Chivas Regal and Charles Leclerc Serve Up a Whisky Board Game

Whisky brand Chivas Regal and creative company Baby Teeth, have partnered on an entertainment-first campaign to launch Chivas Regal 16, a limited-edition whisky that marks Charles Leclerc's debut as a co-creator of a signature blend.

The strategic approach for Chivas Regal was designed to move beyond the traditional model of sports sponsorship. Rather than a logo placement or just a celebrity-led launch moment, the ambition was to build something that was inherent to Charles' creative pursuits, and that both his fans, and whisky fans would actually seek out. Chivas Regal and Charles Leclerc have a shared mindset that is anchored in always pushing forward and mastering anything new to the highest level.

The campaign, in partnership with Somesuch, was built on the insight that modern fans are looking for brands to add to fan culture and bring something new to the table, not just act as ‘sponsors’. Entertainment is how brands earn that place: creating rituals and community.

At the centre of the campaign is SE!ZE - an original board game created in collaboration with eminent British board game designer James Wallis, and Leclerc himself, built around his signature number 16 and designed to be played while drinking Chivas Regal 16 limited edition. The game begins with 16 pieces and is designed to be easy to pick up but difficult to master, creating a natural occasion for fans to try the new blend and a new way for fans to engage with both Leclerc and the brand across the year.

The integrated campaign builds out the world of '16' with a hero film that features a cast of characters - including Charles himself. They gather in the hills above the French Riviera (where else) to play, and ultimately there can be only one master... We partnered with director Tom Hardiman (A24’s Medusa Deluxe) and production company Somesuch on the film, alongside Charles' studio SideQuest, who shot all the behind the scenes content both on set and during the development and testing of the game.

The product - Chivas Regal 16 - is itself a co-creation. Developed in a genuine collaboration between Leclerc and Chivas Regal Master Blender Sandy Hyslop, the blend brings together 16 exceptional whiskies, each aged at least 16 years. It is the first 16-year-old expression in the brand's history and inseparable from Charles - the 16th is even his birthday.

The campaign approach was to look at entertainment through the lens of Leclerc's personal world, identifying his love of strategic board games as the foundation for something with genuine longevity: creating a drinking occasion, centred on a game built specifically with him in the same way he created the ‘16’ limited edition blend.

Chivas Regal 16 Limited-Edition is available now and social content, editorial and activations will roll out across the year. SE!ZE fan activations, some with the man himself, will take place later in 2026 and beyond.

Baby Teeth said of the campaign, "To launch Chivas Regal 16 we wanted to create something that was additive for fans, that was true to both the brand and Charles and something that could endure far beyond a launch moment. Creating SE!ZE gave us the perfect opportunity to do all those things. A piece of new IP, co-created with talent. Something that we could build a world around in film and across other assets, but also something that actually exists in the real world. It’s all about moving past transactional relationships with talent and fans into creating something meaningful, enduring and new".

Oyin Akiniyi, global brand director, Chivas Regal said, "At Chivas Regal we are always pushing to disrupt the typical sports marketing playbook and this campaign is no exception. We know that modern fans expect more from brands. The product itself is an authentic collaboration with Charles. The campaign takes it a step further by leaning into Charles's passion for strategic games and creates a new ritual and world for us to engage fans with throughout the year. The whole campaign demonstrates a shared mindset between Charles and the brand. You can't beat that authenticity and we hope fans will see and respond to that".