The Thirty-Year Cask is a whisky murder mystery you print at home: a medium-difficulty detective case file for 2–4 players that takes about 1–2 hours.
The Case
Saturday, 17 October 2026. At Glen Aldrie Distillery, a small family-run outfit tucked into the hills near Strathcarron, owner Hamish Drummond has laid a long oak table among the barrels of Warehouse 2. Tonight he will open the cask filled the year he took over the business, thirty years ago to the month, and share the first dram with a handful of carefully chosen guests.
The toast is made, the starter is served, and the speech is under way. Before the pudding reaches the table, Hamish is dead. Six people drank from the very same jug, and all of them are fine. The heir has a secret, the second wife has a story that does not quite hold, the master distiller has a grudge, and everyone seems very keen to be helpful. You have the police file, the ledgers and the seating plan. Somebody at that table knows exactly what happened, and the cask is not telling.
What’s Inside
- 3 investigation phases, each building on the last
- 7 evidence documents: police reports, witness statements, a warehouse ledger, logs and lab findings
- Suspect profiles for everyone with a seat at the table, and a motive to match
- 11 scored questions plus the Final Accusation: name who, explain how, and work out why
- A tiered hint system, from a gentle nudge to nearly the answer
- Full solution and story, so you can see exactly how the pieces fit
- Three separate PDFs: the case file, the hints and the solution, so you can play on a tablet or laptop without spoilers, plus a one-file print edition
- Play on screen or print at home: no cutting, no folding, no envelopes, no apps
Who It’s For
Adults. Written for 2 players working together, which makes it a natural date-night case, and it plays just as well with up to 4. Allow 1 to 2 hours. It sits at the friendlier end of medium difficulty, so a couple new to case files can solve it without a degree in forensic science. The tone is atmospheric and witty, with no gore and no graphic detail. Whisky is part of the setting, not the point: pour yourself a dram or something soft, and enjoy the evening.
How It Works
Open the case file on a tablet or laptop, or print it at home. Read the documents one phase at a time. Answer the scored questions together as the evidence builds. Accuse your culprit in the Final Accusation, naming who, how and why. Score your answers against the solution file, out of 80 points, and see whether you would have made detective inspector.
