Chivas Regal’s Crystalgold just changed the drinks game. Just don’t call it a whisky
Chivas have just unveiled a whole new drinking experience
By 
FOR MORE THAN TWO CENTURIES, the name Chivas Regal has conjured up imagery of shadows; evocative tropes of a complex, crafted and sultry amber liquid best enjoyed when the lights are low. Yet, this week, the Strathisla-based house launched an entirely new drop that turns every trope on its head, upends every expectation of the Scottish whisky brand and is coming to disrupt the clear spirits category too. And it brought its superstar Global Ambassador, Formula 1 Racing Driver, Charles Leclerc, along for the ride. Meet: Chivas Regal Crystalgold.
Just, whatever you do, don’t call Chivas Regal Crystalgold a whisky.
Yes, it’s inherently Chivas; yes, it’s insanely complex on the nose; yes, it even begins its life as oak-aged whisky. But being crystal clear in colour is an instant disqualification from the Scottish Whisky Association, as by definition, a Scotch must be golden in hue. Therefore, it’s classified as a “spirit drink”.
Spirit awakening
What you can call it is a boundary-pusher, says Chivas Regal’s Master Blender, Sandy Hyslop. “We’ve always believed that innovation should enhance tradition, not erase it, and Chivas Regal Crystalgold is the epitome of that. It pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in blending,” he said. “Our goal wasn’t just to innovate, it was to preserve everything people love about an oak-aged spirit, while presenting it in a way you’ve never seen from us before.”
The brief was fairly simple: make a clear spirit with a flavour dialled up to a level that’s never been done before, Hyslop tells Esquire. “It had to have all those Chivas credentials, but with a really smooth texture, creamy, vanilla toffee thing going on. We want it to stay true to Chivas Regal, so we’ve got that sweet, fresh pear in there as well. We wanted the innovation to really excite people, for them to try it and for it to surprise them. And versatility was really at the front of mind.”
The execution was much more difficult. It took three years of experimentation and development, and a filtration system so different from anything Chivas Regal had done before, an entire new manufacturing process had to be developed.
Crystalgold itself feels paradoxical in every way. Here’s a clear spirit with a 40 per cent APV, made from filtering whisky all the way through to pure clarity. On the nose: rich apple pie, orange, vanilla and butterscotch. On the palette: toffee apples, fresh pears, cinnamon, toffee and ginger.
“We could have just said, ‘Well, we’re not going to do it then’, because we don’t want to move into [the clear spirit] category,” Hyslop says of the SWA ruling, and the fact that it’s still marked with a Chivas Regal label. “But we all loved the flavour. The flavour is amazing. We love the smooth, long finish on it.” He adds, “A worry for me as a master blender is that you don’t want things to go wrong under your tenure. So the brief the whole way through it was nothing less than 100 per cent on the flavour. Nothing less than 100 per cent or we’re not doing it, so we had to make sure it was hitting the mark every single time.”
Hold the flavour
This is the most intriguing element of Crystalgold: it’s easy to make a clear spirit, almost every culture across the world knows this, but what isn’t is a clear spirit that holds enough flavour to appeal to both whisky die-hards, tequila drinkers and cocktail enthusiasts. “It was a torturous journey at times,” admits Hyslop. “Because it’s easy to remove colour, yeah, but to keep flavour is a whole different ballgame.”
As mentioned, Crystalgold starts as whisky. But as Hyslop explains, it’s filtered at a different temperature, a different flow rate, and the strength of the whisky goes through the filter at a different level than anything else. “All these things had to be trialled and tweaked,” he says. “It was like, it was like, it’s like tuning a Formula 1 car, all the different bits to get the top performance that we wanted from it.”
A perfect segue into the creative partnership the Scottish brand has called upon to help launch the drop: it’s Global Ambassador, Scuderia Ferrari F1 Driver Charles Leclerc, a man known for his exacting precision on track and love of strategy; a natural fit for a spirit designed to challenge convention and who Esquire first discussed this partnership last March, ahead of the Louis Vuitton Formula 1 Melbourne Grand Prix.
“Since partnering with Chivas Regal, I’ve been inspired by its unwavering commitment to craftsmanship and ability to balance heritage with innovation,” the driver and creative collaborator said at the launch in Singapore, dressed in Thai label Sanēa, Aime Leon Doré shoes and a Richard Mille timepiece, styled exquisitely by his stylist, Carlotta Constant.
“That philosophy deeply resonates with me – it mirrors the way I approach both my career and off-track passions, like chess, where strategy and precision are everything. Chivas Regal Crystalgold is the embodiment of that spirit. It’s about pushing boundaries while staying true to your roots.”
Puttin’ on the spritz
Together with Leclerc, Chivas Regal created the Leclerc Spritz: champagne, citrus, elderflower, and mint brightened by the crystalline spirit. But that wasn’t the only creative input from the driver. His creative agency, Sidequest, also contributed to the campaign, launch and imagery. It’s a project that Leclerc told us was close to his heart.
“We share the same values,” he says, referring to the mix of tradition, innovation and boundary-pushing ethos of Chivas’ ethos. “For me, I try to push the boundaries and try to be the best version of myself, [while] remembering who I really am. But at the same time, trying to work on myself to be better – I think these are the values that resonate both with Chivas as a brand and with me as an athlete. And that’s very, very important. And in all the partnerships we do, we look at the values that we share, and this needs to be the same, for sure.”
The launch of Crystalgold also speaks to shifting cultural and social drinking habits. It’s been well-documented that dark spirits have been on the decline, late-night drinking habits have changed and globally, drinkers are preferring lighter drinks en masse, so there is certainly a strong business case at hand for a drink with the ability to shapeshift between occasions, atmosphere and serving opportunities, such as this—and you’d be correct to assume that Crystalgold is coming to topple tequila and mescal’s current reign.
Ultimately, like its Monégasque race champion Global Ambassador, for Chivas Regal, Crystalgold represents a pursuit rooted in risk, steeped in practice with a goal of results. It honours the house’s reputation for craftsmanship, while inviting a new generation of drinkers into the fold and just might be the most daring move in the brand’s history. And as we enter our summer party season, this will be an interesting drink to watch.
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