Monthly Archives: November 2024

Macbeth’s First Ghost (Cambus 31) and Bloody Sergeant (Blair Athol 10)!

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At London’s Whisky Show 2023, we were introduced to Elixir’s  Macbeth series. That year we selected for our “Dream Drams” a pair of Thanes – Lady MacDuff (Linkwood 31) and Menthieth (BenRiach 31 year).

This year, we were drawn to the Ghost and Household range: First Ghost (Cambus 31) and Bloody Sergeant (Blair Athol 10). This was partly because these whiskies did not require “Dream Dram” tokens!

What did we think in our sniff and swish?

We began with the grain from the closed Lowland distillery Cambus… With 650 bottles from a refill bourbon, we anticipated something light… 

Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff. Beware the Thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough.

The Ghosts: Cambus 31-year Single Grain “First Ghost” 43.2% (Lowland) GBP 301

  • Nose – Soft, and sweet, with a hint of tart lemon or limes, warms in the glass to reveal vanilla
  • Palate – Delicious! Light bourbon vanilla ice cream, with a hint of fruit  
  • Finish – Quite subtle

This whisky clearly fell into the “day dram” category – uncomplicated, light, and easy to sip.

What do they have to say?

The first ghostly apparition in the Macbeth series is portrayed by an elegant, mature single grain from the long-deceased Cambus distillery. More than three decades resting in oak has left this old Lowlander with an ethereal profile of green fruits, vanilla cream, coconut milk and a hint of sweet anise. An excellent choice of casks by whisky makers Elixir Distillers really brings this portentous figure to life… So to speak.

This bottling is the first of six whiskies representing The Ghosts in this series inspired by The Tragedy of Macbeth. Each bottling features specially commissioned artwork by famed illustrator Sir Quentin Blake.

Nice! And another reminder that Cambus produced some lovely grains once upon a time! Whilst I’ve had a few mixed experiences, this one reminded me of the lovely 24 year from Signatory that I bought from Singapore’s Whisky Live 2017.

Up next was a shift in gears from light to dark with xx

The Households: Blair Athol 10 year “Bloody Sergeant” 51.8% (Highland) GBP 95

  • Nose – Quite a hit of dry fruits, peppery spice… needs time to open
  • Palate – Sweet, rich with loads of dark fruits, spice
  • Finish – Has a kick
  • Water – We thought perhaps to tone it down with water in hopes it would reveal more elements. It certainly helped round out the palate however it also lost some of its character too 

Whilst the Cambus was soft and inviting, the Blair Athol was punchy and bold! This is entirely in keeping with Blair Athol’s character – some love its brash approach whereas for others it is simply a bit “too much”. 

What do they have to say?

An excellent addition to Livingstone’s ground-breaking Macbeth series. The Bloody Sergeant – who recounts Macbeth’s heroic deeds to King Duncan in the Play’s first act – had to be embodied by a rugged Highlander and this Blair Athol does the job perfectly. Matured in a combination of bourbon hogsheads and red wine casks, this is a richly texture dram packed with fruit and complex tannins. Expect blackberries and baking spices on the nose before a weighty palate of toffee and malt with a pickle of gunpowder in the finish.

This bottling is one of 10 characterful whiskies chosen to represent The Household of Macbeth. Each expression in this collectable series features character insights from whisky writer Dave Broom and specially commissioned illustrations by Sir Quentin Blake.

Both are different yet interesting. I hope we can continue to explore more from the Macbeth series in the future! 

From Macbeth Act One, there were… 

  • The Leads: Glen Grant 56 year “Old King Duncan” 48.2% (Speyside) GBP 10,000
  • The Ghosts: Cambus 31-year Single Grain “First Ghost” 43.2% (Lowland) GBP 301 – Sampled in 2024
  • The Witches: Ardbeg 19 year “First Witch” 51.7% (Islay) GBP 550 
  • The Murderers: Ledaig 18 year “First Murderer” 50.5% (Island) GBP 220 

The Thanes:

The Households:

  • Ardmore 12 year “Seyton” 52.5% (Highland) GBP 100
  • Blair Athol 10 year “Bloody Sergeant” 51.8% (Highland) GBP 95 – Sampled in 2024

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2024 London Whisky Show – Watt Whiskies

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One of the more interesting experiences at the 2022 Whisky Show was being introduced to the colourful Watt Whiskies. The next year, we skipped as you simply can’t do everything. However, we had to stop by in 2024.

Once again, Kate Watt walked us through our options. As it was still early in the day, I suggested something lighter to ease into the day. Although it sounds counterintuitive, after two lighter drams, Kate then pointed us toward a lightly peated whisky followed by a blend.

Glen Moray 11 year (2008) Oloroso Hogshead 54.6% Watt Whisky – May 2024 Release. 318 Bottles

  • Nose – Loads of white fruits, fresh and inviting
  • Palate – Candy sweet yet with an interesting depth too, a nice lip-smacking dram of tropical fruits
  • Finish – Lovely and soft

Glen Moray is known to be an easygoing, affordable dram—light, smooth, and fruity. This was no exception—except as an independent bottle—not quite as affordable! The challenge is that my “benchmark” for Glen Moray has all been from independent bottlers.

It was a rather pleasant place to begin our Watt exploration. Yes, there is sherry from its 14-month finish in an Oloroso Sherry cask, however, it is more like the icing on a cake rather than deeply infusing the full cake.

And how do the Watt’s describe it? Sherry, milk chocolate, orange sherbet and pineapple sweets.

Would I agree based on my scant sniff & swish notes? Yes!


Invergordon 26 year (1997) Hogshead 52.3% Watt Whisky – May 2024 Release. 258 Bottles.

We then moved on to a grain… suitably aged for 26 years. This was my 3rd experience with Invergordon – the 1st was a 28-year-old with a mixed reaction, the 2nd a 44-year-old from TBWC – wow!

How did the Watt offering fare?

As it was a simple sniff and swish, there were limited impressions – clearly a grain, we struggled to get past the “spirit” to find other elements. On the palate, it was also very active with a touch of leather mixd in with some lightly nutty element.

Toffee apples, honeycomb, peaches & marzipan.

We didn’t find all the elements described by the Watt’s, however we also spent only a little time with it – just the way things can be a bit unfair in such a setting.

Glen Spey 14 year (2008) Hogshead 54.8% Watt Whisky – September 2024 release, 267 Bottles

  • Nose – A big burst of flavour! Sour, fruity, almost like beer or balsamic vinegar. Which sounds strange but was actually quite interesting…
  • Palate – Oily, more of that heavy balsamic – like a sweet reduction, sweet and sour… we described it as “khatta meetha” and reminded me a bit of those Chinese dried sour plums, even had some ginger too, then a curl of smoke…
  • Finish – The smoke took on a dry ash element then like a puff of smoke was gone

This was one unique dram – I completely understood why Kate insisted we try it – even though we were not yet ready for something with a bit of peat. Where did that come from? Whilst it was initially matured in a Hogshead, it was finished for 14 months in an ex-Islay cask.

What did the Watt’s have to say? Ginger, waxy, butterscotch then ashy.

Not a typical Glen Spey – something very different happened here and made for a remarkable experience.

Blended 18 year (2003) Hogshead 56.3% (Watt Whisky – November 2021 release) 345 Bottles

And for our close, we were offered a blend which was revealed as “Inver House” stock aka Balblair, Old Pulteney, Speyburn… Which basically meant it was up my alley!

    • Nose – Subtle, a creamy creme brulee,
    • Palate – No push-over on the palate, substance with a marvelous mouthfeel – think a rich mild chocolate or choco cereal, roasted nuts, caramel with sweet spices
    • Finish – Long, strong, ginger candy sweet

Yum! We both quite liked this one! After the unique Glen Spey, this blend held its own and was like the perfect desert after a satisfying savoury meal.

How did the Watt’s describe it? Toasted almonds honey, cloves, dried fruits and ginger.

Yes, I would agree! And there you have it – four distinctly different drams from Watt Whiskies – well worth stopping by to explore!

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2024 Dream Dram – SMWS’s 72.3 Miltonduff 1977 49.6%

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For the 2nd year in a row, my “Dream Dram” at London’s Whisky Show was a Miltonduff. Last year it was a 40-year-old expression bottled by Adelphi. This year it was a Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) dram from 1977.

The only challenge was tracking it down… the folks at the right stand were not so clear on what exactly was or was not available. Searching through all the bottles, I pointed out this one. However to be fair not everyone knows that 72 = Miltonduff and .3 = the 3rd Miltonduff bottling by the SMWS… right? 

It also did not have the distinctive and fanciful titles that SMWS is now known for like “Busy buzzing bees” or “Long conversations by the crackling log fire“… Nope! This bottle was clearly from an earlier period. 

SMWS 72.3 18 year (Sep 1977 / May 1996) 49.6% 

  • Nose – Delicate, citrus, floral, fruits – especially white peach 
  • Palate – Sharp at first then settled down into caramel candy
  • Water – Yes, please! The palate became softer, and fruitier with cream, and even some subtle nuttiness crept in
  • Finish – Long and lovely

This was not the kind of whisky you want to have at a Whisky Show. Instead, you need to give it time to open. A bit shy on the nose and sharp on the palate, it needs time to warm up. 

So what exactly is it about Miltonduff? There is something about its lighter fruity sometimes even elegant character.

It may also have something to do with the fact that I’ve only had special bottles carefully selected by different independent bottlers – from Chorlton to Gordon & Macphail with a few others too! Curious to explore more? Check out these beauties!

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2024 London Whisky Show with Sweden’s Agitator

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Years ago with great enthusiasm, some early “pre-whisky” expressions from the founders of Agitator were shared with a friend. He brought them across borders from Sweden to UK to India to Germany for a special teaser into what was brewing at this new distillery.

Fast forward, and a Whisky Lady scored a trio of Agitator‘s to bring back for a special tasting in Mumbai. Cementing an overall positive impression of what’s going on!

So when my friend and I walked past the Whisky Exchange stand at London’s Whisky Show – featuring a pair of Agitators – we simply had to stop! Both for a photo op and tasting! 

The Agitator Single Malt 43% was for me a repeat so I skipped (too many drams to try at such events!). However, I simply had to check out their Agitator Single Chestnut 43%.

For those less familiar, the rules in Europe are considerably more relaxed than Scotland. Hence several distilleries in Germany and other countries rely on the judicious use of Chestnut casks for maturing whiskies. As the folks at Agitator explained:

Chestnut casks are secretly known to be amazing for aging whisky, yet they are forbidden in some places. At Agitator, we prioritize science over tradition, and our passion lies in experimenting with a diverse range of wood types, not just limiting ourselves to oak. Try our chestnut cask-aged whisky and tell us if great whisky shouldn’t come before old-fashioned rules.

What did we think?

Whilst we had a mere sniff and swish, we found a lovely fresh pine on the nose, chased by dried fruits and berries. On the palate, there was a hint of something heavier mixed with honey – perhaps some peat? And closed with sweet smoke. Really rather enjoyable.

And just to be a good friend, we had to capture a toast to the folks who made the commitment to bring Agitator into the world!

Whilst still an industry “newbie”, here are our previous brushes with Agitator whiskies:

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