Limited Edition Whisky to Celebrate British Airways’ Centenary

To celebrate its centenary, British Airways has teamed up with Fife-based (Scotland) distillery named Inch Dairnie to come up with a limited edition whisky, which will be served up in 2031.

To mark World Whisky Day on May 18, the two British brands did come together to start the 12-year process of creating a limited-edition pour for the airline’s centenary.

British Airways has joined the expert distillers at the Fife-based distillery to mix malted barley, water and yeast before distilling and pouring it into a bespoke American oak cask once used to mature bourbon.

The cask heads are from a red wine cask, made from French oak; in a tribute to the first flight operated by AT&T, the forerunner company of today’s British Airways, which flew to Paris in 1919. The American oak is a nod to British Airways, as the airline now makes up to 30 journeys across the Atlantic every day.

For over the next 12 years the spirit will mature, drawing out vanilla and coconut flavours and a dark colour from the cask, before ageing to create a malty, fruity, Scotch whisky designed to work perfectly at altitude. The cask-aged spirit will then be decanted into 300 limited-edition bottles, which will be served exclusively on British Airways flights in 2031.

Flyers can also have their own bit of history as Inch Dairnie have created the ultra-exclusive Centenary Cask programme which will be showcased at the airline’s brand new First bar in New York from June. Just 12 casks are being offered exclusively to British Airways customers between now and the end of September, and each cask will have its own unique taste profile.