Whisky
New Chivas blend to tap into cocktail market
The new whisky blend, called Ultis, features Tormore, Allt A’Bhainne, Longmorn, Braeval and Strathisla malts.
Chivas Regal's global brand ambassador Max Warner has devised a selection of five cocktails around the whisky, with each cocktail bringing out the flavours of a different one of the malts.
Warner hopes that this will not only widen the appeal of whisky, but also allow consumers to understand more about the flavours of the various malts that go into the blend.
“The drinks programme communicates to the modern consumer a little bit more about how those different malts come to life and how they really come together as a blend,” he said.
On top of this, Warner feels that whisky cocktails are also a way of enhancing the all-round bar drinking experience. “Cocktails are more than just a drink," he said. "They are a state of mind. The minute anybody says that it's time for a cocktail, a little part of the brain gets excited.”
As a result, Warner hopes that the cocktails featuring Ultis will be a way of tapping into a cocktail market that is currently dominated by white spirits.
“If you go to a bar in 12 cities around the world and ask them for their biggest selling cocktails, they will probably all tell you that they are made with white spirits. Vodka, for instance, was classified in the 1960s as a tasteless, colourless and odourless spirit.
“When you take a glass of Scotch or whisky, it's not colourless odourless or tasteless,” he added.
