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Coachbuilt partners with Rolls-Royce London
Formula One racing driver Jenson Button’s Coachbuilt whisky has teamed up with luxury car manufacturer Rolls-Royce London to produce 300 exclusive 30-year-old bottlings.
The whisky brand launched as a collaboration between Button and whisky expert George Koutsakis in 2022.
Speaking exclusively to The Spirits Business, Koutsakis said: “We didn’t want to do too big a release – we wanted to keep it exclusive and small. There’s a 1987 in there, and a 1988 malt. We couldn’t really get much of it.
“The goal was for Coachbuilt to work with a car manufacturer, especially after seeing the parallels with Macallan and Bentley. I never expected Rolls-Royce to be our first partner.
“Rolls-Royce has a history of coach building; they’re an elegant, modern brand. We’re not at the level, but it’s that elegant, modern, luxury feel with a deep rich balanced [character]. I think it was a really good match looking at the two companies’ values and branding. The challenge was finding a whisky good enough to put their name on the bottle, and luckily we got that.”
The roll out of the 300 bottles will see half exclusively offered to Rolls-Royce London customers.
The remaining 150 bottles of the limited release will be available to purchase via ballot. Winners will be selected and the bottles delivered in mid-June.
The whisky retails for £1,500 (US$1,861), and is composed of liquids aged between 30-35 years, predominantly in Sherry casks.
Koutsakis added: “For a blend, it’s great to see something very old, super rich in flavour, with the Sherry being very prevalent. A beginner could have this – it has a lot of depth and powerful notes. It’s for beginners as well as connoisseurs.”
Coachbuilt said it has sought to create a whisky that encompasses the ‘heritage, craftsmanship and legacy’ that surrounds Rolls-Royce London.
The palate of Coachbuilt x Rolls-Royce delivers coffee, hints of toffee and caramel, and candied nuts and fruit, accentuated from additional maturation in ex-Bourbon barrels.
The bottling is presented in a co-branded engraved box hand-crafted by a small producer in the Scottish Highlands, and finished with embossed leather.
Button said: “It’s really quite incredible to think we are only just celebrating Coachbuilt’s first birthday, and to see how far we have come in that time. Seeing Coachbuilt partner with brands such as Rolls-Royce London was always the dream, but to see that become a reality in 12 months is really rather special.”
Coachbuilt’s flagship expression comprises liquid sourced from all five whisky-producing regions of Scotland: Islay, Speyside, Campbeltown, the Highlands, and the Lowlands.