When I did an interview with FABLE Whisky’s co-founder Andrew Torrance earlier this year, he predicted that at the end of the company’s first outturn “there could still be something special, like a hidden chapter”. Now the cat is out of the bag: The mentioned supplement comes in the form of Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – Batch Three, which is nicknamed “The Captain’s Daughter”. Unlike Batch One and Batch Two, the new release is not just loosely attached to the haunting narrative of “The Ghost Piper of Clanyard Bay” (which forms the backbone of FABLE’s first connected line of whisky bottlings). Rather, it constitutes a full-fledged story bit in its own right, complete with powerful words written by Des Waddy and a custom-made label designed by Hugo L. Cuellar. If you study the latter, you will quickly realize that the artwork sports some familiar motives (“The Piper” and “The Bay”) alongside new characters (the bonus chapter’s protagonist Grace as both an innocent kid and an evil fairy). This deliberate design choice suggests that there is at least one distillery used in the recipe, from which FABLE has not bottled a cask before. Yet, I have absolutely no clue which one it might be. Anyway … to make “The Captain’s Daughter” all the more special, FABLE has conceived an extra-something on top: Prior to the release, the Scottish indie bottler huddled together with Glasgow-based craft brewery Drygate, who created a dedicated tie-in beer as a perfect companion to the dram – just as Grace and the Piper were perfect companions in the story before foul play befell them and darkened their fate. Luckily, we can expect a must more favorable outcome here: The bright and palatable Scotch harmonizes wonderfully with the light and delicately spiced Golden Ale, providing an easy-going drinking experience that is highly enjoyable and satisfying. But even if you could not get hold of a bottle of the corresponding beer in your area, you are still recommended to go for the whisky. It is a great everyday sipper that you can take out of the shelf again and again and again!

by Tobi

Eye: Light yellow.
Nose: Apple puree and marzipan! Also pear, grape, gooseberry, and honeydew melon sprinkled with white-choc graters. Plus vanilla crescent, wine gum, and jellied lemon. – In short: fruity, spritzy, sweet, inviting. The fragrances are light-footed and delicate, forming a prancing bouquet that stimulates the nostrils in a most appetizing way.
Palate: Soft n’ chewy lemon cake with icing sugar on top. And more treats: honey, pastry, pudding, almonds. Some squashed banana, some ripened plums, and some vanilla-flavored milkshake, too. These mouth-watering flavors are beautifully laid out and evened out. They make for a tongue-pleasing blended malt Scotch whisky that is dangerously quaffable!
Finish: Sliding down the throat swiftly, prancingly, and easily. The creamy finish is sweet and also a wee bit spicy (fresh ginger and white pepper). Plus, it brims with white and yellow fruits like honey melon, lemon, pineapple, pear, and maybe even something more exotic. Lychee, perhaps?

Type: Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Region: Scotland
Age: 8 years old
Alc. volume: 46.5 per cent
Cask: ex-Bourbon hogsheads
Bottle size: 0.7 litres
# of bottles: 9,000
Price: 55.00 Euro
More info: https://fablewhisky.com/ (Bottler) ; https://www.prineus.com/ (German Importer)

*** I got the bottle for free from FABLE Whisky. Thank you. ***