva 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $298.95 | $478.81 | -179.86 |
| 6 | The Balvenie The Balvenie 21 Year Old Portwood Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $452.99 | $462.76 | -9.77 |
| 7 | The Glenlivet 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $184.99 | $460.09 | -275.10 |
| 8 | The Balvenie Stories 21YO 'The Second Red Rose' Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $726.99 | $429.56 | +297.43 |
| 9 | Chivas Regal XV 15 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky 700mL | $88.99 | $416.34 | -327.35 |
| 10 | Chivas Regal Charles LeClerc 16YO 700mL | $99.99 | $414.77 | -314.78 |