Legendary Scottish blend Chivas Regal have recently launched a whole new product inspired by Japanese spirit production. This is no typical whisky however, as this unique spirit drink seeks to combine the worlds of Scotch whisky and Japanese sake.
The Chivas Regal Takumi Reserve 12 year old has been made in collaboration with Toyama-based brewery Masuizumi. Pernod Ricard have previously worked with the sake producer on Link 8888, a premium sake finished in ex-American oak barrels that had previously held Scotch whisky.
This recent partnership takes this process of cask-sharing a step further. These sake seasoned casks have been returned to Scotland to mature a portion of Chivas Regal’s 12 year old blend, thereby fusing the delicate flavours of the sake with the richness of Scotch whisky.
The result is a vibrant spirit drink with a velvety texture and particularly aromatic nose. Notes of fresh pears harmoniously balance the warming spice of cloves and nutmeg.
Speaking of this groundbreaking release, Chivas Brothers brand director Sandy Hyslop said “Chivas Regal Takumi Reserve represents new territory for Chivas, pushing the boundaries of craftsmanship to deliver a coveted spirit drink that blends the rich heritage of Scotch whisky with the diverse, internationally inspired palette of flavours found in premium sake.”
This isn’t the first time Chivas have looked to Japan for inspiration, having put out a blend finished mizunara casks that has become part of their core range. It was first launched in Japan in 2014, but its popularity led to a global release a few years later.
Bottled at 40% ABV, the Chivas Regal Takumi Reserve is available exclusively in the Asian market. Though if it proves to be a success, it could very well follow the mizunara cask blend into the wider world.
While the Takumi Reserve is a spirit drink that can't strictly be called Scotch, it's part of a relatively recent trend of whisky brands branching out into whisky adjacent alcoholic goods.
For example, Ballantine’s have a long running line of spirit drinks that includes Ballantine’s Brasil, Wild and Sunshine that infuse the Ballantines blend with lime, cherry and pineapple flavouring respectively. These spirit drinks are all geared towards mixing or cocktail making and getting new audiences engaged with whisky, particularly in markets with a warmer climate.
Another anomaly in a similar category is the Whyte & Mackay Light - a blended Scotch reduced to 20% ABV by diluting the whisky with sherry. Launched in 2019, it can still be found in supermarkets and on-line, though needless to say it hasn’t quite disrupted the whisky market or set any new drinking trends.
The idea of a whisky-based spirit drink doesn’t seem to have fully taken off in the UK. Flavoured whiskies can be found on shelves of supermarkets and specialist retailers, but they’re muscled out by ‘normal’ whisky.
Perhaps whisky’s standing as a ‘premium’ product and all the various hang-ups regarding how whisky should or shouldn’t be drunk turn the average consumer off these products. But given the popularity of other flavoured spirits such as rum, gin and vodka, the idea of these flavoured whiskies taking off in the future might not seem too ridiculous an idea.
However, the Chivas Takumi Reserve seems to tap into something more than just a flavoured whisky. Chivas are evidently looking to capitalise on the cultural cachet of sake in Japan and throughout Asia. It goes beyond merely utilising a cask used to mature a different spirit. By creating a unique spirits drink they are hopefully creating something better than the sum of its parts.
Other whisky producers have tried a similar tactic by mixing their whisky with other spirits. In the late 1980s William Grant and Sons released Auld Alliance, a unique marriage of Scotch whisky and French Armagnac. It may have been a bit too ahead of its time however, as it didn’t become part of their core range and has never been revived.
That said, the idea hasn’t completely died off. Recently, American spirits entrepreneur Raj Peter Bhakta - who founded the WhistlePig whiskey brand - launched a new spirit called Hogsworth. Their inaugural blend consists of 52% bourbon and 48% Armagnac.
Bhakta and his fondness for incorporating pigs into his whisky brands might come across as eccentric, but his desire to push beyond the restrictions of the bourbon category to create something new must be commended.
Back in Scotland, Glasgow-based innovation agency The Drinks Lab have also sought to harness the weirdness of mixing whisky with other spirits for their Strange Bedfellows release. In short, Strange Bedfellows is an experimental spirit drink comprised of 60% rum and 40% Scotch whisky.
Despite picking up awards and drinks competitions, this is still a small batch, boutique-esque product that hasn’t broken into the drinks mainstream. For now, it seems like such innovative spirits drinks are destined to serve a niche within the already niche whisky market.
Returning to the Chivas Regal Takumi Reserve, time will tell how popular their experiment will be. Having already set a precedent for bringing Japanese-inspired whiskies to the West, we could yet see Chivas bring their new spirit drink to a global audience.
And you never know, this sake influenced spirit drink may just be the one to help the category shake off its outsider status and elevate it to a new level of popularity.
