Glenfiddich x Aston Martin 16-12 months Single Malt Scotch

At first blush, it looks like there are few disciplines additional aside than whisky making and auto racing. Racing is about pace and energy, metallic and fiberglass, measuring time in tenths or hundredths of a second. Creating nice whisky, then again, requires immense endurance — sufficient to information an ageing oak cask via years and many years, ready patiently till it reaches its peak of maturity. 

However  Brian Kinsman, the malt grasp for Glenfiddich, sees the 2 disparate crafts as “united by a deep respect for craftsmanship, whether or not it’s the meticulous ageing of a single malt whisky or the precision engineering of a high-performance automotive. Every calls for imaginative and prescient, ability, and an uncompromising consideration to element, which end in creations that encourage ardour and invite exploration.”

Kinsman brings the connection to fruition in The Glenfiddich 16-12 months-Outdated Single Malt Scotch Whisky, the primary mission from the Speyside distillery’s collaboration with the Aston Martin System One Workforce. The unique, long-term partnership kicked off in November 2024 on the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and that is the primary whisky produced from their union. 

Kinsman is a self-described System One fanatic: “I watched F1 rather a lot again within the ’80s and ’90s with the legendary names of Senna, Mansell, Prost, and Schumacher. I drifted away a bit for a couple of years, however received again into it with the brand new technology of Hamilton and Verstappen. Having now had the possibility to be at a race, I adore it!” 

Kinsman says a go to to the Aston Martin System One headquarters “was eye-opening for me. Whereas the expertise and engineering are leading edge, the craftsmanship, precision, and ability of the individuals working there was very harking back to our distillery.”

The 16-year-old whisky impressed by the go to rewards endurance on the a part of the drinker, not pace. However like a fine-tuned F1 racer, it’s an intricate, advanced affair. Aged in a mixture of new American oak, second-fill ex-bourbon barrels, and American oak wine casks, it’s a uncommon Glenfiddich expression matured fully in American oak.

“We needed to showcase the affect of American oak and the way it actually brings out the core character of Glenfiddich. In most of our expressions, we marry American and European oak collectively. It is a good instance the place a singular oak kind shines by itself,” Kinsman explains.

Glenfiddich 16 12 months Outdated is described as having a wealthy and candy nostril; a silky, syrupy mouthfeel with notes of recent fruit salad and Chantilly cream; and a clean, candy end. “Glenfiddich matured in American oak has a variety of prospects as the flavour simply grows with age,” Kinsman says. “The mid-teens sees a very nice steadiness of robust distillery character — juicy, ripe fruits — and cask affect [with] vanilla, toffee sweetness. Our Solera 15 12 months Outdated is a good instance of that steadiness. For this expression, 16 years outdated simply felt proper.”

Glenfiddich guarantees that the 16 12 months Outdated is just the start of an extended collaboration with the long-lasting British automaker. However this specific expression will, alas, solely be obtainable for a restricted time.