Islay Single Malt 19y/o (Ardbeg) Macbeth : First Witch 51.7%ABV 15ml / 30ml

 'Secret Islay' but not a very well kept secret -  Ardbeg finished in PX casks with bottle packaging designed by the legendary Sir Quentin Blake - part of a set so beautifully presented that I imagine many of these delicious bottles will never be drunk as they are such pretty collectables. 

"The first of four heavily peated single malts chosen to portray the Weird Sisters in Livingstone’s Macbeth series. As the witches remain un-named in the original text, bottler Elixir Distillers has chosen to keep the origin of this whisky mysterious on the label. However, they have hinted that Pedro Ximenez casks used to mature The First Witch were filled at a distillery on Islay’s Kildalton coast.

This series of Shakespearean Scotch whiskies is the product of a collaboration between design studio Livingstone, whisky writer Dave Broom, Elixir Distillers and the legendary illustrator Sir Quentin Blake."

Tasting Notes by Joe Rogers, The Whisky Exchange

• • Nose

    Juicy oranges, plum tart, candied lemon and sultanas give way to marine notes of driftwood, bonfires, seaweed and salt

  • Palate

    Pure sweet peat. Dates wrapped in smoky bacon, herbal honeys, black pepper, and burnt orange all wrapped in a thick layer of peat smoke. Notes of wool, smoked oysters, and iodine emerge over time

  • Finish

    Tarry and peppery with dried fruit, dark chocolate and drying oak

  • Comment

    An intriguing combination of sticky fruit and rich smoke. Immensely satisfying