Glenfiddich and Aston Martin F1 rev into gear with second 16yo collab

Glenfiddich & Aston Martin Formula One Team 16-Year-Old Release No.2 is a different and bolder version than the inaugural 2025 edition.

Developed by Glenfiddich Malt Master Brian Kinsman and Aston Martin F1 Team Managing Technical Partner Adrian Newey, the second edition is a harmony of five cask types (first-fill bourbon, Port pipes, Oloroso sherry, wine, and Fino sherry) and is intended to reflect the craft, balance and precision that underpin both industries.

“What I find most compelling about Adrian’s work is that the defining performance often comes from what you cannot immediately see,” Brian Kinsman said. “Behind every Aston Martin Formula 1 Team car are hundreds of small decisions, carefully refined to create a seamless whole. The same is true in whisky making.”

I had the chance to sample the limited-edition dram ahead of its Australian launch with Brand Ambassador Drew Down:

“It's very much, first of all, bourbon barrel [influenced]; It's the backbone of the whisky. And then you've got the port pipes; the tannin/drying oak tannin, jammy fruit. Mouthfeel and complexity from Oloroso. Salinity and fresh vibrancy from Fino. And then sort of a long secondary maturation in wine casks, which is the dry oak, fruit salad, slight red hue to it.”

Brian Kinsman added: “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 result is a truly unique Glenfiddich expression, vibrant with fruit, layered with warmth, and brought into perfect balance.”

Click here for my review of Glenfiddich & Aston Martin Formula One Team 16-Year-Old Release No.2

Drew Down said the partnership with Aston Martin, now in its second year, had been a natural fit to date.

“It's a pretty incredible partnership. Two iconic British brands coming together ... It really is like engineered whisky; five different types of casks coming together to add all these different layers of flavour.”

Glenfiddich & Aston Martin Formula One Team 16-Year-Old Release is also one of the first Glenfiddich releases to feature the distillery's new branding, which will be rolled out across the breadth of the portfolio soon.