WHISKY REVIEWS, NEWS, HISTORY & FOLKLORE
An Introduction to Living Souls Whisky
Living Souls is a new bottler dedicated to crafting small batch spirits. The company was founded by Jamie Williamson, of Kilninian Drinks Co, John Torrance, former head of operations at Douglas Laing, and Calum Leslie, former head of innovation at Loch Lomond Group.
The Living Souls team seem to be favouring the small batch, rather than single cask approach to independent bottling. This is something that’s become more common over the last couple of years. It’s also something I’m in favour of because as great as single cask whisky can be, it’s nice to see people being creative with their stock and striving to put something new onto the market place.
Releases thus far have included a “Rare & Exquisite ” Ledaig / Tobermory 18-year-old – a blend of peated and unpeated spirit from the same distillery, therefore still a single malt. That’s followed by the “Art of Blending” 15-year-old Blended Scotch, craffted using a solera system. Then there are the two whiskies I’m going to be focusing on in this review. The first is a 40-year-old Blended Scotch and the second is a 19-year-old “Kildalton” Islay Blended Malt.
It all sounds brilliant so I’m hoping the whiskies live up to their promise. Let’s find out…
Living Souls 40-year-old Blended Scotch Review
A blend of both malt and grain whiskies laid down to marry in a refill sherry butt in 1998. It’s bottled at 41.2%.
Tasting notes: On the nose: Old sherry. Woody but not too heavy on the tannins. Dusty old bookshelves. Old oak. Nutty, like peanuts and almonds. Also apples. Apple pie. Vanilla. Honey. Cinnamon and brown sugar. Caramel. On the palate: A rich, enticing arrival. Dried fruits and woody spices. Develops into oak tannins around the middle and then there’s a wee touch of smoke right on the finish. Like old, stale cigar smoke and ashtrays. There’s also notes of caramel, digestive biscuits, vanilla and oak, runny honey, cinnamon and gingerbread.
Thoughts: This a very pleasant yet balanced sipper. It’s so easy to overoak a whisky of this sort of age but the wood influence has been kept in check. There’s a lightness of touch and a balance between spirit and cask that feels just about perfectly weighted. It is also, despite feeling quite complex, very, very sippable and moreish. It would perhaps worry me that the bottle’s shelf life would be frighteningly short. Polishing it off in a month would feel wrong after it took 40 years to get into the bottle.
Price: £125. I don’t think we’re quite in essential purchase territory here but there’s no doubt this is a good price for a four decade age statement. If you’re looking for a whisky with that kind of maturity, this is both cost effective and delicious. Good luck making it last though.
Living Souls 19-year-old “Kildalton” Islay Blended Malt
This Living Souls whisky creation was matured for a total of 19 years in refill bourbon and refill sherry casks. It’s bottled at 42% ABV.
Tasting notes: Nose: Peaty and coastal, though the peat definitely shows the signs of age. This isn’t quite the fire and brimstone of young Islay. I did still get the medicinal vibe, however. There’s lots of germolene and TCP. Seaweed and brine. But also toffee, vanilla fudge and biscuit. Fresh oak, like a woodwork shop. Apple and cinnamon. On the palate: Toffee fudge arrival before it quickly introduces sea salt and pepper. Then comes some oak spice with malt, apple and orange. Then the smoke comes through at the end.
Thoughts: I really like that Living Souls are letting the spirit breathe with these releases. By focusing on refill casks, they’re letting the natural flavours of the whisky lead the way, rather than relying on overly active wood. That’s definitely the case with this Islay. The distinctive peat reek has tamed over the years but it’s still there and hasn’t been lost under almost two decades of oak. It reminds me a wee bit of older Bowmores, though it doesn’t really have the tropical notes you sometimes find there. It’s still an evocative wee drop that conjures images of seaside walks in the Hebrides.
Price: £135. Islay is a victim of its own success. That’s why a 19-year-old Islay is more expensive than a 40-year-old blend. That said, this one comes in a wee bit under the likes of the Bunnahabhain 18, Laphroaig 18, Bruichladdich 18 and way below the Ardbeg 19, so perhaps it’s not doing too badly.
For more about Living Souls visit here
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