Review: Glenfiddich x Aston Martin Formula One 16 Years Old

If you binge watch Drive to Survive and wake up unusually early on Sunday mornings for car races halfway around the world, you may have noticed recently that more and more spirits brands, many of the whisky variety, are partnering with Formula One. Last year, ahead of the first ever Grand Prix in Las Vegas, Glenfiddich announced a multi-year partnership with the Aston Martin F1 team.

To commemorate the team up, Glenfiddich bottled a rare, 65-year-old single malt distilled the same year Aston Martin entered Formula One. That whisky runs over six figures, so chances are very good that only people who can own Formula One teams will get the chance to taste it. But Glenfiddich didn’t forget about the rest of us. In September, the brand launched this limited edition, 16-year-old single malt also sporting the Aston Martin team livery. The whisky is aged in a mix of American oak wine casks, new American barrels, and second-fill bourbon casks, and, unlike that initial Aston Martin offering, it’s priced to move. Thoughts follow.

Glenfiddich x Aston Martin Formula One 16 Years Old Review

Ample fruit on the nose here, kicking off with apple and pear and moving easily into some citrus touches with time in glass. Vanilla pops, but it’s an ephemeral ginger quality that is at first a bit tough to place and which soon becomes intriguing — and which works wonders with all the fruit in the mix. The palate is soothing and surprisingly chocolatey, with more vanilla and nutty almond giving the whisky a candy bar character. The body is quite creamy and mouth-filling, warming up with touches of dates, maraschino cherries, and a drizzle of honey. The whisky remains engaging well into the finish, where a sweet cream quality and some ripe banana echoes give the whole affair a bit of a banana split quality. Memories of Dairy Queen and that long red spoon unlocked. – CN

86 proof.

A- / $75 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

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