Living Souls Ninety-Nine & One
Blended Scotch Whisky | 46.3% ABV
Score: 8/10
Something special.
TL;DR
As good as what it was intended to be - just half the price
A ‘Happy Accident’
Unless you’re built of particularly strong and stubborn stuff, I feel it’s inevitable that, from time to time, reading Dramface will cause you to have ‘an accident’. You may, on occasion, take action after reading and seek out a bottle. Not today - this stuff’s probably already all sold out - but it could happen on other days.
Likely either the subject of a review, or something that’s mentioned in the copy - or perhaps even one that gets dropped in the comments. It’ll hit at the right moment, when you’re in the mood - and in a position to do so - and ‘click’; you’ve made a purchase. Maybe I’m just speaking about me, but there’s no shame. Most whisky-afflicted folk I know do it.
It’s an incidental part of writing and reading about whisky. Almost all of us do it and we’re all susceptible to suggestion. If we’re honest though, it is never accidental; “I accidentally read a whisky opinion and accidentally searched for the bottle in question and accidentally found some other opinions and then accidentally bought it”.
This is a very deliberate space. In fact, it’s a lot of the reason we’re all here - even if it’s not the primary driver. But I often wonder just how much ‘impact’ and influence we actually have, as a site and as a larger community. Being something that’s particularly difficult to measure, we only have anecdotes.
However we may try to spread the word about the interesting stuff, with pretty pictures and gushing verbiage (only for the good stuff, of course) we are always beaten by ‘chatter’. I’ll never cease to be amazed at the contagious nature of whisky’s word-of-mouth; its speed is something to marvel at. Some things just catch fire and boof! The word is out - and they’re gone.
The whisky in my glass today is one of those. I heard about it before it was even available “Did you hear about the next Living Souls outturn?…”
You see, we all love good whisky, but what makes good whisky even better is a fair price. What makes it even betterer still is if there’s a cool story attached; we’re all over that. We like sharing whisky - and we like stories. Sometimes the stories are legitimate, other times they’re a little embellished. I’m not sure it matters.
Shamefully, I was pre-armed for this one’s arrival but, typically slow off the mark, by the time I toddled into Glasgow’s Good Spirits Co. it was all memories and vapour.
As I searched around the interwebs thereafter there were one or two places who seemed to still have a bottle, but most of the places I hold an account with were also sold out. Luckily, I mentioned it to a pal who has ‘sparrows’, which he duly sent out. Shortly after, this arrived in the Wally Whisky Pit. I’ll thank him for his alchemy.
I’d like to get into the tasty whisky, but the story still needs telling. Also, I should really mention the bottler. Like a few others who have appeared on our radars in the last year or two - these attractive, shiny new bottle ranges from the likes of Living Souls, Finn Thomson and Fragrant Drops, have made something of a splash. They seem to have sourced and shared some quite remarkable liquids that have seekers of the cratur singing their praises. I am one of them. Whisky Souls - owners of the Living Souls brand - are Glasgow based and have my attention after a mere three or four expressions so far.
I know we profess to place much more emphasis on what’s inside the bottle, but these delicately slim, lightweight, cognac-like aesthetics are something different and every one is beautifully gift-worthy. From what I’ve seen to date, none of them are particularly greedy on price - I’d even say they’re very fair. And, like the bottle we have today, some are remarkably affordable - if you know the story. I mean on paper this is £55 for a 3 year old, but please hold; you need that story.
It’s very short and it’s probably 2025’s worst kept whisky secret. It is suggested that a bottling plant accident saw a splash of grain whisky accidentally added to a large vatting of 18 year old ‘island malt’. The packaging is very coy, but there are hints. The 46.3% is a nod to the fact that this is Tobermory malt. Since it’s peated, we can say it’s Ledaig: that’s the story.
I’ve heard that the amount of added grain was anything between a dribble and a skoosh. Suffice to say, it’s enough to render the category change from Single Malt to Blended Scotch, but nothing close enough for anyone, anywhere, to suggest they can detect it. I’m not sure anyone from Whisky Souls reads Dramface, but perhaps, if they do, they might share a little more in the comments, anonymously, of course. As is the Dramface way.
I know the cynical among you will cry foul. You think that there’s no way anyone could be so stupid as to ‘accidentally’ mix a little grain into thousands of pounds worth of precious, well-aged malt. Well, believe it or not, it’s more common than you think.
Blending and bottling halls are complex places, with spirits stored everywhere in casks, vats and IBC’s. Some arrangements have complex pipework and valve systems to control the direction, rate and flow of the whisky either for further vatting, marrying, reduction, filtration or some form of conditioning or bottling. With many of these levers and buttons operated by human hands, mistakes are sometimes made. These flow-measurement systems know exactly when the mistake is made and they are not easy to hide from.
That delicious bottle of Thompson Brothers TB/BSW? The product of an accident - we think. ‘Ardbeg’ Serendipity? Another mistake; a mix of Glen Moray and Ardbeg, it was one that was successfully turned into a story and very well marketed as such too. No one seemed to care it wasn’t a single malt. To this day people still say ‘Ardbeg’ Serendipity.
Recently, I heard of a large-scale disaster where a tanker of very young spirit was accidentally mixed with very mature whisky, which affected thousands upon thousands of bottles that will now never make it out into their intended market. Not as originally intended at least.
So it would seem these things can happen. The name on this bottle would suggest 1% of the make up is 3yo grain whisky, but to me and everyone else who ‘accidentally’ picked this gorgeous bottle up for a song, it’s just lovely, smoky and - to all intents and purposes - ‘malt’ whisky.
Review
Living Souls Ninety-Nine & One, Blended Scotch Whisky, ‘mostly’ heavily peated, 46.3% ABV
£55 - 58 a few here and there at time of writing, but mostly hoovered up.
Score: 8/10
Something special.
TL;DR
As good as what it was intended to be - just half the price
Nose
Road tar, treacle and rubber tyres with a blast of warm spice. Coal soot mixed with turmeric and cardamom. Some fruit compote; blackberries and raspberries with cracked black pepper, hints of chocolate orange too. Tobacco leaf .
Palate
Familiar and warming. A dry, spiced arrival brings pepper and soot with a little salty soy sauce. The berries are also spiced and doused in charred orange oil, which I’m sure is a thing… It leaves a medium-long and drying, spicy finish with a sour flourish; a little menthol and clove. Really quite lovely; a sherry maturation with a light touch.
I tried a wee glass with water and it was just as lovely, revealing a little orchard fruit too, but my third I enjoyed neat once more. It’s already reduced and sits perfectly as is.
The Dregs
There are a few whisky folk out there that will struggle with the idea that this doesn’t say anywhere that it’s Ledaig or Tobermory or whatever, and also that it isn’t single malt. But I think, these days, we’re getting a little past that - are we not?
We are here for flavour and if that can come nice and naturally presented for a very decent price then surely we can park the purist in us all and simply enjoy a pretty bottle of very pretty liquid.
I poured this alongside a Lediag 18yo. I mean I had to. You may have been disappointed if I hadn’t. I’d say the particular official 18yo I have on hand is a little more balanced and a touch richer. But it cost me £100. The similarities between the glasses are there for all to taste; it’s epic value. Yes, I’ve bumped the score by a point with that consideration alone.
It is very smoky, it is quite rich and - dare I suggest - spiced and a touch challenging. But if that’s your vibe, there’s a bargain to be had out there and I’d be willing to bet they’ll be kicking about on auction in the future too.
Just remember they were sold very reasonably before you go ‘accidentally’ overpaying.
Score: 8/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. WMc
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