Elixir Distillers The MacBeth Collection First Witch 19 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)
Collectors are in for quite a ride with a new series from Elixir Distillers. 42 whiskies in 6 series are set to be released as The Macbeth Collection, each bottle featuring an illustration by Quentin Blake. 'First Witch' is just the beginning, one of four smoky whiskies in The Witches series. Oliver Chilton of Elixir, says "This is a fantastic example of a distillate I adore from high up on Islay’s Kildalton coast, with a rich maturity delivered using Pedro Ximenez casks. As we develop The Witches, we’ll embrace the blending analogy with the fourth release, Hekate, ruler of the witches, as a blend of the first three.” Limited to 1800 bottles globally, the contents are reported to be a first-rate Ardbeg. Review below from whiskyfun.com et al.
Other reviews... Quite a thing for an indy bottler to be able to release a 19yo Ardbeg with an outturn of 1800 bottles! PX sherry is mentioned in relation to this one, but not too sure if that's full term or a re-rack. Colour: deep orangey gold. Nose: the sherry shows! We are on wonderfully sweet and syrupy tar extracts and resinous fir woods, also salted almonds, some slight leathery funkiness and peppery peat that feels nicely sweet. With water: gathers complexity now with more fir woods, fennel, aniseed and cola syrup. Also more tar and salted liquorice. Mouth: wonderfully on tars, coconut, herbal cough syrups, medicinal balms and medicinal tinctures. A sweet and syrupy peat that feels nicely textural and yet still pretty salty. More salted almonds and flavours reminiscent of bacon frazzle crisps and bacon jam. With water: you could almost believe this is 1970s Ardbeg with these magnificently fat and gloopy sweet peat flavours, dominated by sweet herbal cough syrups and old honey liqueur impressions. Some smoked herbal teas as well. Wonderful! Finish: long, camphor and tar ridden, peppery and sweet peat galore in the aftertaste. Comments: it's pricy, but this is a hugely impressive bottling and a great composition. 91 points - whiskyfun.com
The scope of this project is enormous and just like in a real play, there is a long list of credits. Lexi Burgess of Livingstone Rare is the director, the mastermind if you like, overseeing the concept and bringing it all together in a stunning collection. Then comes Dave Broom, the writer. He wrote portraits of each Macbeth character, finding analogies in spirit types, cask types or geographical connections. Elixir Distillers sourced the whiskies from their vast network, managed by Sukhinder Singh and Oliver Chilton. Last but not least, renowned artist Sir Quentin Blake provided unique drawings for each label....Nose: classic sweet bonfire ashes and mild tarry notes alongside raisins, figs and stewed rhubarb. Old ropes, hints of seaweed. Then some orangettes, tobacco and hints of candied fruits. Reminds me a little of Ardbeg Ar11, the sherry is well dosed. Mouth: the oranges takes center stage at first, blending nicely with sweet bacon, drops of cough syrup and black peppercorns. The PX is louder now. Plums, blackberries, cinnamon cake and sweetened herbal tea. Mildly burnt notes give it a bittersweet edge. Then some roasted notes, mocha and dark chocolate sweetness. I feel the sweetness takes away some complexity, but overall the profile is quite exemplary. Finish: rather long, with hints of tobacco, chocolate coated raisins and a hint of drying pepper. This was finished for two years, adding the perfect dose of Pedro Ximénez. Sweetened but never sticky, with underlying dark and smoky layers. 91 points - whiskynotes.be