Page 108 - The Book For Men Spring/Summer 2024

One for the Road
The second collaboration between
The Glenturret and Jaguar celebrates the carmaker’s Le Mans–winning C-type By Jonathan Wells
IT’S A THING OF BEAUTY, ISN’T IT? TRIM YET PURPOSEFUL LINES, strong shoulders, and thin-cut louvres down its broad sides. The glass is flawless, gleaming. There’s lush leather to be discovered, and high-shine chrome hardware to be admired. It’s got exquisitely detailed enamel badging, and a data plate delicately etched with both its production number and the signature of the craftsman who brought it to life.
We’re talking, of course, about the whisky. But you’d be forgiven for think- ing otherwise, as the spirit and the sportster do share a startling number of features — down to their slightly flared, protrusive caps. There’s a reason for that, however, as this latest limited-edition whisky from The Glenturret has been created in celebration of perhaps Jaguar’s most significant achievement in the world of motorsport: its 1953 domination of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The British carmaker finished in 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 9th at that year’s running of the French endurance race thanks to its unassailable C-type (the “C” stands for “competition”), which also set a new race average speed record of 105.84 mph, the first time a manufacturer had cracked the 100 mph average. The model introduced disc brakes to the world, had a brilliantly aerodynamic — and utterly beautiful — lightweight body, and was fitted with a 220 horsepower engine with triple Weber carburetors. Every bell and whistle accounted for, it has, quite rightly, gone down in the motor-racing record books.
So much so, in fact, that when the British carmaker announced its fourth “Continuation” model — following successful resurrections of the E-type, the XKSS, and the D-type — it was revealed to be a replica of the Le Mans–winning C-type model. This announcement was made in 2021, a year that also saw Jaguar partner with The Glenturret for the first time, on a whisky that celebrated the 60th anniversary of the E-type. Now, the distillery has unveiled another bottling with Jaguar (the second in a planned series of three whiskies), which commemorates the 70-year milestone reached by that hallowed, record-smashing ’53 C-type.
“The Glenturret x Jaguar C-type is a natural partnership,” director of JLR Classic, Paul Barritt, tells The Book For Men. “Both brands have a shared passion for hand-crafting collectibles which are designed to be enjoyed. We hope that those lucky enough to purchase the accompanying whisky will take the time to fully appreciate their collection too.”
And it’s a whisky befitting of even the most exclusive collections. Blended by The Glenturret’s seasoned whisky maker, Bob Dalgarno, the limited-edition liquid
was drawn carefully from a selection of five casks — the youngest of which had been aging for 32 years. Non-chill filtered and naturally coloured, the 42.3 per cent ABV scotch lay in two types of cask: oloroso sherry–seasoned hogsheads, and Pedro Ximénez sherry–seasoned American oak barrels.
These casks gave the whisky its depth. On the nose, you should recognize a twist of sweet ginger and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Upon first sip, flavours from treacle and rich sultanas to ripe apples will begin rolling across your palate, before a sharp, handbrake turn of licorice screeches an unexpected sharpness into the motor-inspired mix. Once that subsides, warm swells of sticky ginger cake, dates, and raisins carry you through to a heavy, aromatic finish.
And, faintly burbling through it all are the gently spiced, barrel-aged notes of mature, vanilla-infused oak. The Glenturret has also tapped into its woody side for the limited edition’s packaging. The presentation box, crafted from premium ash, is treated with a light oak stain. Open it up, and you’ll discover a fine leather lining, the colour of which was matched to an upholstery swatch provided by Jaguar. And there’s a booklet, too, detailing the partnership and relationship between the distillery and the carmaker. Even the silver enamelled badge on the front of the presentation box is authentically Jaguar — sourced as it is from the brand’s jewellery partner, Deakin & Francis.
The bottle itself — as sturdy and shapely as the Continuation C-type’s Brooklands racing aeroscreen — is topped with a Portuguese cork stopper, and was designed by Marc Larminaux, the artistic and creative director of Lalique (the group that acquired the distillery in 2019).
All in all, it’s a product of collaboration — between both the whisky maker and the car manufacturer, but also third-party suppliers, jewellers, and glassworkers from around the globe. And this makes the spirit a perfect companion piece to the C-type, which was itself originally built by a dream team of Jaguar’s own designers, British aircraft engineers, and automotive aerodynamicists.
The collaborative spirit of Jaguar endures, and has seen the carmaker’s Classic department roll out another 16 C-types in recent years. Thankfully, there’ll be a few more bottles of the whisky up for grabs — with a run of 220 bottles nodding to the horsepower specs of the original car. The spirit’s price also references the horsepower, running at £2,200 (or $3,760). It’s costly, without a doubt. But, if you’ve already got a C-type Continuation tucked away in your garage, it’s only right to park up its partner whisky in your drinks cabinet.
108 BFM / SS24 FEATURE / ONE FOR THE ROAD