The Mighty Cask whisky collection is a phygital Three Kingdoms tribute

The Chambers by Cask has launched the Mighty Cask whisky collection, a set of three collectible independently-bottled whiskies inspired by the heroes of China’s Three Kingdoms era, in collaboration with collectible art studio Mighty Jaxx.

One of the pivotal moments in the epochal 14th century Chinese literary classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms took place when three men had gathered to swear an oath of loyalty that would define much of the rest of the story. In that peach garden, Liu Bei (劉備), Guan Yu (關羽), and Zhang Fei (張飛) became sworn brothers, pledged to protect the Han Dynasty.

And it is these three heroes that a newly-released set of whiskies draw inspiration from. The Mighty Cask whisky collection, by private whisky bar The Chambers by Cask, is a set of three independently-bottled single malt whiskies that was created in partnership with award-winning Singapore-based toy design and collectible art studio Mighty Jaxx.

These are no ordinary whiskies either. Like the mighty men that inspired them, these are no perfunctory non-age statement whiskies forcibly shoehorned into a bundled set for commercial reasons.

Representing benevolent and noble Liu Bei (劉備) is a 22-year old Glen Keith. On the other hand, the righteous highly-skilled warrior that is Guan Yu (關羽) is personified by a 20-year old Caperdonich, while fiercely loyal but brash Zhang Fei (張飛) is typified by a 23-year old Glen Grant.

Whisky aficionados will be quick to pick out that these distilleries all hail from Scotland’s famed Speyside region. And if you know your whisky history, all three are linked to Pernod Ricard.

Glen Keith is one of the younger Scottish distilleries, having only been established in 1957 by Chivas Brothers. Official bottlings of Glen Keith are very rare; most of its production goes towards the making of Chivas blended Scotch whisky. Glen Grant, today owned by the Campari Group, is one among the top five best-selling distilleries in the world. Caperdonich, originally built as a clone of Glen Grant, was mothballed in 2002 and finally demolished in 2011, so their whiskies are increasingly rare. Both Glen Grant and Caperdonich were once owned by The Glenlivet Distillers, until they were bought out by Pernod Ricard in 2000. Glen Grant was later sold to Campari Group in 2005, while Caperdonich was unfortunately shuttered.

None of this rich Scottish history has got to do with the Mighty Cask collection of whiskies. Thomas Fernandez, part of the founding team at The Chambers by Cask, readily admits it. Instead he says it’s really about the story of loyalty and friendship as depicted by the noble Liu Bei and his brother-generals. “It’s the spirit of friendship, entrepreneurship, and collaboration that we the founding team at The Chambers by Cask share,” Fernandez tells us.

The cask-strength single malt whiskies of Mighty Cask comes in specially-designed 700ml bottles. Each bottle come with a stylised ring-like sculpted holder, depicting each famed general in a battle stance carrying with their weapon of choice. When put side-by-side or stacked atop each other, they form a full battle scene.

The Mighty Cask whiskies have also conceived as a phygital collectible collection. In what is becoming a trend in collectibles these days, each set is accompanied by a limited drop of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). These tokens, when logged on Mighty Jaxx’s mobile application, will certify ownership and unlock digital versions of the bottle designs.

“Good whisky is valued not just for its rich fragrance and complex flavours, but also for its ability to foster camaraderie and spark solidarity. We focused on translating these experiences as an art form, creating a collection of good, finely aged whiskies that tastes and looks great,” shares Bryan Tan, Chief Strategy Officer at Mighty Jaxx.

“Additionally, as NFTs grow in popularity amongst a new generation of digital-native collectors, Mighty Cask marks a hallmark collaboration, bringing together different collectibles — whiskies, uniquely designed art bottles, and digital tokens to meet new demands,” Tan adds.

More whiskies inspired by other famous characters in the Three Kingdoms story will be launched in the coming future.

The Mighty Cask collection is available for purchase at The Chambers by Cask, while stocks last. Each set of all three designs will retail at a launch price of S$4,888, with standard retail price at $5,888. Starting 23 March 2022, the first 138 customers who authenticate and mint the digital collectible will also be invited to purchase a set of three miniature Mighty Cask for S$188.