History
In 1801 two men, one a wine and spirit merchant and the other a young farmer would create what would ultimately become one of the most famous global spirit brands. The product was Chivas Regal and the men were William Edward and James Chivas respectively.
A desire to create a product of outstanding quality allowed the brand to grow in popularity and was soon being used at Balmoral Estate in Scotland by Queen Victoria. In 1843 the company was issued with a Royal Warrant to supply the Royal Family scotch whisky.
The heart of Chivas Regal has always been malt scotch from the Strathisla distillery. Each bottle contains no less than 4% of this whisky. This combined with malts from both the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland gives Chivas Regal its characteristic texture and flavour. Malt from the Speyside distillery and Glen Grant distillery also play a crucial role in this fine balance.
Like everything to do with their products, the Chivas brothers aged the malt and grain components of the whisky separately - to maximize the flavours and aromas present in these key components.
The partnership between Edwards and Chivas ended in 1857. Undeterred James Chivas soon partnered with his brother John Chivas to continue in the creation of fine whisky.
Maintaing possession of the royal warrant, business continued to increase as the British upper-class began to holiday in Scotland to hunt and fish. The consumption of Chivas Regal became part of this tradition.
Attracted by the growth in wealth and sophistication of the United States the Chivas brothers expanded their distribution network to the US in 1909. Success was large and rapid with Chivas becoming a buzz word in 1910 within the upper-class in New York.
Success continued both home and abroad. After World War II the market for scotch whisky in the US rapidly increased, as more and more of the population grew affluent and wished to enjoy the sophisticated flavour of scotch whisky.
The brand was purchased by Seagram Company Ltd in 1949. Utilizing Seagram's extensive distribution network, Chivas Regal soon began being distributed in Asia where it became, and continues to be be, very popular.
Market Share continued to grow in all major markets, despite intense competition from Johnnie Walker. However, marketing budgets became constricted in the late 1990s due to the failure of the brand's parent company Seagram.
In 2000 the beverage business of Seagram (and therefore Chivas Regal) was acquired by Pernod Ricard.
Chivas Regal success has propelled it to the position of worlds leading premium blended scotch and the second largest scotch whisky brand worldwide.
Sponsorship
Like many alcohol and tobacco brands Chivas Regal is very active in sponsorship of sporting events. The brand has actively sponsored polo and golf for many years and now the leading sponsor of the Chivas Regal Polo Championships and Chivas Regal Invitational Golf Challenge.
Chivas has also recently announced its sponsorship of China Team in the 32nd America's Cup. The presence of this sponsorship shows the importance of the asian market to Chivas Regal's success.
Standard Varieties
- Chivas Regal 12
- Chivas Regal 18
- Chivas Royal Salute
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivas_Regal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seagram
http://www.sommelier.dn.ua/eng/whisky/chivas-regal.php
http://www.chivas.com/
http://www.scottishholidays.net/distilleries/chivas-regal.html
http://www.scotchwhisky.net/blended/chivas.htm
http://www.ybw.com/yw/comps/chivas_jan07/
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/catalyst/2002/01/10/stories/2002011000110300.htm