Marcel Duchamp, arguably the foremost artist in the genre of Dada-ism, would shock the world in 1917 when he had chosen to present a porcelain faucet as a bonafide submission of an art piece in the Society of Independent Artists' inaugural exhibition that was held in New York. Opting to make the submission under the anonymous guise of one R. Mutt so as to not allow his reputation to precede any honest evaluation of the entry, the work titled Fountain, which could hardly be mistaken as anything more than a store bought home furnishing, would initially shock and confuse. Yet in the century that would follow, would only grow in its proof of Duchamp's genius, which it accomplished by the simple yet revolutionary virtue of having made its audience ponder. More specifically, it questioned the very notion of "What is art?".

"It's not what you see that is art. Anything is art if an artist says it is."

For Duchamp, the mere act of going into a store and purchasing an item would constitute art, for of all the things that a person could choose, he or she chose that particular item. And thus it is the exercising of one's own unique choice, underpinned by all of the person's lived experience, intuition, and how he or she wants to be perceived, and what it says about them, that is what makes an artist, and by extension, the art.

Now before you do a double-take on the URL or Instagram account name just to be sure you had not accidentally gotten yourself on some sort of art or philosophy page, this is very much a drinks editorial, and we are talking about a drink - a spirit drink, that is!

So with a bottle of Chivas Regal's new CrystalGold, clearly filled with a full 750ml of clear contents, sitting before me, I am confronted with the question of "What is whisky?"

Is whisky how it's made, what it's made of, where it's made, or that it's got to be a gleaming amber? 

If the iconic Chivas Regal 12 was clear and not amber coloured, would that change how you felt?

Yes, yes, don't come at me with your SWA (Scotch Whisky Association) rulebook - I too am mildly familiar with what technically is whisky, and more specifically Scotch whisky for the purposes of this context. I am merely putting forth a rhetoric that you probably have guessed by now - does whisky ought to have a colour? I'm fairly certain some would say that the colour is part of the allure, and whilst I agree with that, I also can't say that the clear aesthetic has never inhibited me from enjoying mezcals, white rums and Shochu.

And so kudos to Chivas Regal for putting out their new Chivas Regal CrystalGold Spirit Drink for making us pause and give this a thought - a rare feat in a world that's hooked on anything short form!

But beneath just the stark clear aesthetic, this collaboration with Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc, hides subtly something much more fascinating - this Spirit Drink, so named because it is not made according to the prescriptive regulations of what counts as Scotch Whisky, is a blend of oak aged whisky and freshly distilled spirit (newmake) that's then been put through a unique carbon filtration process that controls for temperature, filtration flow and spirit strength, to remove any colour components whilst holding on to some the effects brought about by oak ageing! It was filtered at a higher alcoholic proof before being brought down to the 40% ABV at which it is bottled - which technically matches general Whisky requirements. It is therefore said by Chivas Regal to still offer a rich depth of flavour even though the filtration has left a clear spirit. This was of course the work of Chivas Regal's Master Blender Sandy Hyslop, whose passion and zest has never ceased to amaze! Count on Sandy to surprise us even with over four decades in the industry!

And so I'll pre-empt the question that some folks might have at this point - which I must admit I too had - "Why? What's the point of this?" 

The artist in question, Chivas Regal's one and only Sandy Hyslop.

To that end, I did a little digging based on my intuition and found some interesting answers.

Now off the bat, Chivas Regal has said that the CrystalGold was designed to have a lighter profile compared to traditional whisky, and so serves as a perfect early evening drink, a time of the day that the brand says is typically consumed by gins and tequilas. And so the idea seems to be for whisky as a drink to extend the periods of a day that it is associated with being consumed during, and to not be confined to being a late night drink - I wouldn't know, I'll have a solid whisky at any time of the day!

Nevertheless, upon first look, two thoughts came to my mind - the Tennessee Whiskey charcoal mellowing process and Tequila's Cristalino category, both of whose spirits have seen immense popularity. Let's delve into them.

Doing that charcoal magic!

The Tennessee Whiskey's charcoal mellowing process is also known as the Lincoln County process and is famously used to "mellow out" a certain No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey. What happens here is that freshly distilled spirit is filtered through stacks of sugar maple charcoal (carbon) before it is then aged in oak barrels - at its core an extra, if not incredibly essential, step before what is otherwise a standard whiskymaking process. The effect of this charcoal mellowing is that by removing impurities and harsh flavours from fusel oils and other compounds, it is able to produce a smoother and mellower whiskey with also a clean finish. It is this very process that separates Tennessee whiskey from Bourbon, and has made the style incredibly beloved.

As for Tequila's Cristalino, which is a category that remains unregulated and has really only existed since 2011, and yet has seen immense popularity with many citing the style as being what got these fans into Tequila in the first place, the process is somewhat similar to that of Tennessee charcoal mellowing. However, instead of filtered the spirit right off the distillation still, the Tequila in this instance is first aged in oak barrels before it is filtered through activated charcoal (carbon) to remove its colour. Yet that's not all the filtration does! Beyond simply removing colour compounds, the charcoal filtration process is also known to keep the richness and complexity of ageing whilst taking away the harshness of the oak. It is said that as a result, the bright notes typically associated with a Blanco (unaged tequila) are brought forward, whilst the aged flavours of a Reposado (short aged tequila) is held backwards. And for that reason, many fans have claimed that beyond all other classifications, Cristalino's offer something incredibly accessible for someone just dipping their toes into tequila.

And so whilst Chivas Regal has also sought to associate the CrystalGold Spirit Drink with cocktail makers who may wish to preserve the aesthetic of their creation whilst adding body, richness and the flavours of a malt spirit to their drink, I believe that the genius of the CrystalGold extends beyond that!

This is instead a blended whisky that has gone through the carbon filtering process that has created a spirit drink that has the overlays of harmony from being a blend (speaking of which, it's been pretty much completely passed over which distillery(s) made the whisky and spirit here! Something that I find to be a rather impressive and underrated aspect of the CrystalGold.), with an added mellowing from the carbon, and also the benefit of being imbued with some aged qualities! That's alot of engineering that's at work with this otherwise rather straightforward looking drink! Don't let its clear appearance fool you into thinking otherwise!

Therefore what I've taken away from diving into this fun topic brought about the Chivas Regal CrystalGold is that this is not only a potentially powerful gateway for those new to the whisky category, but is also a versatile tool for bartenders, and might even go so far as to sway gin and tequila (even white rum!) drinkers over to the whisky side!

But of course, no amount of philosophising will ever take precedence to the quality of the drink - and so with that, let's give this a go!

Review: Chivas Regal CrystalGold Spirit Drink

Tasting Notes

Colour: Clear

Aroma: It opens with a sweet richness of caramel and butterscotch, with an almost immediate whiff of barley grist, somewhat cereal and husky. Beneath that is this surprisingly vibrant bubblegum confectionary quality that's brighter yet rounded and mellow. That's accompanied by a grassiness and an almost agave syrup like vegetal scent as well. The base of all of this is a vanillic creaminess that serves as the canvas. There's also a slight mineral quality about it too, almost like a wet stone sort of spring water. Alittle spirity around the edges.

Taste: Rounded on the palate, it's cohesive with a grassiness and more of that succulent agave quality, whilst still creamy and rich. More on caramel and butterscotch, with a nice tingly pepperiness. Vanilla cream and crushed sugarcane forms the rest of the body, with just a slight oakiness.

Finish: That gently yet tingly pepperiness persists, which gives this a nice textural sensation that catches your attention really pleasantly, backed up by that same vanillic creaminess. A long, smooth finish, with that tingle carrying on, and just a touch of oak grain and caramel.

My Thoughts

A really interesting experiment that brings forward the more colourful vibrancy of youth and pushes back the graininess of age, whilst keeping the richness of oak ageing. It's bright yet warm toned, incredibly supple and rounded, yet comes with a nice tingly spiciness. It's like a mullet hairstyle - newmake in the front, 2 year old whisky at the back! It's really approachable, and I would think would give cocktail makers something to work with that adds body and richness, with both vibrance and warmth. And perhaps most intriguingly, I think that this might just be the foot through the door for Tequila lovers. 

Kanpai!

@111hotpot