British Airways has partnered with Lowland distillery InchDairnie to create a limited edition whisky to celebrate the airline’s centenary.
After the whisky has aged for 12 years, it will be decanted into 300 limited edition bottles and served exclusively on British Airways flights in 2031.
The whisky is said to have been created to draw out ‘vanilla and coconut flavours’ and ‘to work perfectly at altitude’.
InchDairnie managing director Ian Palmer said: ‘Although we are a new distillery who have a much younger heritage than British Airways, through the use of industry-leading technology we are bringing together decades of industry experience and knowledge, enabling us to fine-tune one of the most meticulously designed distillation processes in the world.’
Ex-Bourbon barrels from the US were chosen to mature the whisky, to represent the 30 flights British Airways makes across the Atlantic every day.
The barrels have been fitted with heads made from ex-red wine French oak casks, as a nod to the first flight operated by AT&T, the forerunner company to British Airways, which flew to Paris in 1919.
InchDairnie also teamed up with British Airways this year to create the Centenary Cask programme.
The collaboration, scheduled to be unveiled at British Airways’ new First bar at New York’s JFL airport in June 2019, will offer 12 casks to sell exclusively to British Airways customers.
Each cask will have its own ‘unique’ taste profile, and will be available between May and the end of September 2019.
Kelly Stevenson, wine and beverage manager for British Airways, said: ‘Celebrating our centenary is all about honouring our airline’s history, as well as looking to the future.
‘InchDairnie has a modern and innovative approach to whisky distilling and we’ve incorporated touches with a nod to our history.
‘In years to come our customers will be able to enjoy it from the comfort of their seat – we know it will be worth the wait.’
InchDairnie is one of the newer distilleries in Scotland, having started production in Fife in 2016.
