Lot #28 Livingstone The Macbeth Collection William Shakespeare 63 Year Old

Overview

“The be all and end all” (Shakespeare, Macbeth) – a one-off appearance from the playwright as a remarkable Mortlach, accompanied by Sir Quentin Blake’s original illustration.

Details

The Macbeth Collection – William Shakespeare

Mortlach Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Aged 63 Years

First Fill Sherry Cask, 43.2%, 70cl

Accompanied by Sir Quentin Blake’s original illustration of William Shakespeare

The Macbeth Collection

A stunning series of 42 limited edition Scotch whiskies, each cast as a character from Shakespeare’s Scottish play, illustrated by Sir Quentin Blake.

Concept and design by Livingstone, character profiles by Dave Broom, whiskies by Elixir Distillers.

Six series (Leads, Thanes, Ghosts, Witches, Murderers & Household) presented in five Acts - Act I released in 2023, Act II in 2025.

William Shakespeare

For The Distillers One of One, Shakespeare himself takes centre stage.

In The Macbeth Collection, the five Lead characters are limited to 100 bottles, meaning there can only ever be 100 complete sets.

This will be the only William Shakespeare bottling - a singular opportunity for the winning bidder to own the Bard as a companion piece to the entire collection.

The Whisky

The Bard of Avon meets The Beast of Dufftown.

William Shakespeare required an immense whisky to bring to life centuries of craft - literary and distilling.

With its traditional wooden worm tub condensers and unique arrangement of six stills and 2.81 times distillation, Mortlach is famed for its bold and complex character.

Its extraordinary capacity for maturation - in this instance 63 years in a first fill sherry cask - is a reflection of the remarkable longevity of Shakespeare’s work, still relevant, rich and rewarding after more than 400 years.

And what could be better for this Wiliam Shakespeare to accompany The Macbeth Collection, than the spirit to pass three times through Mortlach’s famous still, The Wee Witchie.

The Presentation

Whilst the characters of The Macbeth Collection are portrayed in Blake’s unmistakable hand as anthropomorphic birds, Shakespeare as the playwright stands in human form.

Sir Quentin Blake kindly agreed to sign and donate this specially commissioned illustration of Shakespeare, presented in the folio in the drawer of the theatrical case.

This is a rare opportunity to own an original, published illustration - reproduced once only, on the bottle itself - by the world’s greatest living illustrator.

The influence of the Bard on our language today is enormous

these familiar words from Macbeth Act I provide a fitting final description: “The be all and end all”, William Shakespeare.

Tasting Notes

Character Notes by Dave Broom: ‘As thick tears fall slow, this spirit melts into air and the fabric of this vision: A substantial pageant in halls of scented cypress, Ancient balsams, damask rose, and fresh-oiled leather, Fruits of Tropics, Arabia’s dates, The grip of China’s teas All shall disperse like dry leaves stirred by rough autumn winds Leaving naught but memories of this rough magic’.