There is a number that has followed Charles Leclerc his entire career. It is stitched into his helmet, painted onto his car and now, for the first time, poured into a glass. Chivas Regal 16 Limited-Edition marks two firsts at once: it is the first 16 year old expression in the Scotch whisky house’s history, and it is Leclerc’s own debut as a blend creator, built from the ground up around the number that has defined his life on and off the track.
The project began not in a distillery but in a challenge. Leclerc, largely new to the world of whisky, put it to Chivas Regal’s Master Blender Sandy Hyslop: why not create something that had never existed before? Hyslop, with four decades of blending experience behind him, took him up on it. What followed was a genuine exchange between two people operating at very different ends of their respective crafts, each pushing the other towards a result neither could have reached alone.
The blend brings together 16 exceptional whiskies, each matured for at least that long, built around a Longmorn single malt aged in sherry casks. On the nose, sweet mandarin, raisins and manuka honey sit alongside warm cinnamon and sticky toffee. The palate develops through orange marmalade and apple cake before moving into toasted oak and ginger spice, closing on a finish that is rich, velvety and long.
Lifestyle Asia sat down with Charles Leclerc to talk through the process, from that first challenge in Monaco to the finished bottle.
Charles Leclerc on blending his first whisky with Chivas Regal
This is your debut blend for Chivas Regal. How would you personally describe the result?
The whole process was such an interesting one. Going to Scotland, meeting the people at the distillery, seeing the amount of passion there was, and then starting to create my own whisky from that. As for the result, I’m incredibly happy with it. The main mission was for it to be something I loved first, and something that represented me second. It’s a 16 year old matured whisky, and 16 is a very special number for me, so the fact that it had never been done before made it feel unique and personal. The whole process, from discovering the different whiskies and flavours to choosing the Longmorn matured in sherry cask, with its quite unique flavour as a base, was super interesting. What mattered most to me was that the whisky would really represent my taste, and a little bit of my story, through the number 16.
What is one lesson you learned from working alongside Master Blender Sandy?
I’ve learned so much working with Sandy. He has 40 years of experience in the whisky world, which made it very special to be able to discuss with him a world that was quite new to me. The passion he has is incredible, and I had a lot to learn. But I think what I learned most is that being new to this world was actually a positive. Starting from a completely blank sheet of paper, with no assumptions, meant I could challenge things a little. There was already a 12 year old whisky and an 18 year old whisky, so I thought, why not a 16 year old? That was quite new.
When it comes to creation of Chivas Regal 16, how is the whole process unique to you?
It started back in Monaco, quite a long time ago, tasting the different whiskies and single malts Chivas had, and trying to find the base I liked most. Then I went to Scotland with some friends to see how the whisky was actually crafted, and how many people are involved. I was mind blown by the amount of detail that goes into the finished product. That was where we really started digging into the details, with quite a lot of back and forth with Sandy to make sure the taste truly represented me. Scotland is where we went from a general idea into really crafting it the way I wanted, based on my preferences, while still trying to do something unique that had never been done before. It was a super interesting process.
How has your previous experience creating the Leclerc Spritz cocktail helped with your approach to developing Chivas Regal 16?
I really enjoyed that project. We added an elderflower taste, which I wasn’t really familiar with before, and I enjoyed it so much. Blending that with whisky was really cool, and that was where it started from. We added a few little things to make the cocktail mine. I like having it with friends, it is always a good moment to have the Leclerc Spritz.
What’s your personal favourite way to enjoy Chivas Regal 16?
With my friends, after a special occasion, to celebrate something. That is probably the best way to enjoy it.
Chivas Regal 16-Year-Old, priced at RM425 per bottle, is now available in Malaysia. Visit HERE to find out more.
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
