Chivas The Century Of Malts One Hundred Single Malt Scotch Whisky 43%

A hundred distilleries in one bottle. Not as an arithmetic exercise, but as an attempt to draw a map of the whole of Scotland — Islay, Speyside, Highlands and Lowlands in the same glass.

Expert description

Chivas Century Of Malts is a Blended Malt Scotch Whisky built from 100 Scottish single malts and bottled at 43% in a 75 cl bottle.

The idea behind it was simple and rather bold: gather so many different malt whiskies that no single distillery signature could dominate. The whole was meant to give a picture of Scottish malt whisky as such. The bottle contains no grain whisky, which sets it apart from the house's ordinary blends. The release has long been discontinued, and both the 75 cl format and the 43% belong to an earlier era.

Tasting notes

Nose

Broad and layered. Heather, honey and dried fruit first, then malted cereal, a touch of sea salt and a distant peat smoke in the background.

Palate

Soft, but never flat. Malt, honey, apple and orange peel, with spice and a lightly smoked edge appearing towards the middle. No single note takes over, which is precisely the point.

Finish

Medium and dry, with malt, nuts and a last trace of smoke.

Specifications

Name: Chivas Century Of Malts One Hundred Single Malt Scotch Whisky 43%
Distillery: Chivas Brothers
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 43 %
Size: 75 CL
Edition: The Century Of Malts
EAN no.: 5000299203101

Flavour profile

Malty · Honeyed · Fruity · Lightly Smoked · Complex

Investment potential

High. A discontinued release in a format no longer produced, and a concept nobody has repeated since. Collector interest has grown as the bottles have left the market.

Did you know?

Scotland had roughly a hundred working malt distilleries when this bottle was put together. Several have since closed and a few have been demolished, so the bottle is now also a snapshot of an industry that no longer looks like that.

See our full range of Chivas Regal Whisky

Frequently asked questions about Chivas Century Of Malts

What does it mean that it holds 100 single malts?

That malt whisky from a hundred different Scottish distilleries was used, and no grain whisky at all. No single malt is allowed to dominate, and the result is broader and more layered than an ordinary blend.

So is it a blended whisky or a malt?

It is a blended malt — a mixture made purely of malt whisky from several distilleries. See more of the same type in our Blended Malt Scotch Whisky.

Can you actually taste that many malts?

What you taste above all is the absence of one dominant distillery. There is heather, honey, fruit, spice and a trace of smoke, but nothing sticks out. It is a whisky that spreads sideways rather than upwards.

Is it worth collecting?

The concept has never been repeated, the release is discontinued and the format is out of production. For a collector it is the unrepeatable nature of the idea that makes the bottle interesting.

How is it best enjoyed?

Neat in a tulip glass, without water to begin with. At 43% there is enough body for the aromas to unfold on their own, and it takes a couple of minutes in the glass before the full width shows.

Does it suit a tasting line-up?

It works very well as an opener. It shows the whole Scottish spectrum in one dram and makes it easier to recognise the individual regions when you taste an Islay or a Speyside alongside it afterwards.