Rather than unveiling a new ultra-exclusive model at Monterey Car Week this year, Aston Martin instead took the opportunity to announce a new spirits partnership with the Scotch distillery Glenfiddich. The initial press preview revealed a whisky almost as exclusive as Aston’s Valhalla hypercar, a 48-year-old European oak sherry cask expression limited to just 50 bottles worldwide. But alongside this collector’s edition, Glenfiddich also plans to release a more accessible—and drinkable—scotch to celebrate the official partnership with the Aston Martin F1 team, a 16-year-old single malt bedecked in the race team’s iconic dark Almond Green label.
Ahead of the announcement, Aston invited me to the brand’s customer hospitality house on the Monterey Peninsula to taste Glenfiddich’s latest lineup. And where most promotional efforts of this type tend to rely on brand-name recognition rather than quality, I can confidently report that the 16-year-old F1 bottle actually stood out as my favorite bottle. Other than, of course, the capstone of a 30-year-old dram known as “Suspended time” due to not just the bottle’s presentation but also the sheer complexity of a whiskey that’s been aged for so long.
Glenfiddich’s enviable reputation as one of the Scotch industry’s only family-owned distilleries goes a long way toward explaining why the F1 bottle might be a fan favorite. The company’s 12-year-old is actually the best-selling single malt on the planet, but certainly lacks some of the maturity of older bottlings aged in a mix of various casks—a process that Glenfiddich actually pioneered decades ago. Sure, finding the 12-year-old at any corner liquor store might be easy. But stepping up to just the 14-yo makes a huge difference, adding hints of spice thanks to a finishing process that relies on American oak casks.
A 15-year-old Solera vat-style Scotch from Glenfiddich adds multiple different whiskies from various years, in a similar fashion to a sourdough starter—the oldest hailing from back in 1983. More accurately, this method borrowed from Spanish sherry bodegas only lets a vat reach half empty (or is it half full) before another batch of later 15-year-old new mash is mixed in. The resulting whisky remains dry and light, but with a surprising depth of character to the finish.
I also sampled the Glenfiddich 18, a more refined and quintessential Speyside region age statement that rolls over the tongue as smooth as butter, as well as a 21-year-old bottle finished in Caribbean rum casks that add hints of plantain and caramel to the palate. The 23-year-old Grand Cru, meanwhile, borrows casks from the Champagne region of France, which results in a buttery smoothness almost reminiscent of a California Chardonnay.
But among the lineup, I kept returning to the Aston Martin F1 bottle. Despite a relatively young age statement of just 16 years, the combination of American oak, bourbon, and wine casks produces a delicate hint of brown sugar contrasted by clear fruits and mild maple syrup texture despite the 43% ABV strength. The taste of blackcurrants then lingered on for a few minutes, which only made me a bit more—ahem—thirsty to try another pour.
This new partnership for Aston leaves the Islay-based distillery Bowmore behind, which I can admit comes as something of an unfortunate announcement, given how much that partnership appeared to reach full maturity with a truly peppy cask-strength 22-year-old that I tasted just late last year. But marketing efforts for both Aston Martin, the car company, and the F1 team make sense for a team-up with the world’s largest Scotch distillery. Expect to see the new label on liquor store shelves starting in September. And at just $75 per bottle, the new 16-year-old manages to simultaneously impress with flavor, refinement, and value, a true rarity in today’s increasingly excessive Scotch industry.
Source: Michael Van Runkle, Glenfiddich