Aston Martin Unveils Five-Cask Scotch Whisky Alongside Glenfiddich

(Photo: Glenfiddich)

Fast cars and slowly aged spirits have collaborated more times than we can count, creating a liquor store’s worth of whiskeys, tequilas, vodkas and gins sought after by Formula One completionists. The latest release in the unlikely subgenre hopes to elevate the concept by paying homage to the “unseen element” at play in both racecars and single malt scotch.

On Monday, Aston Martin marked the second year of its Glenfiddich partnership with a limited-edition whisky aged in not one but five different barrel types. The 16-year-old single malt uses a mix of first-fill bourbon casks, Port pipes, Oloroso sherry casks, wine casks and a “final touch” of Fino sherry butts before being bottled at 43% ABV.

The release was inspired by Glenfiddich Malt Master Brian Kinsman and Aston Martin Team Managing Technical Partner Adrian Newey. According to the brand, each shares the belief that performance is defined not only by what can be seen, but by the myriad invisible details working underneath the surface.

“Behind every Aston Martin Formula One Team car are hundreds of small decisions, carefully refined to create a seamless whole. The same is true in whisky making,” Kinsman said in a news release. “For this expression, I combined the influence of five distinct cask types, each contributing its own character, texture and depth. The art lies not in the individual components, but in bringing them together in a way that feels perfectly balanced and instinctively right.”

The release is said to boast aromas of rich stewed fruits, marzipan, flowers and polished leather, followed by flavors of toffee sweetness, caramelized cane sugar and dry oak tannins and a lengthy finish. It’s now rolling out nationwide at a suggested retail price of $79.99.

In November 2024, Aston Martin Formula One and Glenfiddich inked a multi-year partnership that has produced a handful of whiskies — some of which have proved easier to obtain than others.

Last September, the brands joined forces for a 19-year-old, travel retail-exclusive scotch that hit airports at a suggested retail price of $175. Before that, Glenfiddich dropped a 65-year-old scotch distilled in the same year that Aston Martin made its Formula One debut. The liquid was never officially released to the public, though equivalent age statements from the distiller are known to hit the hammer anywhere between $6,000 and $50,000 at auction.