Glenfiddich x Aston Martin 16-Year Single Malt Scotch

At first blush, it seems like there are few disciplines further apart than whisky making and auto racing. Racing is about speed and power, metal and fiberglass, measuring time in tenths or hundredths of a second. Creating great whisky, on the other hand, requires immense patience — enough to guide an aging oak cask through years and decades, waiting patiently until it reaches its peak of maturity. 

But  Brian Kinsman, the malt master for Glenfiddich, sees the two disparate crafts as “united by a deep respect for craftsmanship, whether it’s the meticulous aging of a single malt whisky or the precision engineering of a high-performance car. Each demands vision, skill, and an uncompromising attention to detail, which result in creations that inspire passion and invite exploration.”

Kinsman brings the connection to fruition in The Glenfiddich 16-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, the first project from the Speyside distillery’s collaboration with the Aston Martin Formula One Team. The exclusive, long-term partnership kicked off in November 2024 at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and this is the first whisky produced from their union. 

Kinsman is a self-described Formula One enthusiast: “I watched F1 a lot back in the ’80s and ’90s with the legendary names of Senna, Mansell, Prost, and Schumacher. I drifted away a bit for a few years, but got back into it with the new generation of Hamilton and Verstappen. Having now had the chance to be at a race, I love it!” 

Kinsman says a visit to the Aston Martin Formula One headquarters “was eye-opening for me. While the technology and engineering are cutting edge, the craftsmanship, precision, and skill of the people working there was very reminiscent of our distillery.”

The 16-year-old whisky inspired by the visit rewards patience on the part of the drinker, not speed. But like a fine-tuned F1 racer, it’s an intricate, complex affair. Aged in a mix of new American oak, second-fill ex-bourbon barrels, and American oak wine casks, it’s a rare Glenfiddich expression matured entirely in American oak.

“We wanted to showcase the influence of American oak and how it really brings out the core character of Glenfiddich. In most of our expressions, we marry American and European oak together. This is a nice example where a singular oak type shines on its own,” Kinsman explains.

Glenfiddich 16 Year Old is described as having a rich and sweet nose; a silky, syrupy mouthfeel with notes of fresh fruit salad and Chantilly cream; and a smooth, sweet finish. “Glenfiddich matured in American oak has a wide range of possibilities as the flavor just grows with age,” Kinsman says. “The mid-teens sees a really nice balance of strong distillery character — juicy, ripe fruits — and cask influence [with] vanilla, toffee sweetness. Our Solera 15 Year Old is a great example of that balance. For this expression, 16 years old just felt right.”

Glenfiddich promises that the 16 Year Old is just the beginning of a long collaboration with the iconic British automaker. But this particular expression will, alas, only be available for a limited time.