SALUTE TO THE GOLD

Chivas Regal throws a dinner party to launch its 18-year-old blend in Thailand

Thailand's whiskey aficionados will obviously be familiar with blended Scotch whiskey, Chivas Regal, especially its 12-year-old blend. But to learn more of the art of Scotch making, it's probably best to ask Colin Scott, Chivas Regal master blender and global ambassador.

Scott, 61, who has 35 years of experience in the business, is one of the creators of Chivas Regal 25 Years Old and recently been appointed as the Keeper of Quaich, Scotland's most prestigious whiskey society.

Last week, Scott travelled to Bangkok to spread the word about Chivas Regal 18 Years Old - another luxurious product from the house of Chivas. We asked him a few questions before the lavish whiskey dinner at the British ambassador's Residence.

What's Chivas Regal 18 like?

It's delicious. It's a very luxurious whiskey. Young adults and successful young entrepreneurs have become our patrons, too, because they want finer things in life and to reward themselves for their hard work.

What's special about it?

It's an 18 year-old blended Scotch, so not a single drop in this bottle is aged less than 18 years. It's a legal guarantee of quality that we adhere to. The first batch of whiskey that was put into cask to make Chivas Regal 18 was in early 1990s. It's a very long time for a whiskey to mature, so it gives the whiskey unique characteristics and flavours. And you might not know that every year we lose two per cent of the volume in the cask, so after 18 years we've lost almost 40 per cent of the whiskey in the cask. However, because of that, the flavour is intensified and enriched.

Where are the whiskies from?

We use whiskies from many fine distilleries all over Scotland to create Chivas Regal 18. So when you nose it, you'll get many different flavours, fragrance and various notes. It's very enjoyable. It's very hard work for master blenders like myself and my team. We have to keep up with the consistency and the high quality, and because of those two things, Chivas Regal remains where it is today.

What interests you about Scotch?

I'm passionate about Scotch and always wanted to work in the business, also because my father and my grandfather were in the business, but not with Chivas Regal, though. So I guess it is in my blood to yearn to work close to Scotch. I joined the company in quality control and bolting, and later on was tested and trained to become a master blender. It took me eight to 10 years to understand flavours and how whiskies react to other different whiskies to be a good master blender.

Do you still enjoy it as much after all these years?

We're a small team of five, and if you add our years with the company it is well over 100! We are tested every year. My nose is still as good as it has always been. Even now that I have to wear glasses and a hearing aid, my nose is still very accurate. We work eight hours a day nosing and tasting hundreds of whiskies, and we take notes and discuss what we find. And yes, I still enjoy it very much.

Is whiskey making is an art or a science?

It's definitely an art. We do have a technical division because there are laws and regulations, for example, it's necessary maintain the alcohol volume to a certain level and it's easier with machines and computer these days to control the temperature or the humidity of the cellar. But they can't do what our noses can. The machine knows something because it has the information you fed it beforehand, but our brains learn and discover new things indefinitely. Machines don't know flavours.

Scotch whiskies are special because unique, natural resources used in the making. Could global warming and pollution threaten productivity?

One of the safeguards we have is that we only use natural spring water. Think of the earth as a filter. Whatever pollution there is it is cleansed through layers and layers of soil. So I guess no matter what happens on the surface, the spring water underneath is still very pure.

What would you like to say to Chivas drinkers?

That whatever drink you like, it's mostly about pleasure and enjoyment, but you also have to be responsible.