Glenfiddich x Aston Martin Unveil Limited 1976 Release

After the unveiling of an exclusive 1959 bottling at the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix—to celebrate the ongoing partnership between Glenfiddich and the Aston Martin Formula One Team—there’s more to come from the two luxury heritage brands, as they build on this with a bold global partnership. This union has been marked by a limited-edition 1976 Single Malt Scotch Whisky release, launched at Monterey Car Week in California.

Here, the 1976 will feature as part of a pop-up whisky tasting experience alongside Aston Martin’s first plug-in hybrid supercar, Valhalla, which shares the same future-facing vision as the whisky itself. This week, I sat down with malt master Brian Kinsman and Aston Martin historian Steve Waddingham to learn more about the subtle intricacies of this experimental expression—from its buttery spice on the nose to the '70s innovations it seeks to represent...

A Sip of the Seventies

When thinking of the bell-bottomed era of the ’70s, one might envision John Travolta hitting the dancefloor in a crisp white suit, magazine covers graced with Farrah Fawcett, or neon-clad aerobics classes set to the Bee Gees. All of that aside, this limited 1976 release sets out to represent the innovation of the ’70s—particularly in the worlds of whisky and motoring.

“’76 was an innovative time and a year with new ideas to bring to market,” said Waddingham. “People were wanting to get places quicker and more easily, so roads were made longer and more convenient. The little old cars were out of breath on the motorways, so then there was a need for cars that could drive at a higher speed for longer—the big answer here was the creation of the V8 engine.”

In the world of whisky, Glenfiddich had launched the single malt in the 1960s, so the 1970s saw in the ‘new modern era of whisky,’ explained Kinsman.

A Tasting with Malt Master, Brian Kinsman

Sitting in a high-ceilinged back room at Rosewood London, I prepared to take a guided sip of the Glenfiddich 1976, with none other than malt master Brian Kinsman there to share the story of its notes, right before me. But first, a brief backstory on its 48-year journey before being filled into those iconic triangular crystal bottles.

“It was matured for most of its life in a refill sherry cask. For the last 18 months, we took a brand-new sherry cask from Spain, and one of our coopers at the distillery cut it down from a 500-litre cask to a 100-litre cask. So you get this beautiful colour with a reddish hue, and an antique quality on the nose,” Kinsman explained.

He then shared painted a scented picture of the distillery, sharing that “Glenfiddich is always about fruit. If you come up to the distillery, the nicest thing is that when you park up and walk towards the tun room, where all the distillation is happening, you get the smell of fresh apple, pear and green leaf. It’s then that you know the distillery is working just fine. In every expression, I’m looking to get that DNA of the distillery in there.”

“In the 1976, you’ve got a little more oak and spice going on,” Kinsman explained. “When you taste it, it’s initially quite strong, but once the alcohol evaporates, you’re left with something remarkably smooth. You get that lovely caramelised fruit, toffee, a touch of woodiness, and a gentle, soft spice—not a hot spice—that slowly develops on the tongue.” The finish is long and lingers with a lasting impression of sweet oak spice.

The Glenfiddich 1976 (ABV 48.8%) will be available exclusively through The Distillers Library and The Glenfiddich Distillery, with only 50 bottles available worldwide. 

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