Glenfiddich has unveiled Grand Château, part of the William Grant & Sons-owned brand’s limited edition Grand Series, which continues to challenge conventions with the unexpected marriage of two luxury worlds: Grand Château is a 31-Year-Old single malt whisky, that marks the first release by the distillery to use red wine casks from the Bordeaux region, in which the liquid is finished for an extended period of nine years
Global Travel Retail Magazine was on location this week in London, UK, as Glenfiddich introduced to travel retail media Grand Château, a 31-Year-Old single malt whisky finished in Bordeaux casks. It is the latest expression from the William Grant & Sons-owned brand’s limited edition Grand Series.
Senior writer Alison Farrington joined the Glenfiddich GTR marketing team at Mayfair’s Bacchanalia, to celebrate the launch of Grand Château, which makes its global travel retail debut this month. The 31-Year-Old whisky marks the first release by the distillery to use red wine casks from the Bordeaux region, in which the liquid is finished for an extended period of nine years.
Celebrating a fresh fusion of flavor, the liquid has been matured in American oak before being finished in exceptional Bordeaux red wine casks from the French wine-growing region. The nine-year finish adds layers of new and unexpected flavor. Described as "indulgent and rich, caramelized cherry and apple intertwines with warming spice and toasted oak; an opulent, yet earthy liquid that’s fruity and at the same time floral."
Claudia Falcone, Glenfiddich Global Brand Director, commented, ”The addition of Grand Château to the Glenfiddich portfolio, experimenting with flavor combinations and an extended finishing period, establishes our position as a brand that continues to push the boundaries of whisky making. Grand Château allows us to explore the collision of different cultures, whilst taking luxury to new heights.”
“We wanted to blend traditional with contemporary with this exceptional whisky,” Gwilym Cooke, Head of Brand Marketing, told Global Travel Retail Magazine at the launch event.
Grand Château’s display boxes pay homage to Glenfiddich’s deep connection to the arts. Along with designing the bold interior packaging, French street artist André Saraiva has created “The Artist’s Edition” through “disrupting” 250 of the traditional Toile De Jouy display boxes via his signature "Mr. A" character that appears on the side of the box
“Glenfiddich is a luxury product and our intention is to be an innovator in the luxury design world. This is one of the reasons we collaborated with the French street artist André Saraiva, who has disrupted the very special Toile de Jouy display boxes with his Artist’s Edition. This design collaboration brings character to the brand. We are pushing ourselves into how luxury brands behave, recruiting new customers in the luxury space,” Cooke continued.
“Bordeaux red wine casks are incredibly versatile sources of flavor and recognized widely for their outstanding quality, providing the perfect opportunity for experimentation to develop a profound spirit. Nine years spent cocooned in these extraordinary Bordeaux red wine casks results in an exceptionally vibrant liquid which intensifies Glenfiddich’s classic fruity character balanced somewhat unusually with notes of deep oak and warming vanilla,” said Brian Kinsman, Glenfiddich Malt Master.
“Although wine is becoming an increasingly popular choice for maturation within the single malt category, it remains relatively rare to see whiskies finished in a Bordeaux red wine cask, making this an incredibly intriguing and collectable bottling,” he added.
Only 250 bottles of the limited edition Grand Château Artist’s Edition by André Saraiva will be available globally (24 in travel retail) from October 1.
Grand Château’s display boxes pay homage to Glenfiddich’s deep connection to the arts. Along with designing the bold interior packaging, André Saraiva has created “The Artist’s Edition” through “disrupting” 250 of the traditional Toile De Jouy display box, using them as a canvas to add his playful interpretation of the spirit and its story.
The limited edition display boxes feature Saraiva’s signature “Mr. A” character – a figure that has traveled the world from the streets of Paris to New York, Shenzhen, London and Seoul, and within this design can be seen playfully selecting the extended Bordeaux red wine cask finished whisky at Glenfiddich’s distillery in Scotland.
On the collaboration André Saraiva said, “When Glenfiddich asked me (and Mr. A) to work with them it felt like a perfect match. I am a lover of whisky and the connection to France with this bespoke liquid allowed for a huge amount of creativity. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting the beautiful land of Scotland where I was able to truly experience the history and heritage, the people, the inspiring surroundings and taste Glenfiddich. These unique adventures are reflected in my drawings and art for my collaboration with Glenfiddich.”
Grand Château is the latest addition to the Grand series, which includes Grand Yozakura, a limited edition 29-Year-Old whisky, the first Single Malt Scotch Whisky to be finished in rare ex-Awamori casks; Grande Couronne, a 26-Year-Old Scotch Whisky matured in American and European oak casks and finished for up to two years in meticulously sourced French Cognac casks; Glenfiddich Grand Cru, aged for 23 years in American and European oak casks and then finessed in French Cuvée oak casks; Gran Cortes, a refined Glenfiddich whisky aged for 22 years in traditional Sherry oak before finishing in very rare Palo Cortado Sherry casks, only available in Asia; and Glenfiddich Gran Reserva, patiently mellowed for 21 years in European and American Oak casks before a final flourish in Caribbean Rum casks.
