Jenson Button talks Williams, whisky and his all-time favourite Formula One liveries

British Formula One World Champion Jenson Button is bringing blended whisky back.

Not that it ever really went away per-se, more that he’s attempting to make it cool all over again – and who better to convince us than a world class, effortlessly suave racing driver.

Regularly seen hammering his car down Silverstone’s recently renamed Hamilton Straight at speeds in excess of 300kph, since his retirement from F1 in 2016, Jenson is more likely to be found flexing his punditry skills on television over the course of a grand prix weekend.

However, the 44-year-old’s latest foray into the wild world of whisky hasn't caught too many off guard - quite possibly because of how regularly celebrities put their names to generic bottles of the golden hued liquid in the hopes of creating an easy cash cow.

“I don't want to just put my name to something,” Jenson insists, chatting with us on the eve of the 2024 British Grand Prix where his whisky brand, Coachbuilt, is poised to unveil its new collaboration with Williams Racing.

“I want to be involved in the tasting and development of it,” he says, pointing to a bottle adorned with the F1 team’s iconic blue racing livery.

It's worth pointing out that this isn’t his first rodeo. Back in 2010 when he raced for McLaren, Jason created a whisky “through smell” at Johnny Walker’s store in Shanghai, a time when alcohol and tobacco brands were still heavyweight sponsors in motorsport.

"George doesn't like me mentioning that," he laughs, referencing his business partner George Koutsakis.

“I couldn't taste it because they were a sponsor and I was a racing driver, it just didn't work,” he continues. “That was my sort of foray into whiskey, but this is definitely better than what I did through scent.”

A sporting figure who’s come to exemplify homegrown racing talent – famously winning the 2009 World Championship in a Brawn, as well as driving for McLaren and Williams Racing – it’s his continued collaboration with the latter team that has produced his new F1 inspired release.

Blended by Coachbuilt Co-Founder George Koutsakis, the 18-year-old liquid is a nod to Williams’ iconic FW-18 car. Aged in a mix of ex-Sherry and ex-Bourbon casks, the whisky exudes hints of winter spice, vanilla and dark chocolate on the palate.

It pays homage to one of the most successful Formula One designs of all time, an impeccable feat of engineering led by “genius” aerodynamicist Adrian Newey.

His design ultimately led Damon Hill to claim the 1996 Drivers' Championship title, with Button admitting he will “definitely need to offer both a bottle” given the contribution the pair made to the team's success.

On the face of it, the glitz and glamour of motor racing marries perfectly with the prestigious world of whisky.

Refined, meticulously crafted and with each release vying to be crowned the best, in many ways, whisky and classic cars have far more in common than we give them credit for.

But is it time for a Scotch blend revival?

Created using a combination of single malts and grain whiskies from across the Scottish Isles, blended varieties of whisky account for nearly 9 out of every 10 bottles sold. And yet, in the eyes of many connoisseurs, collectors and experts, it’s still often looked down upon.

“People don't think of a blended whiskey when they think of an amazing whiskey,” concedes Jenson. “I think it's about trying to get people to realise that you can create a fantastic blended whiskey, it's all to do with the whiskies you blend.

“I think the Japanese have done it very well. But with Scotch, it's been a little bit more difficult,” he admits.

“When you taste Coachbuilt, it's stunning. But then when you taste the FW-18 bottle, you can really taste the age process; it's just awesome - and I think the livery on the bottle will bring back a lot of memories.”

Given the whisky’s Williams FW18 inspired appearance, we thought we’d cut to the good stuff and let Jenson reveal his favourite liveries spanning his career in F1.

Oh, and you can find out more and grab yourself a bottle of Coachbuilt's 18-year-old blend here.

JPS Lotus 97T

“It’s beautiful. JPS was obviously Lotus back in the day and Ayrton Senna in a JPS Lotus livery is as good as it gets. It’s complete perfection.

“For me, that livery is one of the best ever in the history of the sport. I mean, take one look at it. It doesn’t get better than that. “There were just so many cigarette brands…” he reflects awkwardly.

Williams FW14

“I think the Williams liveries from the 90s are up there, the liveries that spanned those classic years - from the FW14, which is Nigel Mansell's winning car, through to the FW18.

“Williams is such a lovely team. It's not family run now, but still, it has that family atmosphere, which I love. They're real fighters; they're a proper race team.

“I was lucky enough to drive the FW14 last year at Silverstone – the 14B. And then there’s Damon Hill and Jack Villeneuves cars – the FW18, that livery was stunningly strong.

Benetton Renault BT 01

“I guess back in the day, Benetton was also kind of cool as well,” says Jenson. “But in a different sort of way.

“That vivid blue – it definitely stood out. That was just a great era for racing.

Brawn BGP 001

“I have to say that Brawn would also be up there with the best, mainly because of its simplicity - it was the most simple livery you've ever seen on a racing car.

“It just worked,” he shrugs. “The white with the black and the fluorescent yellow. It’s just cool. How could that be anything but cool?”