A Weekend at the Canadian Grand Prix with Aston Martin and Glenfiddich

If you don’t know us yet, here’s what we do: at Gentologie, we love talking about cars, style, and whisky. Now imagine getting invited to a weekend that brings two of those together — that’s pure paradise. I’ll tell you more in the next few lines about this experience with Glenfiddich and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team during the Canadian Grand Prix, held May 21 to 24. But first things first: if you drink, don’t drive. It’s one of the founding principles of a gentleman.

A long-standing partnership

You may already know, as we mentioned in this article: since 2025, Glenfiddich has been the official partner of Aston Martin (Aston Martin Lagonda, to use its full name) and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, taking over from Bowmore, which previously supplied whisky for the automaker’s events. Glenfiddich now holds that role across both Aston Martin entities.

The Canadian Grand Prix with Glenfiddich and Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team, in four parts.

It was a very busy weekend, I have to say, and I’ll admit I only found out about the biggest event at the very last minute. So let’s start the weekend with the exclusive Glenfiddich “Beyond the Track” evening.

The Glenfiddich Beyond the Track Evening: Discovering Glenfiddich

The Beyond the Track evening, an evolution of the partner events between Glenfiddich and Aston Martin F1 previously known as Club 1959 during the 2025 Formula 1 season, took place Thursday evening in a private room at Bar George in Le Mount Stephen Hotel. Hosted alongside the Canadian National Brand ambassador, Jamie Johnson, the evening was a discovery dinner featuring several exceptional Glenfiddich expressions.

Over a four-course dinner prepared by chef Kevin Ramasawmy and his team — including pastry chef Nicolas Parsy, winner of the 2025 Pastry Chef of the Year award from the Société des Chefs, Cuisiniers et Pâtissiers du Québec — we explored the whisky world of the Dufftown distillery, tucked away in Scotland’s Speyside region.

The Glenfiddich expressions tasted were the 14-year-old, the 15-year-old, the 18-year-old, and finally the 16-year-old — a limited edition created in collaboration with the Aston Martin team. This lineup marks a real step forward: this year, wine was set aside so cocktails and Glenfiddich whiskies could take centre stage, unlike last year.

A Glenfiddich cocktail welcome

We were welcomed with the brand’s signature cocktails for this Canadian Grand Prix weekend.

• Speyside Spritz (Glenfiddich 15-year-old, pear liqueur, soda, lime juice, simple syrup, and Angostura bitters. Garnish: lime wheel)
• Warehouse 8 Whisky Sour (Glenfiddich 15-year-old, simple syrup, egg white, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and Angostura bitters. Garnish: smoke)
• Glenfiddich Old Fashioned (Glenfiddich 14-year-old, demerara sugar syrup, peach bitters, and Angostura bitters. Garnish: spiralled orange peel)
• A Spritz Second (soda, apple juice, lime juice, mint. Garnish: mint sprig and lime wheel) — a very well-received non-alcoholic option

The Glenfiddich 14-year-old

With the hamachi crudo with coconut, marinated jalapeño, Lebanese cucumber, red onion, and mint oil, this dish called for a solid whisky, and that’s exactly what the 14-year-old delivers. Finished in bourbon casks, its slightly sweet, rich vanilla nose beautifully balanced the spicy crudo with its caramelized, orange-forward flavour, leading into a long, pleasant finish.

SAQ code: 14346117

The Glenfiddich 15-year-old

In its new packaging, now available at the SAQ (the liquid itself is unchanged), this is my favourite in the lineup, aside from the Grande Couronne. Paired with rigatoni — an unusual choice, but an excellent one — this dish combined burrata, a delicious roasted red pepper cream sauce, Parmigiano-Reggiano, creamy mascarpone, and basil. The 15-year-old seemed to find its perfect match, with layers of flavour including ginger and cinnamon that were both flavourful and lovely. The finish was just soft enough for a refined pairing.

SAQ code: 11027031

The Glenfiddich 18-year-old

For this exceptional whisky, the perfect pairing wasn’t the beef Wellington, one of the house specialties, but rather a superb 10 oz rib eye with vegetables. This called for a rich, solid, exceptional whisky, and that’s exactly what this one delivers — produced in small batches of no more than 150 casks. It’s rich, syrupy, smooth, mellow, and woody, with just enough candied fruit notes to pair beautifully with this indulgent cut of meat.

SAQ code: 15434830

The Glenfiddich & Aston Martin Formula One Team 16-year-old, Limited Edition

This one was served with a decadent dessert: the Choco Carat, a chocolate fondant with cocoa nib crunch, 64% chocolate mousse, smooth caramel, milk chocolate ganache, and a gold leaf topper. It called for a whisky able to stand up to that richness, and this expression, crafted from a blend of American oak casks, more than delivered. Unlike the 14-year-old, it’s richer and leans more toward dessert, with notes of cake and candy — truly an after-dinner whisky, equally enjoyable on its own or alongside a decadent dessert like this one.

SAQ code: 15537329

Pedro de la Rosa’s appearance

For the second year in a row, we had the pleasure of a visit from former Formula 1 driver Pedro de la Rosa, Aston Martin’s global brand ambassador, and a real fan of both Montréal and Glenfiddich. The conversation turned to an honest look at the 2026 season with a car that isn’t the most competitive on the grid. Aston Martin doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the ongoing challenges tied to its new engine supplier, Honda, having previously partnered with Mercedes-Benz.

If you’re wondering why Aston Martin doesn’t build its own engines for its Formula 1 cars, the answer is simple: the development cost would be too high given the small number of road cars the automaker sells. By comparison, its former engine supplier, Mercedes-Benz, powers its own team as well as McLaren, Alpine, and Williams.

Still, the team backed by Canadian Lawrence Stroll is looking ahead, hoping to reach the podium. They already picked up points at Monaco, the race following Montréal, thanks to Fernando Alonso’s 10th-place finish — which is still something to build on.

The BOSS x Aston Martin Montréal Soirée

As it does every year, the BOSS soirée was a hotly sought-after, invitation-only event, and this year was no exception. Since it overlapped with our dinner, I was only able to catch the tail end of it. This exclusive evening took place in the striking tower at the Grand Quay of the Port of Montréal, welcoming more than 400 guests for a night that set the tone for the Canadian Grand Prix weekend kickoff.

Guests were welcomed by a replica of the 2026 Aston Martin race car, making a striking first impression before the experience unfolded across a series of carefully designed spaces, each with its own distinct atmosphere.

On the 10th floor, Glenfiddich hosted an intimate experiential space where guests could explore a curated whisky selection, including Glenfiddich cocktails and tastings of the 15-year-old and the limited-edition Aston Martin 16-year-old, both mentioned above, paired with specially crafted canapés. Driver Lance Stroll also made an appearance, alongside a drone show.

As the evening went on, the atmosphere shifted into something more dynamic, with music, live performances, and a stunning view of the circuit from the top of the tower (I didn’t catch it that night, but I’ve been up there before), not to mention an incredible win for the Montréal Canadiens. Another central bar, showcasing Glenfiddich alongside Hendrick’s gin, Finlandia vodka, and Montecillo wines, anchored the 13th floor, creating a cohesive, festive, and refined welcome experience all evening long — one that could easily have gone on for a few more hours.

Aston Martin Formula One Team House at the Paddock Club

Just as I was settling in for a quiet weekend at home, I received a last-minute invitation from Glenfiddich to attend Sunday’s race as part of the ongoing Beyond event series. At the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, inside the Aston Martin Formula One team’s VIP suite, this experience gave VIP guests a unique opportunity to discover the partnership between Glenfiddich and the Aston Martin Formula One team during the Lenovo Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix.

Getting there

The day began with private transportation from the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth to the Casino de Montréal. This is honestly one of the parts I appreciate most: not having to deal with the crowds and long waits for transportation. I know that might sound a bit snobbish, but after last year’s experience taking the bus back, which was rough, with people pushing and shoving and poor signage, I can say this organized transportation from Glenfiddich was a huge plus.

The Aston Martin F1 House

As for the suite itself, I experienced this last year with MSC Cruises in the BWT Alpine suite. That said, the Aston Martin House was truly a step above, and much bigger. There was also an ELEMIS beauty experience, which included a massage and gift products, along with a miniature replica of Canadian driver Lance Stroll’s 2025 helmet.

Worth noting: Glenfiddich is the only whisky served in the Aston Martin suite, unlike several other suites that pour Formula 1’s official whisky, Glenmorangie.

Amid the buzz of Montréal’s biggest annual sporting event, I had the chance, alongside Justin Mastine-Frost, whom I’d met at the Genesis Scottish Open in Scotland, and Jamie Johnson, our host, to take in a privileged view overlooking the team’s pit stands.

The pit lane walk

While the 2026 season, at least as of this writing, hasn’t lived up to expectations, we got to see some of the work the team puts in during the pit lane walk. We snapped a photo in front of the Aston Martin car without realizing Fernando Alonso was inside it — a bit of a comedic highlight of the weekend.

Touring the Aston Martin F1 garage

A visit from Fernando Alonso

Later on, we also visited the Aston Martin Formula One garage. It’s always impressive to get this close to the cars (behind a barrier, without physical access to them) in the final minutes before a race. Of course, some data is confidential, and that varies by team, so I can’t show you everything — but the buzz and nerves before a race never change! Everything runs like clockwork, a real ballet! I hope you get to experience it at least once in your life!

Speaking of Fernando Alonso, he made an appearance in the Aston Martin House for a short pre-race interview. While this hasn’t been his dream season, he remained optimistic about the rest of the year and future improvements to the car.

The whole House discovers Glenfiddich

We also enjoyed a presentation and guided tasting of the ever-delicious Glenfiddich 18-year-old, led by Jamie Johnson, Glenfiddich Canadian National Brand Ambassador.

All the guests in the Aston Martin lounge, including Mr. Mastine-Frost and myself, enjoyed a luxurious welcome with cocktails specially crafted by Glenfiddich to mark the occasion, inspired by its landmark partnership with the Aston Martin Formula One team. The menu featured the cocktails mentioned earlier — the Speyside Spritz, the Warehouse 8 Whisky Sour, the Glenfiddich Old Fashioned (my favourite of the selection), and the A Spritz Second, a non-alcoholic option aimed at promoting responsible drinking. The Paddock Club buffet, ranging from steak to lobster and beyond, was the same across all the different suites. Everything was delicious, cooked to perfection, with helpful staff year after year. If there’s one thing I’d add, it would be nice in future years to see suggested pairings with the menus, which seem to stay the same every year.

Unfortunately, the race didn’t go the team’s way in front of its Montreal fans: Fernando Alonso was forced to retire after a technical issue, while Lance Stroll, who started from the pit lane, still managed a strong comeback to finish 15th, gaining seven positions. A tough day that reflected the challenges Pedro de la Rosa spoke about on Thursday, but the team keeps looking ahead.

Beyond the Track in downtown Montréal

To bring the Glenfiddich and Aston Martin Beyond the Track partnership experience to the general public during the Canadian Grand Prix, Glenfiddich teamed up with several of Montréal’s finest bars and restaurants to offer an exclusive Glenfiddich cocktail menu. From May 15 to 29, guests at Bar George, Vargas Steakhouse and Sushi, Sofitel, Cloakroom Bar, and Yama had the exclusive chance to enjoy the cocktails mentioned above: the Speyside Spritz, the Warehouse 8 Whisky Sour, the Glenfiddich Old Fashioned, and the non-alcoholic “A Spritz Second,” aimed at promoting responsible drinking — essential when driving is part of the plan.

Wrapping things up on a good note, courtesy of Glenfiddich

This partnership between Glenfiddich and Aston Martin captures exactly what makes weekends like this so memorable: speed, refinement, and hospitality thought through down to the smallest detail, from the whisky cask to the last cocktail served in the city. A weekend that brings together automotive passion and the art of living, in the spirit of the modern gentleman, and where, above all, if you drink, you don’t drive.

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