The era of 'craft spirits' with their earthy, inner values did not suit Pernod's power brand among Scotch blends. But today, for those who want to flaunt it, Chivas Regal and its new Crystalgold expression have all the bling you could wish for reports Tom Bruce-Gardyne … 

"If you correlated Chivas' growth over the years, and where it has been successful, it has tended to always trend towards the countries that are booming economically," says marketing director Nick Blacknell, about his flagship Scotch brand – Chivas Regal. "What I love about Chivas is its kind of unabashed sense of 'we're making money. We're proud to be successful and Chivas is our brand'."

That success was first felt in the States under Seagram's, whose boss Sam Bronfman bought Chivas Regal for £85,000 (£2.6 million today) in 1949. He carefully built the 12 year-old blend, with its glittering metallic label and price to aspire to, into a toast for the American dream.

This was often done with humour, as in the long-running series of cartoons in the New Yorker. "You can stop now with the luxury yacht … the his and hers Lear jets," cries the game-show host in one of them. "Or risk it all and go for the Chivas Regal!"

This quintessential deluxe Scotch peaked at 1.2m cases in the US in the late 1970s, well ahead of arch-rival Johnnie Walker Black Label. Like Walker's in Kilmarnock, Chivas was born as a grocer's blend in Aberdeen, and by coincidence was registered the same year in 1909.

In 2001 Pernod Ricard acquired most of Seagram's, and the company's joint-MD, Richard Burrows, declared Chivas Regal to be the jewel in the crown. In truth, it had suffered recent neglect in the US where sales had slipped below 0.5m cases and below Black Label. Yet, it had established an early lead in China.

Today, Nick Blacknell calls it "one of the jewels" in Pernod's portfolio alongside Jameson and Glenlivet which "have undoubtedly been the big focus" in the US, he admits. "Where we've been immensely successful is Turkey where Chivas Regal is now the biggest whisky brand."

And "it's seeing increasingly strong growth in Latin America," he adds. The brand, which now sells around 4.5m cases worldwide, got as high as 800,000 cases in China, but Chinese demand has since cratered as it has for all luxury imports. Like others, he is looking at India, and says: "I think, long-term it's going to be our biggest market in the world."

This year, Chivas' top news story and the biggest genuine innovation in the category, has been Chivas Crystalgold, launched in September into that mixable white spirit space enjoyed by gin and cristalino Tequila.

It is early days, but the omens look promising. "Technically, it has to be called a 'spirit drink', however it's surprising how quickly the trade and consumers understood that it's an aged spirit filtered clear," he says. "So, that barrier hasn't been as tricky as I anticipated, and I think that's probably because of the strength of the Chivas name."

Ironically, after all the effort to strip out the colour, Mexicans have been adding it back in in the form of Coke and soda in a Charro Negro (black cowboy) cocktail. At least they have made it their own, as have those in Thailand knocking back Crystalgold in shots.

Its mission is to expand drinking occasions and introduce people to Chivas Regal. As Nick says: "To have a recruitment tool is very important for all brands." Its success will be down to getting the maximum "liquid on lips", as marketing folk call it, as possible.

New brands are invariably launched to the sound of trumpets. Those that fail, die in silence – one thinks of 'Becks in a bottle' aka Haig Club. Some take years to catch on like William Grant's Hendrick's gin. Big quoted players like Pernod don't have the best track record on this.

"It is certainly the new group ambition to be more patient with the long-term," he says, mentioning its current mantra on innovation of - 'fewer, bigger, better'. "CrystalGold was launched in 38 countries simultaneously which is probably a record for the group."

Johnnie Walker has a clear ladder to climb from Red to Black to Blue Label, or descend if life takes a turn for the worse. At Pernod Ricard you have to switch from Ballantine's to Chivas Regal to Royal Salute to keep within the fold. Nick is undaunted. "Consumers are less willing to stay with the same brand on every leg of the journey. I firmly believe our more segmented approach is going to play well for the future, and indeed is doing so."

On marketing, he believes "brands need to be in culture. The days of just trying to drive your brand through advertising are gone, because advertising in the traditional sense is so much less impactful than it was." So, instead the question that drives him is – "Where is the dynamism in culture, and can we attach to it?"

For now, he has found it in sport and the idea of shared success. In 2024, Chivas signed a £2.5-3m deal with Arsenal, and this year appointed Ferrari's Charles Leclerc as its new global brand ambassador. "Football and F.1 have really become symbols of global success, particularly with all the luxury and lifestyle that goes around them."

So, what does Leclerc, in his dazzling, gold embroidered shirt bring to the brand?  "Glamour!" replies Nick. While Johnnie Walker has been a little earnest at times, with its message to 'Keep Walking', Chivas Regal is unashamedly bling. "Its whole packaging, its personality, that kind of brashness is what I love about Chivas," he says.

"I love a brand that's divisive," he adds, warming to his theme, and suddenly an obvious metaphor springs to mind. Chivas Regal is a liquid Rolex. Some people aspire to a Rolex watch, others definitely don't. Is that how it is? "Exactly!" he replies. "And there's really nothing wrong with that. Each to their own."