Chivas Regal Builds A Game Around Charles Leclerc to Rethink Sports Partnerships

Chivas Regal is moving beyond whiskey to build a gaming board.

The Scotch brand has teamed up with Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc and creative company Baby Teeth to introduce the "Chivas Regal 16," a limited-edition blend co-created with the Ferrari star.

But it's not your usual athlete endorsement; the campaign comes with an original board game called "SE!ZE."

In this effort, the brand operates on the belief that if fans are tired of passive sponsorships, you just have to give them something to do.

Which is why the brand chose to highlight Leclerc’s personal interests, particularly his love for strategic games.

For Chivas Regal, this was a new brand marketing strategy.

Instead of attaching its name to F1, the brand is trying to create a moment that sports fans can return to.

“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,” Baby Teeth said.

“Creating SE!ZE gave us the perfect opportunity to do all those things.”

This long-term thinking shows up in how the product itself was made.

The whisky is a blend of 16 different expressions, each aged at least 16 years, developed in collaboration between Leclerc and Master Blender Sandy Hyslop.

Notably, it's also the first 16-year-old expression in the brand’s history, tying the number even more tightly to the story.

Oyin Akiniyi, global brand director at Chivas Regal, said the goal was to move away from surface-level partnerships.

"We know that modern fans expect more from brands," Akiniyi explained. 

"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.”

Where the Game Comes Alive

SE!ZE was developed alongside British game designer James Wallis and is built around the number 16, a detail tied to both the whisky and Leclerc himself.

The game starts with 16 pieces and is designed to be easy to learn but difficult to master.

This then creates a repeatable ritual around the product.

Outside the tabletop, the campaign comes with a hero film shot in the hills above the French Riviera.

Directed by Tom Hardiman and produced by Somesuch, the spot brings together a cast of characters, including Leclerc, all competing in the game until a single winner emerges.

Visually, the film builds a world around the number 16 to push the concept across storytelling and design.

The hero spot is accompanied by behind-the-scenes content from Leclerc’s studio SideQuest to show the development and testing of the game itself.

SE!ZE fan activations are planned throughout 2026, some featuring Leclerc in person, to make the game a live experience.

The limited-edition Chivas Regal 16 is already available, with the wider campaign rolling out in phases across the year.

Chivas Regal’s Playable Whisky Launch

Chivas Regal is teaching us all how partnerships can grow beyond advertisement and include limited product runs that exist outside of the brand's category:

• Building original IP around talent creates longer engagement cycles compared to one-off campaigns tied to product launches.
• Grounding campaigns in real personal interests makes collaborations feel more credible and easier for fans to buy into.
• Ideas extended into physical experiences, such as games or events, help brands stay relevant beyond digital impressions.

The real test will be in the months ahead.

Can SE!ZE gameplay hold up and evolve into a lasting ritual that keeps fans coming back?

Our Take: Can a Game Outlast a Campaign?

A board game isn’t flashy; it’s slow, social, and requires people to engage.

And if there's one thing about board game enthusiasts, it's their ability to be fully immersed in a game.

This is why "SE!ZE" gives the campaign legs.

Chivas Regal imagines fans spending hours and hours trying to master the game, creating tactics, all while enjoying the limited-edition whisky co-created with Leclerc.

And in a world where brands continue to chase clicks, Chivas continues to set the table for a more meaningful consumer connection. 

In other news, Coors Light recently turned a single stretched letter into a full campaign tied to soccer celebrations across multiple cities.

Looking to build campaigns that don’t rely on starting from scratch?

Explore these top brand strategy agencies in our directory to turn existing equity into something that still lands.