By Gary Symons
TLL Editor-in-Chief
Glenfiddich and Aston Martin Formula One Team have unveiled two limited-edition single malt whiskies inspired by two very different craftsmen.
In their second year of a licensing partnership, Glenfiddich and Aston Martin are honoring the two men who have helped them achieve global success.
One is the Glenfiddich Malt Master Brian Kinsman, who has helped the brand become the world’s top single malt Scotch. The other is Aston Martin Formula One Team Managing Technical Partner Adrian Newey, whose work designing race cars has led Aston Martin to global success on the F1 circuit.
This year Glenfiddich is releasing a 16-year-old and a 19-year-old single malt Scotch, both labeled Release No. 2.
Glenfiddich says the Scotch is dedicated to Kinsman and Newey because the two men share “a discipline built on precision, curiosity and foresight,” despite working in different fields: one crafting whisky years before it will be ready, the other designing airflow for cars that do not yet exist.
“What I find most compelling about Adrian’s work is that the defining performance often comes from what you cannot immediately see. That is something I recognize in whisky-making,” Kinsman said. “The character of a single malt is shaped by countless precise decisions over time — cask selection, balance, maturation, timing — each one subtle on its own, but transformative when brought together.
“With these releases, I wanted to capture that same sense of unseen craftsmanship and create whiskies that feel layered, balanced and unmistakably built to go beyond expectation.”
The 16-year-old expression is matured across five cask types, including first-fill bourbon barrels, Port pipes, Oloroso sherry casks, wine casks and Fino sherry butts.
According to tasting notes provided by the companies, the whisky has a nose of stewed fruits, floral notes, marzipan and polished leather, with a mellow, silky taste of buttery toffee sweetness balanced by dry oak tannin. It has an alcohol content of 43% by volume.
The 19-year-old, a Global Travel Retail exclusive, is finished in a combination of Colombian, European and American oak casks.
“The Colombian oak provides a distinctive point of intrigue,” said Jamie Johnson, Canadian National Brand Ambassador for Glenfiddich. “It brings brightness and lift to the whisky’s rich, structured profile, creating a single malt with notes of sherbet, baked apple, and soft cinnamon. It’s an expression that is both vibrant and unmistakably Glenfiddich.”
Tasting notes describe the 19-year-old as having a nose of vanilla, crystalized ginger and candied citrus peel, with a zesty, waxy taste featuring baked apple and cinnamon notes and a lingering, sweet finish. It also carries a 43% alcohol content.
Glenfiddich and Aston Martin Formula One Team announced their multiyear partnership in November 2024, bringing together two iconic British brands.
Glenfiddich is the world’s most awarded single malt Scotch whisky, enjoying recognition since 2000 from the International Wine & Spirit Competition and the International Spirits Challenge. It is also an historic Scotch that is credited with being the brand that really promoted Scotland’s single malt products to the world, rather than blended Scotch. Single malt Scotch is now considered the epitome of the craft worldwide.
Glenfiddich is owned by William Grant & Sons, an independent, family-owned distiller founded in 1887 and now run by the fourth generation of the Grant family.
The company also produces The Balvenie, Grant’s blended Scotch, and other spirits brands including Sailor Jerry, Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey, Monkey Shoulder, Drambuie, Reyka Vodka and Milagro Tequila.