The world’s most awarded single malt Scotch whisky has collaborated with artists from around the world to celebrate the launch of Grande Couronne.
Glenfiddich, the world’s most awarded single malt whisky, recently announced the Grande Composition – a series of artistic collaborations, which see a cross-cultural reimagination of the brand’s Grande Couronne bottle design.
Sitting within Glenfiddich’s revolutionary Grand Series, Grande Couronne is a 26-year old, premium whisky which has been finished in a French cognac cask, a nod to Glenfiddich’s omnipresent maverick spirit, consistently pushing the boundaries of whisky innovation. Inspired by Grande Couronne’s unique cognac finish, French artist Jean-Charles Deserve partnered with Glenfiddich to create the original bottle design – an opulent, gold filigree pattern displaying the two luxury worlds of the Scottish whisky and the French Cognac cask, intertwining, to produce one layered and culturally-rich fine whisky.
For 2021, Glenfiddich will discover some of the world’s most exciting artists from 19 countries across the globe, including Nigeria, South Africa, Poland, UK, Germany, Spain, Israel and UAE. Challenging them to take inspiration from the original design and put their own maverick eye to it, turning it into something new, celebratory, fresh and unexpected. Thus, creating a global collection of objets d’art that marry the rich history of Glenfiddich and local cultures, brought to life through each individual artists’ style.
Bringing the Grande Composition to life in Nigeria is Gbolahan Ayoola who is best known for merging figuration, abstraction, and traditional motifs in his work using earth, gold leaf, acrylic, charcoal, and other malleable materials on his canvas or paper surfaces. Archaeology and Anthropology inspire him, seeking the past and the lost to guide current action, projected through the inspiration of ancient symbols and the weight of his biological roots in divine genealogy, values resonating through evocative forms and color. One of his important works is the visualization of the last moments of the great Greek philosopher Socrates, bringing alive this scene with touching force. “I will continue to question cultural identity and placement. My ability to visually express culture through my social art must speak extensively to my ancestry”, Ayoola declares.
In September 2021 in honour of The Grande Composition bringing together a plethora of artists and cultures from across the world, Glenfiddich will launch The Grande Composition digital hub, allowing visitors from all over to connect with each artist and their designs, behind the scenes content and the entire Glenfiddich Grand Series. More information on what this will look like in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.
Glenfiddich Global Brand Director, Claudia Falcone commented: “The Grand Composition collection demonstrates how Glenfiddich’s maverick spirit is ingrained in all aspects of the brand. While we explore our own maverick spirit in whisky innovation by using French Cognac casks to create Grande Couronne, The Grande Composition allows us to go further and tap into a global network of artistic mavericks, whose creative authority and finesse will produce beautiful interpretations of the Grande Couronne bottle design through many creative forms.”
Glenfiddich’s affinity with art and design can be traced back to the 1960s, after commissioning pioneering Modernist artist Hans Schleger to craft a defining new bottle shape for the brand. Representing the three pillars of whisky production – water, air and malt barley, Schleger’s ground-breaking, triangular bottle shape for Glenfiddich was the first of its kind across the spirits industry and is a distinctive design feature still in place at Glenfiddich to this day.
2021 also marks the 20th Anniversary of the brand’s Artist in Residence programme. An initiative that champions collaborations with breakthrough artists through a residency at the Glenfiddich distillery, an idyllic highlands backdrop to inspire creativity and new works of art before being showcased at the onsite gallery.
