Embracing the soapy whisky in Blended Scotch
Living Souls is a new bottler from Glasgow that has launched some interesting new products on the market. In a heavily saturated whisky spectrum, the odd ones stand out, and the 40 year old Blended Scotch by Living Souls that landed on my desk last month, could well be considered as odd. Dropping a red flag in a save environment is ballsy, and we love it!
Living Souls 40 years old, bottled at 41,2 % abv
First things first: This is a 40 years old Blended Scotch that contains Glenfarclas, Fettercairn, Blair Athol, and – here is the big red flag – Glen Garioch. Also, a big dose of Cambus single grain was added to the mix. All this was finished in an ex-Islay refill sherry butt and produced … batch 1. Here we go!
Upon Sipping: Forty years back in time, and we are smack in the middle of the worst era of soapy whisky made at the Morisson Bowmore group of distilleries. This included Glen Garioch. And part of that landed in this blend. This aspect could not have been missed, so one can only assume it is with the intention to create something around this element. When you stick your nose in the glass, we can establish it works: this smells like freshly brushed teeth in the morning. Remarkable that this, too, can be created with processed and distilled malted barley! It takes a lot of work (for me) to get past it. When you get used to this very invasive attack, the first thing you will pick up is a smoky, slightly peated wood note. There is the cask that was used for the finish. And then, finally, we find the fruit that is so smartly displayed on the label. But always this mentholated whiff.
Now, the taste carries more of the things I like. On the front part of the palate, it is sweet and full of pineapple and peaches before it moves on to a floral note that carries something of menthol cigarettes my mother used to smoke in the 1980s. I once stole one from her pack and tasted it without even lighting it. A taste I will never forget, since it has now become nostalgia. The soap one would dread is not very present; it lingers.
Not exactly blowing bubbles, but it is there. When used by a skilful blender, we now discover that these soapy malts can shine in an ensemble – like this 40 year old blend.
Word to the Wise: There is a future for the more extreme ends of the whisky spectrum, and I do think this kind of floral borderline soap whisky is that: extreme. To make it work, you need to compose it with skill, and that happened with this Living Souls blend. So, in short: try before you buy, but looking at the price, acquiring this bottle is certainly not a setback. The only regret after tasting this whisky: I do not really pick up on this being 40 years old. A sidenote.
Score: 84 points.
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