FACT attended the Chivas Regal Crystalgold launch.
Dubai isn’t known for being “subtle,” and neither are global reveals, especially when Charles Leclerc is in the room. The launch of Chivas Regal Crystalgold felt less like a corporate event and more like a meeting between tradition, with the chess boards and grandmasters playing, and reinvention, through music, lighting and decor. You could feel it in the space even before you’ve found a drink from the specially crafted menu. As a guest correspondent, I had a front-row view of the beverage world colliding with motorsport cool, and somehow, it all made perfect sense.
Crystalgold is not what I expected, both in terms of taste and look, which is exactly the point. It has a fitting name as it is clear, bright and pure for something born from one of Scotland’s most established golden spirit houses. And yet, that was the point: a category-shaking product presented in our city, one of the most flamboyant on the planet. But the star of the night wasn’t the liquid; it was how naturally Charles connected with it.
Before the crowd questions kicked off, I watched him take a breath on stage, relaxed, smiling, grounded. The first thing he mentioned? “Excited.” Not surprising from the man who has spent a year quietly holding the secret of Crystalgold after tasting an early sample in Scotland long before production. But what he kept coming back to was passion, the kind he saw in the team who made it, and, as he told us, it is what he brings to everything from racing to composing music to building his new creative venture, SideQuest. “That passion was everywhere in the distillery,” he said, recalling the moment he was handed a crystal-clear liquid that looked nothing like traditional golden spirit. “The amount of hard work, the innovation… getting out of your comfort zone to create something new.” It’s easy to forget that behind the wheel of his Ferrari and in the post-race interviews, Leclerc is someone who values creativity as much as competition.
He talked about composing music, about that “creative bug” being a huge part of his life off-track, and how stepping into the campaign’s creative direction with Chivas felt like expanding another part of himself. And while the night was built around the glamour of craft, the crowd kept steering Charles toward the personal. Someone asked what leadership looks like when no one’s watching. “Staying true to my values,” he replied, almost instantly. “Respect is extremely important to me, whether it’s one-on-one or in the spotlight.” Another asked how he balances ambition with actually enjoying life. He laughed, because racing drivers aren’t exactly known for slow living, but answered honestly: “It’s important to live in the present. I’m lucky to do what I love. But in sport, and in business, you’re always looking ahead, trying to surprise the people you’re competing against.” It was the kind of open and honest response you don’t always get from other ‘formal’ press conferences.
Of course, no modern-day conversation with Charles happens without acknowledging his personal life. The room erupted when someone congratulated him on his engagement. He grinned, slightly embarrassed, and admitted his fiancée travels with him often. “The support she gives me is incredibly important. Being surrounded by the right people makes a difference.” But perhaps the most interesting moment came when someone asked whether the strategic chess-player side of him or the expressive musician side was the “real” Charles. His answer was simple: the creativity is who he is; the strategy is what the job requires.
By the time glasses were raised “slàinte mhath,” but said with the theatrical Scottish roar taught by Master Blender Sandy Hyslop, the room had shifted. This wasn’t just a product launch. It was a reminder that innovation isn’t limited to boardrooms or pit lanes. Sometimes it’s a clear spirit in a beautiful gold-lined bottle. Sometimes it’s a driver who thinks a few moves ahead but still leaves room for curiosity. And in Dubai, on a warm December night, the worlds of beverage and motorsport didn’t just overlap, they blended smoothly.
GO: Visit www.chivas.com for more information.