THE JOURNAL
Earlier this year, MR PORTER decided to do something completely different: we decided to collaborate with Glenfiddich, the world’s most awarded single malt Scotch, and create a whisky. Now, you might wonder why on earth we’d do that. We’re the men’s style destination, after all, not the men’s whisky destination. But style, if you ask us, isn’t just about the clothes we wear. It’s a quality that comes through in everything we do – and a handsomely stocked bar, like a smartly appointed wardrobe, deserves a spot in any man’s home.
So just as we have expanded over the years from menswear into fragrances, artworks, jewellery and luxury watches, we allowed our roving curatorial eye to guide us into the world of fine spirits. This isn’t a journey we undertook alone. Crafting single malt Scotch whisky is not some pastime or hobby for arrivistes; it takes time, investment and a great deal of expertise. For that, we headed to Scotland’s Speyside region and the small hamlet of Dufftown, home to world-famous Glenfiddich.
Glenfiddich presented by MR PORTER will be available in a limited run of just 1,500 bottles. To register your interest, sign up for the ballot below. Availability is limited to the US, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia.
Mr Ben Palmer and Mr Struan Grant Ralph
Look a little closer and you’ll find that there’s more in common between Glenfiddich and MR PORTER than you might think. Things like a shared willingness to challenge convention. At Glenfiddich, this is expressed through a maverick spirit that has seen it achieve a number of firsts since 1887. Such as in 1963, when it became the first single malt Scotch whisky brand to be actively marketed beyond Scotland, effectively establishing the single malt category as we know it today – a pioneering move that put the spirit on the world stage. Meanwhile, at MR PORTER, we like to think that we’ve adopted a similarly innovative approach to men’s style, taking the boutique model of high-end men’s fashion and making it accessible to everyone.
Mr Struan Grant Ralph
Both whisky-making and style are a kind curation, too. Whether you’re assembling an outfit or creating a fine spirit, it’s ultimately about what you choose to put in – and what you choose to leave out. “Making whisky at its heart is a curatorial process,” explains Mr Struan Grant Ralph, global brand ambassador for Glenfiddich. “It’s about bringing together different elements to create something that’s more than the sum of its parts.”
But fruitful collaborations aren’t only about what you have in common. They’re just as often about what you can learn from one another, too. It’s in that spirit that we are proud to announce the result of our partnership, Glenfiddich presented by MR PORTER. A 20-year-old spirit with layers of fudge, ginger, spiced oak and caramelised Demerara sugar, it’s a unique expression of single malt Scotch whisky that distils the best of both brands into one, perfectly balanced liquid.
The process of creating Glenfiddich presented by MR PORTER was a slow and careful one carried out by Glenfiddich’s malt master Mr Brian Kinsman and MR PORTER’s Creative Director Mr Ben Palmer. Many casks were sampled, and many discussions were had – not just about the whisky, but what it was hoped it would represent. “We didn’t want to create an overexuberant drink,” says Palmer. “In bringing MR PORTER’s perspective on style to the world of fine whisky, we were aiming for something with a quiet confidence.”
Did we achieve it? To watch Ben Palmer and Struan Grant Ralph taste the finished whisky for the very first time, check out our exclusive film above.