Living Souls is a new independent bottler that Calum Leslie, Jamie Williamson, and John Torrance founded. Together, they bring decades of experience in the whisky industry. They aim to take a different approach from other independent bottlers by focusing not on single casks but on delivering small batches, sometimes through a solera system. We will review three expressions from their batch #1 release: the Ninety-One & One, Secret Ardbeg 19-year-old, and Blended Scotch 40-year-old Living Souls.
Blended Scotch Whisky 40-year-old Batch 1 Living Souls (2024) Review
We begin with the oldest of the three whiskies we are reviewing today: a 40-year-old Blended Scotch Whisky. It has been marrying into an ex-Islay refill sherry butt since 1998. Living Souls’ website states that they selected a refill sherry butt, but since the whisky has been in that butt since 1998, long before the company’s establishment, this seems like excessive and misleading marketing enthusiasm. Unfortunately, not much more information about this Blended Scotch is available. The label indicates batch #1, and Living Souls’ website mentions a batch #2 with the same description, so one might wonder if it is part of a cask. German shops provide details that Living Souls’ website does not, stating that the malt content is around 40% and includes Glenfarclas, Glen Garioch, Fettercairn, and Blair Athol. The total recipe contains 25% Cambus Grain, a closed grain distillery, with the origins of the remaining grain undisclosed. This whisky is bottled at cask strength (41.2% ABV), non-chill filtered and has natural colouring, and it is still available for around £125/€150 a bottle.
Colour:
Amber
Nose:
Neat: The nose is quite intense. A strong floral scent, almost soapy, comes through immediately, but it isn’t unpleasant. Notes of peaches, pineapple, and subtle hints of apricot appear, along with a very faint touch of smoke. It seems younger on the nose than its age suggests, but it doesn’t give off a grainy feeling. Fresh menthol and eucalyptus notes also emerge.
Palate:
Neat: The alcohol feels stronger than its actual strength, and the mouthfeel is oily. The influence of the ex-Islay sherry butt becomes clearer here, adding a layer of smoke to the palate. Flavours of smoked pineapple, lemons, and apricots come through, along with charred wood. The soapy note from the nose is also present on the palate and is more noticeable and less pleasant.
Finish:
The soapy note lingers, unfortunately, accompanied by hints of peach and lavender.
Comments:
Well, it’s a shame. I don’t know which component introduced those soapy notes – it could be the Glen Garioch, as rumour has it, it is part of this blend and was known for these soapy notes 40 years ago. Whilst some people might not notice it, and I found it manageable on the nose, but unfortunately, I couldn’t overlook it on the palate. Try to taste it before buying a bottle if you can, as some other people, including well-known whisky reviewers, didn’t detect this soapiness, so it really seems to depend on your palate and sensitivity to it. Without the soapiness, I could have rated it a 7, especially at that price. I even had to taste the next two whiskies the following day, as the soapiness affected my palate all day long, despite my efforts to cleanse it.
Rating: 3.5/10
Islay Blended Malt ‘Kildalton’ 19-Year-Old Living Souls (2024) Review
Next, we have a 19-year-old Islay Blended Malt aged in refill bourbon and sherry casks, bottled in 2024. The label mentions ‘Kildalton’, which strongly suggests Ardbeg. They bottled this at 42% ABV (probably not cask strength), without chill filtration or added colour. It is still available for around £135/€160 a bottle.
Colour:
Burnished.
Nose:
Neat: This whisky offers a pleasant maritime and tarry peat nose, with strong smoke and a light rubber note. Crushed sea shells, mother-of-pearl, hints of petrichor, wet wool, and a few lemon seeds come through.
Palate:
Neat: The mouthfeel is oilier than I expected given the low ABV; it’s actually quite pleasant. Flavours of brine and iodine dominate, along with seashells, coal, soot, and tarry ropes. A nice salinity and some pepper appear, with a light astringency and a touch of lemon. Charred bacon notes are also present.
Finish:
Lemon and pepper return, along with soot. The finish is quite tarry and earthy. The flavours fade a bit too quickly, but a nice warmth and a light dryness on the gums linger for a long time.
Comments:
This is a fine 19-year-old secret Ardbeg, or rather Kildalton Blended Malt. It is not fruity like some of the official 19-year-old releases from that south-shore Islay distillery, but it is still very good, especially if you enjoy maritime and sooty peat, which I certainly do.
Rating: 7.5/10
Ninety-Nine & One Living Souls (2024) Review
Lastly, we have an unfortunate blended Scotch, which resulted from adding a small amount of 3-year-old grain whisky to an 18-year-old Ledaig. However, Scotch whisky regulations dictate that this becomes a Blended Scotch Whisky, regardless of the minimal quantity of grain added. They bottled it at 46.3% ABV (similar to the official Ledaig 18-year-old, which may not be a coincidence), and, like the other two releases reviewed above, without chill filtration or added colour. Unlike the official Ledaig, the price is significantly lower, around £60/€70 a bottle.
Colour:
Cider.
Nose:
Neat: This is unmistakably 99% Ledaig, with its characteristic slightly sulphury and dirty sherry notes. Aromas of rubber, rotting fruits, marmite, cured meat, fallen autumn leaves, fading campfire, and old leather come through.
Palate:
Neat: This whisky offers something unique and not commonly found. Flavours of ham marinated in calvados, soy sauce, and red wine dominate, along with umami, tar, balms, and camphor. Hints of raspberries and dark cherries appear, accompanied by dark chocolate, brine, and salted liquorice.
Finish:
Smoked apples and salmon, balms, a touch of acidity, and more liquorice – this time not salted – along with eucalyptus.
Comments:
This comes very, very close to the official Ledaig 18-year-old. I wonder if Living Souls accidentally purchased something already blended by mistake from Tobermory, or if the mistake occurred in their warehouse. In any case, the 3-year-old grain is imperceptible, and we can consider this blended Scotch as pure Ledaig 18-year-old. As such, it is quite good. It has taken a few years, but Ledaig has really grown on me.
Rating: 7.5/10
Samples bought on whiskysite.nl. Bottle pictures courtesy of Whiskybase & Living Souls.