Coachbuilt Whisky is the premium blended whisky brand created by British Formula 1 hero Jenson Button and entrepreneur George Koutsakis. The brand new Coachbuilt 18 Year Old Williams Racing Edition, paying tribute to the FW18 – Williams’ most successful F1 car from the 1996 season – is the first stage in a long-term partnership with Williams Racing. For newcomers to F1, it may seem like an unusual pairing, but for seasoned fans, the partnership is the perfect blend of history and promise for the future.
This week I was lucky enough to sit down with Jenson Button himself. We discussed all things Coachbuilt and how, 24 years after Button entered Formula 1 as a Williams driver, they are honoring the legacy of this motorsport institution and bringing both Formula 1 and blended scotch to a new generation.
The Birth of Coachbuilt 18 Year Old Williams Racing Edition
The announcement of a long-term partnership between Coachbuilt Whisky and Williams Racing came in April 2024. At the time they promised “liquids to honour some of the most special moments in Williams Racing’s history.” The Coachbuilt 18 Year Old Williams Racing Edition is the result.
Perhaps surprisingly, they opted for a blended whisky in an industry where single malt is usually preferred for premium products. I asked Jenson what prompted him and George to launch Coachbuilt, and what he thinks makes his blend stand out.
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“George wanted to produce a very good blended scotch whisky. He recognized that many people want to go down the single malt route, and so a blend seemed like a good opportunity to create something unique,” explained Button in a Zoom interview.
“[George] knew my background of racing in F1 and working with Johnnie Walker over the years, so, he asked me: Would you be interested?” Coachbuilt released its first blend, Coachbuilt Whisky Build No.001, in 2022.
As for what Coachbuilt does differently? According to Jenson, it’s down to the combination of Jenson’s passion for Coachbuilding and George’s passion for blending whisky.
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“Coachbuilding is about bringing lots of different parts together to build something very unique [a custom-made body to fit a particular chassis]. And that is what I feel we are doing with Coachbuilt.”
It was clear when I spoke to him that being involved in every step of the two-year process to create the blend was important to Jenson. The 2009 Formula 1 World Champion found himself doing virtual tastings from his home in California at six o’clock in the morning to finalize the blend for the 18 Year Old. “[Blending] is an art. It has been hard, but enjoyable, and I think we have made something very special,” says Jenson.
The Coachbuilt 18 Year Old has been matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks and is a blend of spirits primarily from the Lowlands, Speyside, and Islay. The result is a fruit-forward whisky with a hint of peat smoke and a touch of honey. The limited-edition whisky (only 3,000 will be available) is presented in packaging that honors one of the most successful Formula 1 cars of all time: the FW18.
The FW18, & Damon Hill
In the world of spirits, a fantastic product is not always enough. Just like an F1 car needs a driver, a brilliant whisky needs its packaging. As an F1 fan, I immediately recognized the naming reference. Introduced in the 1996 season, the FW18 carried British driver Damon Hill to victory in the world championship. It’s a strong choice and a personal tribute for Jenson, who made his F1 debut with Williams in 2000.
“There are many reasons why I love working with Williams,” began Jenson when I asked what it means to him to be in partnership with them today, both as William’s Senior Ambassador and with Coachbuilt Whisky.
“They gave me my opportunity in F1. You know, they took me from being a racing driver to being an F1 driver. It completely changed my world, and that was back when I was 19. And that’s what they did with a lot of young drivers: they gave them the opportunity to shine.”
Bringing Scotch & Formula 1 To A New Generation
In the initial press release announcing Coachbuilt’s partnership with Williams Racing, the team expressed their hope that Coachbuilt’s limited edition whiskies would “pay homage to Williams Racing’s rich heritage and reflect the team’s current journey to return to the front of the grid.”
Returning to the front may seem ambitious on today’s grid, but let’s not forget that the Williams Racing team has won seven World Drivers Championships (WDCs) and nine Constructors Championships to date. Then, three days after my chat with Jenson came the announcement that Carlos Sainz, who currently drives for Ferrari, will be moving to Williams for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Could it be that Williams has something up their sleeve for the upcoming seasons?
Sainz’s signing, and the upcoming regulation changes in 2026, constitute a pivotal point in the history of Formula 1. And Maybe Williams too. Arguably, the sport has never been more popular; Netflix’s ‘Drive To Survive’ has opened the door to a whole host of newer and younger fans. For Jenson, the introduction of Formula One and whisky to a new generation is a positive, and he hopes that Coachbuilt’s partnership with the team will serve to educate a younger generation (mostly Gen Z) about Williams’ past successes.
“I think whatever we can do to let people know the history of this sport, and also how powerful and strong this team was in the 1990s, is a positive thing both for Coachbuilt and Formula 1.”
Being in the whisky industry as a young woman, I notice parallels between the desire to bring Formula 1 to a new generation, and the desire to introduce younger people to scotch whisky. In a time when young people are drinking less (and often reaching for lighter spirits when they do), using Formula 1‘s platform to both educate the new generation about the sport and the whisky seems like the perfect ‘two birds, one stone’ scenario.
Jenson also promises Coachbuilt Whisky is great in a cocktail, which opens up many doors to those who prefer not to drink their whisky neat. “I have a lot of fun making Coachbuilt cocktails for my friends and hearing them say ‘Oh! This does work!’”, he laughs.
Buy The Coachbuilt 18 Year Old
“I am really excited to see what people think of the 18 Year Old,” Jenson said when I asked how he was feeling about the public release. “It is a very impressive liquid. I’ve tasted a lot of great whiskies. I’ve also tasted a lot of whiskies that aren’t very good, so I’ve tasted a bit of everything. Personally, I think the Coachbuilt 18 Year Old is an exceptional whisky.”
Coachbuilt 18 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky is available for pre-order now at Master of Malt for £230.
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