F1 Champion Jenson Button’s Whisky Brand Teams Up With Williams Racing to Launch 18-Year Scotch

Jenson Button with a glass of the latest release with Coachbuilt Whisky (Photo: Coachbuilt Whisky/Williams Racing)

Coachbuilt Whisky, a company founded by Formula 1 champion Jenson Button, announced a collaboration with Williams Racing on Friday. The two parties are releasing limited-edition whiskies celebrating scotch, racing and Button’s prolific career. The first blended whisky in the series hosts a suggested retail price of £230 ($295) for a 700-milliliter bottle.

“The launch of our inaugural release is the culmination of my dream to blend my two big passions: racing and Scotch Whisky,” Button said in a news release. “With that said, racing fans and Scotch collectors have a lot to be excited about, as we bring forward some truly unique whiskies – all beautifully blended to create a smooth and well-balanced sipping experience.”

Button’s whisky brand sources liquid from Scotland’s five major whisky regions: Speyside, Highland, Islay, Campbeltown and the Lowlands. The whisky is blended by George Koutsakis, Coachbuilt’s other co-founder. Coachbuilt joined forces with Williams Racing, which the brands describe as one of the “top three most successful teams in history competing at the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.”

The packaging for the first release is inspired by the FW-18, which the brands refer to as one of Williams Racing’s most “iconic” cars. The blended scotch was aged for over 18 years, an additional means of paying tribute to the vehicle.

The brands say they intend to roll out several other whiskies celebrating other high points in Williams Racing’s legacy, as well as Button’s relationship with the team, which began in 2000 when he got his “breakthrough opportunity in Formula 1,” the brands said in a news release. The brand describes the whisky as possessing aromas of orchard fruit, wintery spice with dark chocolate and cinnamon on the palate.

Just 3,000 bottles are set to be released, and interested parties can pre-order the whisky here. The first whisky from the collaboration will roll out at retailers starting in August.

In April, Button signed a deal with Williams Racing to promote his whisky brand. The brands expressed the intention of releasing the limited-availability whiskies in a series throughout the partnership.

More About Jenson Button: From ‘Winless Wonder’ to Champion & Spirits Entrepreneur

Button has loved racing since he was an infant. Formula 1 states in his biography that he was a hyperactive child who only sat still when watching racing on television.

His family struggled financially when he was young, and Button would have to borrow funds to be able to compete in some of the races in his youth. At 17 years old, he became the youngest driver to win the European Formula Super A Championship.

All that attention quickly put him on the map, yet at that time in his career, his performances were inconsistent. According to Formula 1, Button lived a lavish lifestyle full of distractions — glamorous girlfriends, flats in Monaco, Ferraris and a yacht — which cost him heavily. The racer’s work was considered unremarkable, and Formula 1 called him a “winless wonder.”

Yet, Button would not be deterred. He bounced back in 2004, when he finished third in the Formula 1 World Championship. He went on to win the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix.

In 2009, Button broke records, winning six of seven races and the Constructors’ Championship. Out of 306 career races, Button won 15.

He retired from F1 in 2016 and went on to launch Coachbuilt in March 2022.

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