Chivas ‘The Blend’ Experience

Have you ever tried your hand at blending? Think you’ve got what it takes to come up with a delicious whisky?   Would you like to be a Master Blender for a day? The Blend by Chivas is giving you that very opportunity!

Chivas ‘The Blend’ Experience is a fantastic event to not just learn a bit about Scotch whisky and the story behind one of Scotland’s most famous blends, but to also have a crack at blending and putting together your own blended Scotch. Best of all, you get to take home a 200ml bottle of your own creation at the end of the session!

Chivas ‘The Blend’ Experience is coming to four cities across Australia over the next five months and whisky drinkers are able to sign up and register for their own session. Full details on this a little lower below but, first of all, what’s involved?

The cocktail menu – a list of classic whisky cocktails given a modern twist by Chivas

Ben Cusack, head barman at The Doss House, explaining the tricks behind what makes a good whisky cocktail.

Each session introduces attendees to the Chivas brand and, in particular, the Chivas XV expression – a 15yo that was released at the end of 2018. The event starts with a demonstration and tasting of whisky being used in cocktails, all using Chivas as their base.  Depending on your session, you might try one of three classic whisky cocktails – a Highball, a Sour, and an Old Fashioned, all slightly tweaked to suit the nuances of Chivas. With palates suitably “in the mood”, you’ll transfer to the blending lab. Hollie Atkinson, Australia’s local Chivas Brand Ambassador, continues the story and gives further insight into the history of Chivas and the art of blending. And it’s then that the fun begins…

Attendees find themselves seated in front of a table with a selection of whiskies – one grain whisky and four single malt whiskies – that each showcase a particular flavour profile or characteristic. The tools at your disposal are:

Strathclyde grain whisky (Floral)
Strathisla 12yo (Fruity)
Longmorn Distillers Choice (Creamy)
Glenlivet Founders Reserve (Citrus)
Allt-a-Bhainne NAS (Smoky)

Armed with a pipette and a mixing beaker, it’s then up to you to decide which whiskies and which proportions you want to use to concoct your own blend! There’s some assistance in this regard if you need it, courtesy of a website app (take your phone and QR code scanner to your session), or – like me – you can simply follow your nose and your palate.

I’ve tried blending many times at several workshops over the years (including in a proper blending lab in Scotland) and most of my attempts have been pretty forgettable. However, I confess to being pretty chuffed at my effort on the night, which I found nicely balanced and suitably tasty. “Whisky & Wisdom’s Dram” used 25ml each of Strathclyde and Allt-a-Bhainne, then 50ml of each of the other three to create my 200ml bottle.

Chivas ‘The Blend’ Experience will be available from November 2019 through to March 2020 in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and The Gold Coast. Participating venues are The Wild Rover, The Doss House, East Village and The Roosevelt in Sydney; The Everleigh, Beneath Driver Lane and The Espy in Melbourne; and then Cloudland, The Gresham and The Scottish Prince in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

The experience costs $85 and you can register to attend a session at the Chivas website. [Edit: The link has since expired].  Visit the website for the full list of dates and times, noting that some of the session times in February/March will be confirmed closer to the date. For now, the following sessions are confirmed:

• Sydney:
  • November:
    • The Doss House – 19^th: 6pm and 7:30pm sessions
    • East Village – 20^th: 6:30pm and 8:00pm sessions
    • The Wild Rover -21^st: 6:30pm and 8:30pm sessions
    • The Roosevelt – 23^rd: 2pm and 4:30pm sessions
  • January:
    • The Doss House- 14^th: 6pm and 7:30pm sessions
    • The Wild Rover – 15^th: 6:30pm and 8:30pm sessions
    • East Village- 22^nd: 6:30pm and 8:00pm sessions
    • The Roosevelt – 25^th: 2pm and 4:30pm sessions
  • March:
    • The Wild Rover -4^th: 6:30pm and 8:30pm sessions
    • The Doss House – 10^th: 6pm and 7:30pm sessions
    • The Roosevelt – 14^th: 2pm and 4:30pm sessions
    • East Village – 26^th: 6:30pm and 8:00pm sessions
  • Melbourne:
    • November:
      • The Everleigh – 16^th: 2pm and 5pm sessions
      • Beneath Driver Lane – 18^th: 6:00pm and 7:30pm sessions
      • The Espy – to be announced
    • December:
      • The Espy – 3^rd: 6:30pm and 8:00pm sessions
    • January:
      • The Everleigh – 18^th: 2pm and 5pm sessions
      • Beneath Driver Lane – 21^st: 6:00pm and 7:30pm sessions
      • The Espy – 22^nd: 6:30pm and 8:00pm sessions
    • March: to be announced
      • The Everleigh – to be announced
      • Beneath Driver Lane – 17^th: 6:00pm and 7:30pm sessions
      • The Espy – 18^th: 6:30pm and 8:00pm sessions
    • Brisbane and the Gold Coast:
      • November:
        • The Scottish Prince – 27^th: 6:00pm and 7:30pm sessions
      • January: to be announced
        • The Scottish Prince – 16^th 6:00pm and 7:30pm sessions
        • The Gresham
        • Cloudland
      • February: to be announced
        • The Gresham
        • Cloudland
      • March: to be announced
        • The Scottish Prince – 25^th: 6:00pm and 7:30pm sessions
        • The Gresham
        • Cloudland

So, don your blender’s hat and get your Chivas on…..

Cheers,
AD

Share this / Follow us / Like this

Author: AD

I'm a whisky writer, brand ambassador, host, presenter, educator, distillery tour guide, reviewer, and Keeper of the Quaich. Also the Chairman and Director of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) in Australia since 2005. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @whiskyandwisdom and also on YouTube at /c/whiskyandwisdom View all posts by AD