Welcome to Act Two of Macbeth, A Scotch Whisky Collection of 42 characters, with character notes by Dave Broom, whiskies by Elixir Distillers and illustrations by Sir Quentin Blake.
The Macbeth Collection contains six series, and will be released in five Acts.
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About the macbeth collection
Five REGAL MALTS
The Leads Series are five Regal Single Malts, each limited to 100 bottles worldwide.
The whisky cast as Lord Macduff, selected from Bunnahabhain, the most remote distillery on Islay - mirrors his grandeur and goodness as well as his isolation. "On occasion, a distillery can capture a particular time and place through the flavours of its spirit. Throughout the 60s and 70s Bunnahabhain stood separate from both the mainland and its Islay kin, creating flavours of orchard fruit and barley sugar; maritime but without the smoke. As with our character, any lightness has been weathered by experience in solitude, while the notes of baked apples, toffee and tarragon allow this malt to grow and become the true hero in our story." Oliver Chilton - Elixir Distillers
TWELVE NOBLE MALTS
The Thanes Series are 12 Noble Single Malts from the length and breadth of Scotland.
The second releases of the Thanes are Ross and Lennox, portrayed respectively by a powerful, fruit-driven Ben Nevis and a distillate led, bright Glentauchers.
Alongside them stands Young Siward, a young man on the cusp of battle. “While his father was a warrior, Young Siward was only just old enough to go to war, and so we needed a whisky with all the promise of a young man, full of potential. The typical heather smoke and honey of Highland Park is on show in this elegant whisky, but without the robust sherry notes so often associated with its age. Instead, honeysuckle and ginger spice suggest youth and promise.” Oliver Chilton - Elixir Distillers
Six Ghost Distilleries
The Ghosts Series is a set of six Single Malt or Single Grain whiskies from ghost distilleries.
Vanishingly rare, ghost whiskies are those from distilleries that have since disappeared. When casting the First Ghost to torment Macbeth, there was no doubt that a lost distillery would play the part. "The selection of grain whisky offers a delicacy that reinforces the ethereal qualities of these apparitions," head blender Oliver Chilton explains. "This is shown in the First Ghost to be revealed, Single Grain Scotch Whisky aged 31 years, distilled at Cambus Distillery."
FOUR SMOKY WHISKIES
The Witches Series is a set of four smoky Malts and Blends.
The weird sisters who prophesy Macbeth’s rise, and fall, called for devastating malts shrouded in mystery. "The speeches and potions of the witches, the most famous blenders, were almost written in language we would use for whisky already," explains Dave Broom.
Hailing from Islay’s south coast, the Second Witch is brimful with the medicinal quality this iconic malt is known for. Counter to the devastation wreaked by these characters in the play, it’s an surprisingly joyful whisky, revelling in the mischief.
FOUR ISLAND MALTS
The Murderers Series is a set of four Island Malts that, alongside the Witches, shall remain unnamed.
"Nobody really knows who the murderers are; they are hitmen, hired in from the outside. It made me think of all those island malts, brought in to give an underbelly of smoke to blended whiskies, without ever being identified." - Alexis Burgess.
Remote, wild and untamed defines The Murderers and an abundance of West coast smoke and sherry appears in a glass of the Second Murderer. This distillery on the Isle of Jura has been producing an austere, peated malt for some years. Dark and chiselled, there is a tannic quality in the background, seed cake and ginger spice create a dark undercurrent, and the peat smoke is linear and cutting.
TEN CHARACTERFUL WHISKIES
The Household Series are a set of ten characterful Scotch whiskies.
Act II sees the release of two more characterful whiskies in The Household Series: the Servant who announces news of the gathering army to Macbeth, and a Soldier advancing on Macbeth’s castle.
The Servant is drawn by Blake as a terror-stricken, torch-bearing messenger. The notion of service and duty led to the selection of Highland Clynelish, one of the most revered malts adored for its unique waxy character, yet so beloved by blenders that it is rarely seen centre stage as an independent bottling.
In search of a robust whisky for the Soldier, Ollie Chilton turned to Benrinnes Distillery on Speyside: "The spirit produced there, using traditional worm tub condensers, is sturdy and full. Maturing in refill sherry butts has accentuated the meaty, weighty character of the make and consequently the heft of this battle-hardened figure."
Livingstone
"I have worked in whisky, on the design side, for a long time. Over the years, I’ve grown increasingly fascinated and read extensively on the industry, absorbed by histories of distilleries and the people around them - stories of allegiances and collective endeavour, but also ruthless ambition and intense rivalries. I thought “this is just like Macbeth”.
And that was it. The whole structure appeared in that one moment; the most famous Scottish play full of fantastic characters from across Scotland, bright to dark, light to heavy, from every class and realm, at different ages, all waiting to be cast as Scotch whiskies. And the fixed number of characters meant the series would be finite – key to creating a meaningful collection."
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Alexis Livingstone Burgess is founder of Livingstone. Alexis also owns Burgess Studio, a design company working exclusively in Scotch. Macbeth is the first project by Livingstone.
"The idea of drawing the characters of Macbeth appealed to me immediately... I like whisky, and I’ve always thought of illustration as a kind of acting; I don’t observe the gestures so much as feel them."
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Sir Quentin Blake is the world's most famous living illustrator. In 2004 he was awarded the ‘Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres’ by the French Government for services to literature and in 2007 was made Officier in the same order. In 2014 he was admitted to the Légion d’honneur. He received a knighthood for ‘services to illustration’ in the New Year’s Honours for 2013, became an Honorary Freeman of the City of London in 2015, and was appointed ‘Companion of Honour’ in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2022.
“The whiskies chosen were entirely character led: smoke to create the impression of wildness and danger a straying into the dark side; sherried whiskies for blood and gore; and the golden, honeyed, gentle sweetness of American oak to convey ‘goodness’ and light.”
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Dave Broom is an award-winning writer, born and educated in Glasgow (a degree in English from Stirling University), who has specialised in spirits for around 30 years. He has published 14 books; the most recent, A Sense of Place, sees Dave travelling around his native Scotland visiting distilleries from Islay and Harris to Orkney and Speyside. Dave also explored “whisky, Scotland, and the weird and wonderful stuff in between” to gain a deeper understanding of his national drink on film in The Amber Light. He is a Master of the Quaich.
"Dave’s translation of the language and characters written by Shakespeare provided a chance to explore distilleries across Scotland and the full gamut of flavours within their whiskies. It was a privilege to be bottling these whiskies illustrated by Sir Quentin Blake and his vibrant, highly original take on the play."
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Elixir Distillers is a creator, blender and bottler of fine spirits. Co-founders and owners Sukhinder Singh and Rajbir Singh - who in 1999 founded The Whisky Exchange - have assembled a team of spirits enthusiasts with immense product knowledge, who seek to create delicious, characterful spirits combined with beautiful design. Head Blender Oliver Chilton has worked with whisky for over 15 years. Having started out in the original Whisky Exchange shop in London, his palate helped secure a role selecting casks for independent bottling, leading the way to the creation of Elixir Distillers.
Livingstone
Macbeth V Macbeth
Barley Magazine
Max Bennett is fresh from an acclaimed performance as Macbeth at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Alexis Burgess is the pioneer and brains behind a dazzling Scotch whisky collection — 42 bottles featuring every character from Shakespeare’s bloody tragedy. The two Macbeths sat down for Barley to talk (and sip) drams, dreams and the curse of the Scottish play.
THE MACBETH COLLECTION
ACT ONE
