16 has always been a significant part of Charles Leclerc’s life. That number bears witness to the F1 racer’s milestones: the day he was born, his race car number, and even the name of his personal fashion brand, to name a few. Naturally, when Leclerc entered a partnership with whisky maker Chivas Regal, 16 became part of the conversation from the very beginning.
The result? A whisky that’s never been done before. The Chivas Regal 16-Year-Old blends 16 exceptional whiskies, each aged at least 16 years. At its heart sits a rich Longmorn single malt matured in sherry cask, creating a rich, velvety finish. The whisky opens with sweet notes of mandarin, raisins and manuka honey before giving way to warm cinnamon and sticky toffee. Orange marmalade and hints of toasted oak and ginger spice lingers after.
Created in collaboration with the brand’s master blender Emeritus Sandy Hyslop, Leclerc pushed the boundaries of Chivas Regal when innovating a whisky that is a first of its kind. It is a testament to the drive and tenacity one sees when Leclerc is in the circuit. Here, the F1 racer shares his vision for the momentous partnership, his rise as a sartorial figure beyond the tracks and future plans.
You’ve become a prominent figure across fashion, watches, and lifestyle. It’s such a vibrant scene, and we’re curious to know, how does it feel to explore these different fields?
I love it. I’m super passionate about design in general, from architecture and fashion to music. I’m a very creative person so it came quite naturally; these are fields that really interest me and that I’m very curious about. I’m also very lucky to be able to travel the world—it shows you many different cultures, and you meet new people with different tastes and backgrounds. I think it expands your mind and opens you to the infinite amount of possibilities in the world of design and creativity, which is really cool.
Your new partnership with Chivas Regal sees a new whisky blend handcrafted by you and the team. What makes your collaboration unique compared to other blends?
This world of whisky is quite new for me but, again, I was really curious to explore. From the very first day I arrived in Scotland, I immediately went to the Chivas distillery to learn more about the process behind whisky making. I was mind-blown by the amount of passion I felt from the makers. I spent two to three days there with some of my friends and it was an eye-opening experience.
I think what was really interesting is that I was starting from a blank slate. Like I said, whisky was something new for me. So when I arrived in Scotland, I didn’t have a wealth of experience. But the cool thing about entering with a completely open mind was that the possibilities were endless. I wasn’t aware of the unwritten rules of the whisky world, so I asked Sandy [Hyslop] a lot of questions and I challenged by trying to do something new that really represented me. Number 16 has been a very important number to me since I was a kid. I wanted to do something around that, and that was when I realised a 16-year-old whisky had never been done before. So that was really the starting point. There was a lot of back-and-forth between Sandy and I in order to get the end product to be something I really liked and represented me.
Have you always been a longtime purveyor of whisky? What flavour profiles do you like, and what led you to delve into whisky-making with Chivas Regal?
The world of whisky has been a new world that I have discovered recently, but one that I’ve been mind-blown by the amount of passion and the amount of attention to detail there is in the final product. The particular whisky we’ve chosen is a Longmorn Malt matured in a cherry cask. It’s a very rich flavour.
I think the values both the brand and I share is what made the partnership feel very natural. It’s always been one of my rules to never forget where I come from. Chivas does exactly the same by staying true to its roots while also trying to push the boundaries and getting better each day in the process. It’s very inspiring to me and that’s something I try to do at my scale, in racing and as a person.
You launched your own label CL16 late last year. What has it been like having creative control over your own brand, and what can fans expect next from CL16?
It’s a project that is very important to me. I’ve always wanted to have my own fashion brand. CL16 is a mix of lifestyle and merchandise for the fans that support me but imbued with my own vision. The merchandise we see around F1 is typically centred around the cars and racing, and I wanted to give it more of a lifestyle look. Being part of the creative process, speaking with different people and having the most talented people around to make sure my vision is well executed has been a super interesting process. I’m really proud of the result. What can we expect next? More drops that really represent me, this time of my career, and places that I love around the world. There’s always a meaningful story behind every drop.
The number 16 appears throughout your career—CL16 and your Chivas collaboration, amongst others. What personal significance does it hold for you?
I’m born on the 16th of October, so that’s probably the first date I’ve had to remember since I was a little kid. For that reason, it’s a number that I’ve used in many different scenarios. I’ve built so many experiences and memories with it—from my childhood to my F1 racing number and even now, with Chivas. It’s a very special number for me, so when we first started speaking about creating my own whisky, 16 was the first number that came to mind. To do something around that is really cool, especially because it’s the first time that Chivas has done a 16-year-old whisky.
