Head to head · unusually close flavour match
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old vs Chivas Regal 12 Year Old
No flavour axis separates them. The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old publishes its cask types, Chivas Regal 12 Year Old publishes none.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old | Chivas Regal 12 Year Old | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Blended scotch |
| Origin | Speyside, Scotland | Scotland |
| Age | 12 years | 12 years |
| Strength | 43% ABV | Not published |
| Cask | Ex-bourbon barrel, Oloroso sherry butt | Not disclosed |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £50 | £33 |
| Per 10cl | £7.14 | £4.71 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £166 | — |
| Chill-filtered | Not stated | Not stated |
What separates them
Both from Scotland.
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old is a single malt, Chivas Regal 12 Year Old a blended scotch.
Both state 12 years.
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old lists ex-bourbon barrel and oloroso sherry butt. Chivas Regal 12 Year Old publishes no cask detail at all.
Neither states chill filtration.
Neither set of specifications is producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old is £17 dearer a bottle than Chivas Regal 12 Year Old.
Chivas Regal 12 Year Old publishes no strength, so we will not cost it per litre of alcohol.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old | Chivas Regal 12 Year Old |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 0 | 1 |
| Sweet | 8 | 7 |
| Fruity | 6 | 6 |
| Spicy | 4 | 4 |
| Woody | 5 | 4 |
| Sherried | 6 | 4 |
| Cereal | 5 | 5 |
| Oily | 6 | 5 |
No axis reaches the 3-point gap we call meaningful. Widest is sherried, 6 against 4.
Identical on fruity, spicy and cereal.
Each bottle in its own right
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old
Honey, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sweet without being cloying, and 43% helps.
Full record →Chivas Regal 12 Year Old
Soft, honeyed and inoffensive. Built for mixing rather than contemplation.
We cannot publish an ABV for this bottle. Chivas' own domains return HTTP 403 to us on every path, Pernod Ricard's brand page omits strength, and no major retailer exposes it in product data — so the widely repeated 40% is not something we can source. The blend is anchored to Strathisla, the oldest continuously operating distillery in Scotland, founded 1786.
Full record →No overlap in what we list them for: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old for gift and after dinner, Chivas Regal 12 Year Old for mixing and value.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old and Chivas Regal 12 Year Old: thebalvenie.com, pernod-ricard.com, reservebar.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.