Chivas Regal 16 is the brand’s first-ever 16-year-old whisky and Charles Leclerc’s debut signature blend, named after the number he was born on and races with. Co-created with then-master blender Sandy Hyslop, it brings together 16 whiskies each aged at least 16 years, with sherry-matured Longmorn single malt at its heart. Bottled at 40% ABV, it’s rich, sherry-led and spiced. Suggested retail is around $69.99 (£64), launching in Global Travel Retail across 40+ markets from May 2026, with the world premiere at Miami International Airport ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.
There’s a number that has defined Charles Leclerc’s entire life. He was born on the 16th of October. He wears the number 16 on his Ferrari. And now, that same number sits on the label of Chivas Regal’s most ambitious release in years a whisky that didn’t exist until Leclerc asked for it.
Who Is Charles Leclerc?
If you’ve somehow avoided Formula 1 for the past seven years, here’s the short version. Charles Leclerc is a Monégasque driver born and raised in Monte Carlo a city that breathes motorsport who began karting at the age of seven and never really stopped accelerating. He swept through the junior ranks, winning the GP3 Series in 2016 and the Formula 2 Championship in 2017 before landing a Ferrari seat at just 21, becoming the second-youngest driver in the team’s history.
Since then he’s racked up eight Grand Prix victories, 27 pole positions, and a vice-championship in 2022 results that make him one of the most statistically dominant qualifiers in the sport’s modern era. In 2024 he finally won the race he’d spent his entire career chasing: the Monaco Grand Prix, becoming the first Monégasque driver to win his home race in 93 years.
He’s not just quick. He’s emotionally invested in everything he does, whether it’s racing for Ferrari, collaborating with a classical pianist on an EP, or apparently learning to blend Scotch whisky.
Sixteen whiskies, sixteen years
Chivas Regal and Leclerc announced a brand ambassador partnership a while back, but this is the tangible result: the Chivas Regal 16 Charles Leclerc Limited Edition, the first 16-year-old expression in the brand’s history.
That’s not a marketing footnote Chivas has never made a 16-year-old before. The expression exists specifically because Leclerc pushed for it.
Working alongside Chivas Master Blender Sandy Hyslop, Leclerc went through the whole process: distillation, maturation, the art of blending. He gravitated toward the richness of sherry cask-matured Longmorn single malt, and the final blend brings together 16 exceptional whiskies, each aged a minimum of 16 years. The number is everywhere, and it earns its place.
What does Chivas Regal 16 Charles Leclerc taste like?
Chivas Regal 16 Charles Leclerc tasting notes
Nose: Sweet mandarin, raisins, manuka honey, warm cinnamon, sticky toffee
Palate: Orange marmalade, apple cake, toasted oak, ginger spice
Finish: Long, rich and velvety, with the sherry carrying through
ABV: 40% | Style: Blended Scotch, sherry-led Size: 700ml | Price: approx. $69.99 / £64
The profile reads like a classic Speyside-influenced blend with sherry cask maturation at its heart approachable but with genuine depth. The Longmorn character is there if you know what to look for: that distinctive richness and weight that comes from some of the oldest stills in the region.
Where to find it and how to experience it
The Chivas Regal 16 is launching in Global Travel Retail across 40+ markets, with the world premiere happening at Miami International Airport in all Duty Free Americas stores throughout May 2026 timed, deliberately, to the Miami Grand Prix.
If you’re passing through Checkpoint D Concourse in the North Terminal, there’s more than just a bottle on offer. Chivas has installed a racing simulator where travellers can try a lap, alongside a reflex and reaction time game. After that, there’s a cocktail bar serving motorsport-inspired drinks built around either the new 16-year-old or the Chivas Regal 18.
It’s a proper activation, not just a shelf placement. The F1 audience Chivas is targeting frequent, affluent travellers with a clear appetite for premium spirits is exactly the crowd moving through international airports during Grand Prix weekends. The timing is sharp.
The House Behind the Bottle
To understand why this release matters, it helps to know a bit about where Chivas Regal comes from and what it stands for.
The brand’s spiritual home is Strathisla distillery in Keith, Speyside the oldest continuously operating distillery in the Scottish Highlands, and the heart of every Chivas blend. But Chivas Regal itself isn’t just a distillery story. It’s a blending story.
It was founded in 1909 as the original luxury blended Scotch whisky, built on the work of brothers James and John Chivas, who pioneered the art of blending in 19th century Scotland. Their philosophy was simple but demanding: tireless craft, bold entrepreneurism, and a commitment to the community around them. Those values didn’t disappear when the brothers did. They became the foundation of the brand’s ethos I Rise, We Rise a rallying call that sits at the heart of how Chivas positions itself today.
That ethos is why the partnership with Leclerc makes sense beyond the obvious F1 glamour. He embodies exactly what the brand claims to stand for: mastering your craft, challenging yourself constantly, and bringing others up with you. He’s also already partnered with Scuderia Ferrari HP the very team that Chivas Regal sponsors as an official Team Partner. The alignment runs deep.
Today Chivas sells over 4.5 million nine-litre cases annually across more than 100 countries, with a retail value north of €2 billion. It sits within the Chivas Brothers portfolio the Scotch arm of Pernod Ricard, and the world’s second-largest Scotch whisky producer alongside Ballantine’s, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet. Chivas Brothers has been named Scotch Whisky Producer of the Year at the International Spirits Challenge five consecutive years running, from 2020 to 2024.
This isn’t a brand chasing relevance. It’s a brand with over 115 years of blending history that has decided, for the first time ever, to make a 16-year-old because the right person came along and asked for one.
A Blend That Makes Sense
Leclerc’s involvement isn’t purely cosmetic. He spent genuine time learning the craft, made real choices during the blending process, and pushed the brand into territory it had never explored. The result is a whisky built around a number that means something — not just for the marketing materials, but for the man whose name is on the bottle.
Whether you’re an F1 fan or simply a whisky drinker who appreciates a well-constructed sherry-led blend with serious age behind it, the Chivas Regal 16 Charles Leclerc Limited Edition is worth keeping an eye out for.
Available in Global Travel Retail from May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Chivas Regal 16 Charles Leclerc Limited Edition?
It’s Chivas Regal’s first-ever 16-year-old whisky, co-created with Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc as his debut signature blend. The 16-year age statement nods to his racing number and birthdate. It blends 16 whiskies, each aged at least 16 years, with sherry-matured Longmorn malt at its core.
What does Chivas Regal 16 taste like?
It’s a sherry-led, Speyside-style blend. The nose offers sweet mandarin, raisins, manuka honey, cinnamon and sticky toffee. The palate moves through orange marmalade and apple cake into toasted oak and ginger spice. The finish is long, rich and velvety, with the sherry influence carrying through to the end.
How much does Chivas Regal 16 Charles Leclerc cost?
Suggested retail is around $69.99 in the US (roughly £64 in the UK) for a 700ml bottle at 40% ABV. As a limited edition, prices vary by market and retailer, with some stockists listing it higher, so check Global Travel Retail and your local importer.
Where can I buy Chivas Regal 16 Charles Leclerc?
It launched in Global Travel Retail across 40+ markets from May 2026, with the world premiere at Miami International Airport in Duty Free Americas stores. It’s also sold online via Chivas.com and ReserveBar in the US, with select retailers shipping internationally.
What makes Chivas Regal 16 different from Chivas Regal 18?
The 16 is a one-off limited edition built to Leclerc’s taste, with a brighter, more honeyed sherry character and Longmorn malt at its heart. The 18 is a permanent, slightly older release with deeper dried-fruit and chocolate notes. The 16 is Chivas’s first whisky at this age statement.
Who created Chivas Regal 16?
Charles Leclerc co-created it with Chivas master blender Sandy Hyslop, who retired at the end of 2025 after 40 years. Leclerc visited the distilleries, learned the blending process and pushed Chivas to make a 16-year-old for the first time, gravitating toward its sherry-rich Longmorn single malt.
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