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All any of us do while working at William Grant & Sons is act as custodians of our brands. It’s incredibly exciting to play a small part in making major change
With an alliance stretching back many centuries, Scotland and France have always had a deep emotional connection.
Our launch of Glenfiddich Grand Cru in 2019 builds on this history, fusing each country's finest flavours to create a truly exceptional product
“We really wanted to invite more people into our whisky family, to recruit consumers who hadn’t previously considered single malt or even Scotch whisky as part of their drinking repertoire,” says Coralie Vial, the Global Brand Manager responsible for the new product.
Our experts set to work on crafting a luxury expression that would push the boundaries of how and where whisky is consumed.
Malt Master Brian Kinsman crossed the English Channel in pursuit of complementary finishes. He turned his attention to the elegance of the finest French wines to test how it would enhance the flavours of our esteemed single malt.
“We’ve done a lot of experimenting over the years, and I’ve picked up good insights into what types of casks are likely to work with what age of whisky,” says Brian. “The key is trying to get the tannins in our whisky to balance with the wine-cask influence.”
Brian and his team spent many months fine-tuning the expression. He eventually found the ‘perfect’ combination in a 23-Year Old single malt, aged in American and European oak casks and finished off in rare French oak cuvee wine casks for up to six months.
“The cuvee casks impart a sweet, brioche, yeasty character to the whisky which complements the natural fruity, signature distillery character of Glenfiddich,” he says.
We launched Grand Cru in Singapore in September 2019 at a stunning event attended by global investors and maverick collaborators.
Further launches at Changi Airport, the USA and London’s Harrods followed shortly after.
“Our ambitions are for this range to be the benchmark against which people compare all other wines and spirits at this level.
"Grand Cru really is a game changer for us, and is blazing a trail for all our Grand whiskies,” says Jonny Cornthwaite, our Global Marketing Manager, Glenfiddich.