When Whisky Met Formula One: Inside The Glenfiddich Club 1959's Launch Night

Glenfiddich and Aston Martin Aramco Formula One® Team brought their partnership to South Africa with Club 1959, an event that paired single malt Scotch with motorsport glamour at Daytona's luxury car showroom.

The evening centered on the South African launch of Glenfiddich 16 Year Old. Guests received paddock passes on arrival—a nod to the F1 connection—before entering a space designed to merge whisky craft with automotive engineering.

Kurt Schlekter, founder of CAUSE|EFFECT Cocktail Kitchen, created cocktails that leaned into the theme. The 1959 Spritz featured hand-torched branded orange peel, while the Whisky Old Fashioned arrived with smoking wood chips in illuminated glassware.

Glenfiddich Brand Ambassador Gift Makoti led tastings of the 16 Year Old, highlighting the spirit's experimental edge. Chef Ramsay paired the whisky with canapés that took South African ingredients in contemporary directions.

The setting played its part: Aston Martin vehicles positioned throughout the venue, moody lighting, and DJ Fistaz Mixwell's set that kept energy levels calibrated to the room. The dress code was described as "F1-chic."

"Our partnership with Aston Martin is a celebration of artistry and ambition," said Lifa Bakana, Senior Brand Manager at Edward Snell & Co. "Club 1959 was conceived as a living expression of that ethos, where performance and craft meet to create something extraordinary."

Makoti added context on the product: "The Glenfiddich 16 Year Old embodies the spirit of progress that both brands share. From Dufftown's stills to the sleek design of Aston Martin, every detail reflects a pursuit of perfection."

The collaboration banks on shared values between the 137-year-old distillery and the racing team—precision, heritage, performance. Club 1959 translated that into an experiential format: whisky education, culinary pairings, and automotive design in one curated evening.

For attendees, it was equal parts product launch and brand positioning—Glenfiddich reinforcing its luxury credentials in the South African market through association with Formula One's aesthetic and audience.