Livingstone and Elixir Distillers have revealed the cast of Act II of the Macbeth whisky collection. A series of 42 whiskies to be released in five Acts, with labels designed by British illustrator Sir Quentin Blake, the Macbeth collection debuted with Act I in 2023.
The series is inspired by Shakespeare's Scottish tragedy, with each bottling taking on the role of a different character from six categories: the leads (five 'regal' malts), thanes (12 'noble' malts), ghosts (from six ghost distilleries), witches (three single malts and a blend), murderers (four island malts), and household (10 'characterful' whiskies).
To create the series, design studio Livingstone partnered with independent bottlers Elixir Distillers, illustrator Sir Quentin Blake, and whisky writer Dave Broom. Explaining the genesis of the collection, Lexi Burgess, founder of Livingstone, said: "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'."
In Act I, the Macbeth collection included nine bottlings from Scottish distilleries, including a Glen Grant 56 Years Old taking on the role of King Duncan, and the Bloody Sergeant, a 10-year-old Blair Athol bottling released as a 'household' member.
Reflecting on the second release, Burgess commented: “This project can only ever be done once, so we had to get it right. When we released Act I, I remember saying it was testament to the play. Two years on, the Macbeth Collection is becoming its own entity, and having tasted and talked about the whiskies from France and Germany to Japan and Singapore, everyone has appreciated the sincerity of our ambition to present the incredible breadth and depth of Scotch through this lens.”
Act II of the collection is comprised of eight Scotch whiskies, lead by 100 bottles of 'Lord Macduff': a 45-year-old Bunnahabhain single malt, priced at £2000. Also in the collection are three 'thanes' ranging from 18 to 27 Years Old from Glentauchers, Ben Nevis, and Highland Park; the Second Witch, a 26-year-old Islay single malt from an unnamed distillery); the Second Murderer, 17 Years Old and from the Isle of Jura; and two members of the household, soldier and servant, from Clynelish and Benrinnes.
Sukhinder Singh of Elixir Distillers added: “[Macbeth] is the perfect combination of concept, outstanding Scotch whiskies, and beautiful presentation. I am particularly enjoying how rigorous we are in ensuring the collection is character-led; it has brought an interesting dimension to selecting the whiskies and a new experience at tastings.”
The full Macbeth Act II collection will be released on 13 March 2025, available via specialist whisky retailers.
