The curtain has come up on ‘Macbeth Act II,’ the latest instalment in a collection of Scotch whiskies inspired by the Shakespeare play about the doomed Scottish king.
Released on 13 March, this second batch of a planned five features eight new limited-edition whiskies, each representing characters from ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ and brought to life with distinctive illustrations by Sir Quentin Blake.
The collection is a collaboration between Alexis Livingstone Burgess, founder of independent bottler Livingstone; Sukhinder Singh of Elixir Distillers; and whisky writer Dave Broom. It aims to showcase the breadth and depth of Scotch through the lens of Shakespeare’s iconic characters.
‘Macbeth Act II’ introduces whiskies representing characters such as Lord Macduff, portrayed by a 45-year-old Bunnahabhain Single Malt, and the noble Thanes, featuring expressions from Glentauchers, Ben Nevis, and Highland Park distilleries. The collection also includes whiskies representing the Second Witch and Second Murderer, from Islay Single Malt and Isle of Jura respectively, and the Household Servant and Soldier, distilled at Clynelish and Benrinnes.
Blake’s illustrations, depicting anthropomorphic birds, add a whimsical touch to the project. “The idea of drawing the characters of Macbeth as birds appealed to me immediately,” Blake stated, highlighting his approach to illustration as a form of acting.
The collection is available from specialist whisky retailers.
Prices range from £2,000 for the 45-year-old Bunnahabhain (100 bottles) to £84.95 for the 12-year-old Benrinnes (2,400 bottles).
