Mossburn Distillers & Blenders has announced the launch of The Ephemera Collection, a limited one-time release of 12 rare bottlings from its private cask reserves.
Delving deep into the rich and storied past of Scotland to unearth unexpected narratives and folklore tales, each bottle is linked to a story where the lines between fact and fiction blur. From Wandering Willie to the Linton Wyrm, these legends have been passed down through generations, retellings and embellishments until they found their current form in the canon of Scottish folklore and now, on bottles of exceptional spirit.
With fewer than 15,000 bottles in total across the full collection, each expression represents a distinctive parcel of spirit that includes Scotch whiskies and rums, held back over the years for their individuality, age, or unusual character.
Every release in the series is named after a historical or folkloric figure or event, offering an additional layer of interest for collectors and curious drinkers alike. While the stories are drawn from Scotland’s lesser-known past, the focus remains firmly on the quality and character of the liquid.
“We’ve been blending and bottling for over 30 years now, so this collection gave us the chance to share some of the more unusual casks in our archive,” says whiskymaker Neil Macleod Mathieson. “Each bottling has a point of difference – whether in the grain, malt or cask treatment – and we’ve paired them with stories that suit their style because it felt the perfect way to bring the character of these bottles to life.”
The stories behind the Ephemera Collection are drawn from the stranger corners of Scottish history and folklore. The Bishop’s Curse takes its name from a tale of the notorious Border Reivers and the threat of divine retribution; Robin Redcap is inspired by a bloodthirsty Border-goblin said to haunt Hermitage Castle; and The Linton Wyrm recalls the legend of a mythical dragon that once terrorised the Scottish Borders. Each story brings character and context to the remarkable spirit it accompanies.
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THE EPHEMERA COLLECTION
- The Reliquary – A blended grain Scotch made from five different single grains, each from a separate decade starting in the 1970s.
No age statement | 1,350 bottles globally | RRP £150
- The Bishop’s Curse – Single grain Scotch whisky from 2008, with components finished in Cognac, French red wine and Jamaican rum casks.
Aged 15 years | 1,350 bottles globally | RRP £95
- The Aether – A blended grain whisky made from spirits distilled over a 21-year period beginning in the early 1990s, matured in Oloroso sherry hogsheads.
No age statement | 1,350 bottles globally | RRP £125
- The Quadrilogy – Blended grain whisky combining four different spirits from four different distilleries, four different decades, and four different cask types.
No age statement | 1,350 bottles globally | RRP £75
- The Great Michael – Blended Scotch whisky combining 21-year-old grain and older malt whiskies, including spirit from Campbeltown, finished in second-fill bourbon barrels that had previously held peated whisky.
Aged 21 years | 1,000 bottles globally | RRP £150
- The Linton Wyrm – A 12-year-old blended Scotch initially aged in sherry and rum casks, then re-aged in casks that had held peated single malt.
Aged 14 years | 1,350 bottles globally | RRP £75
- The Bold Buccleuch – A blend of Lowland grain and Highland and Speyside malts, matured in a combination of sherry, wine and Madeira casks.
Aged 13 years | 1,350 bottles globally | RRP £75
- Robin Redcap – A blend of four 15-year-old whiskies aged in Oloroso (first and refill), Madeira and bourbon casks.
Aged 15 years | 1,350 bottles globally | RRP £75
- Wandering Willie – Speyside and Highland malts from 2009, aged in refill hogsheads, finished in double-toasted virgin European oak.
Aged 15 years | 1,350 bottles globally | RRP £95
- The Unconformity – Blended malt Scotch from a single Speyside site with two distilleries, matured across recharred hogsheads, first-fill bourbon barrels and reused Oloroso sherry hogsheads.
Aged 14 years | 1,350 bottles globally | RRP £75
- The Darien Misadventure – A blend of 12-year-old Panamanian and 20-year-old Trinidadian rums, finished in Spanish Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez casks.
Aged 12 years | 1,000 bottles globally | RRP £65
- William Kidd – A blend of two Jamaican rums from 2000 and 2005, matured in bourbon barrels and finished in peated quarter casks before being married in refill butts.
Aged 19 years | 600 bottles globally | RRP £90
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All expressions are non-chill filtered, natural in colour, and in many cases bottled at cask strength. The Ephemera Collection will be available in select global markets and online at https://torabhaig.com/collections/the-ephemera-collection.