Chivas Regal Ultis First Edition 2016 (70cl, 40%) ***sold***
Bottle No MY4001 Chivas's first blended malt whisky consisting of 5 hand selected Speyside single malts.
Ultis is a blend of five hand-selected signature malts from the Chivas Brothers portfolio. They are Allt-a-Bhainne, Tormore, Strathisla, Longmorn and Braeval. The Ultis is intended as a tribute to Chivas' five master blenders: Charles Howard (1895-1935), Charles Julian (1949-1960), Allan Baillie (1960-1966), Jimmy Lang (1966-1989) and Colin Scott (1989-present).
The first Chivas Regal blend was launched by Chivas Brothers in 1909, a premium brand that quickly developed a big market in the US. While Prohibition put a temporary halt to its success ten years later, it also allowed Canadian distillers, Seagram, to become the biggest drinks company in North America, and they targeted Chivas Brothers straight away when buying into the Scotch market. They acquired the firm in 1949, adding Strathisla to its portfolio, and building a further three more distilleries. Over the years they also acquired the assets of Campbell Distillers and The Glenlivet Distillers, positioning it as one of the largest whisky companies in Scotland. The Seagram empire eventually collapsed in the early 2000s, with its Chivas Brothers arm picked up by Pernod-Ricard, along with Allied Domecq in a separate acquisition, bringing over the Ballantine's brand. Chivas now produces two of the top three selling blends in the world, and its distillery portfolio, with Glenlivet as its flagship brand, is rivalled only by that of Diageo.