'Blended whisky is a team," says Colin Scott. And he should know. For some three decades, he has been the master blender responsible for bringing together as many as 40 different grain and single-malt whiskies to create a single product with a character that does not waver one bit from year to year: Chivas Regal.

But ask how he builds the Chivas line and to enumerate the components he uses, and the affable Scotsman becomes quiet.

All he will allow is that the final blend must always taste the same.

That means he must work through his various whiskies and determine what each will bring to Chivas Regal. No small task.

A bit of background. Chivas Regal is a premium blended Scotch, meaning it is a combination of column-distilled grain whisky and numerous small-pot distilled single malts made purely from barley.

Because Chivas Regal makes an age declaration on the label, Scottish law requires that the youngest element in the blend must be aged in casks for at least that many years. Scott is free to use older whiskies (and he does), but nothing younger.

He recently visited southern Ontario -- in full highland garb no less -- to promote CHIVAS REGAL 18 ($85.15, code 582205), a product he introduced to the global market in 1997 and one that bears a reproduction of his signature in gold on every bottle.

"I think of that as my personal guarantee to you, the consumer, that it will have a smooth and luxurious taste," says Scott.

He notes that Chivas Regal 18 is not just the 12-year-old blend aged for a longer time. "The 18 has a unique formula but I build it so that it will have the same expected Chivas style, not taste, as the 12."

We tasted three of the key whiskies that go into Chivas 18, as well as the blend itself. I must admit the first one fooled me. I knew it was an Islay by its pungent, smoky, seaweed/iodine character. But it was also mild and toasty, extremely smooth and silky by Islay standards. I was thinking one of the sheltered distilleries, likely Bowmore or Bruichladdich.

Turns out it was Lagavulin, a place exposed to the wild sea and normally brash and assertive. The secret is that Scott does not obtain finished whiskies for his blends, but rather gets them right off the still, then controls where and how they are aged, always with an eye to the required role in Chivas Regal.

Next up was the grain whisky component, itself fully 18 years old, of course. It was remarkably good on its own: Light, with a herbaceous edge and whiff of lemon polish, peppery, with a touch of vanilla, a definite woody/oaky impression. When I revisited the sample about 20 minutes later, it was exploding with caramel.

As is true of most blended Scotch, grain whisky accounts for somewhere around two thirds of the volume, though Scott uses rather less than that.

Whisky No. 3 was an 18-year-old Strathisla out of the famed Speyside area, which Scott does admit provides the numerous single malts at the heart of the Chivas Regal style.

Strathisla is owned by Chivas, guaranteeing both supply and quality. Note that the 18 is not available anywhere in the world as a single malt, strictly in the blend (or at a professional tasting). It's a warming whisky, starting with a dry hay impression but quickly turning sweet and rich, showing dried peaches, orange peel, floral bouquet, hazelnut and even a touch of soy sauce. A most impressive whisky indeed.

Finally, it was time to see how these three elements, along with the others, come together in the blend. Chivas Regal 18 is, as Scott intended, very smooth, balanced and elegant, a deep amber colour with reflections of gold, one that introduces itself as dry caramel with a few peeks of woodsmoke, then starts to unveil chocolate, roasted nuts, vanilla, oak, even some pine needles. Some components in the mix, admittedly a tiny minority, are as much as 30 years old. For the money, an outstanding whisky. And Christmas is coming.

Also available are CHIVAS REGAL 12 ($42.45, code 7617 for the 750 mL; you can also get other sizes) and the ROYAL SALUTE 21 year old ($170.15, code 56440).

One final thought from Colin Scott. This is a whisky for savouring as it is. A little ice is OK, especially in warm weather, as it gives a nice cool drink.

dkislenko@thespec.com

905-526-3450