Review #840 - Living Souls Ninety-Nine & One Blended Scotch
In April 2026, we attended a tasting hosted by local specialty spirits shop Storied Company; this tasting was led by the owners of Sacks Dynamic Operations, a company that owns US-based spirits importer ‘Scotch Drinkers Only.’ This importer focuses on independent bottlers and high-quality craft distilleries; some of the brands they represent are Annandale distillery, Holyrood distillery, and indies such as Cree, Lady of the Glen, and Living Souls. We went through a selection of 7 whiskies on the night; this review is 1 of those 7.
Living Souls is a relatively new independent bottler based in Scotland; they source whisky from a variety of distilleries, and in addition to bottling single casks and small batch single malts, they have also released some blended whiskies. Here's one example, arguably their most famous release: the Ninety-Nine & One blended scotch.
This comes with a price tag of $104 at our local store, which might seem like a lot for a NAS blended scotch; in fact, this whisky is actually only 3 years old, though that's just a technicality. This blend is described as a "happy accident" by the brand; the story goes like this: roughly 10,000 liters of a mature, heavily peated island whisky from an undisclosed source were accidentally tainted by the addition of 30 liters of 3 year old grain whisky. Because of this accidental combination, this now had to be sold as a blend, and it couldn't command nearly the same price as the mature single malt would have.
While they don't disclose the sources, we know that the peaty island single malt is Ledaig, from the Tobermory distillery, and it's around 18 years old; the casks used in this release are a combination of bourbon and sherry casks, and we get a bottling strength of 46.3% ABV, a subtle nod to the typical bottling strength used by the official bottlings from the Ledaig brand.
So, an 18 year old Ledaig, 'teaspooned' with 3 year old grain, and sold for half the price of the nearly-equivalent single malt. How does the value proposition hold up after we taste it?
Living Souls Ninety-Nine & One Blended Scotch
Scotland - Blend
Price: USD 104 (2026)
Age Statement: NAS (3 Years)
Strength: 46.3% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon and sherry casks
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; batch #1
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 50% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Rich and old, this smells outstanding. It's musty and light funky, earthy, with mushrooms and smoked meats. Tons of character; smokiness builds over time, both peat and wood smoke, and we get charred orange, too.
Palate: A bit lighter and brighter than the nose suggested, but there's still a decent amount of peat smoke. Jalapenos, drying oak, but further sips bring back the meaty flavors: ham, charred bacon.
Finish: Semi-sweet with green bell pepper, savory meats, and a subtle funk note that returns from the nose. The peat begins to mellow out; it's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: Lovely stuff, especially the nose, which blew us away in comparison to the other whiskies in our tasting. That's not to say that the others whiskies were disappointing, but this smells every bit of 18+ years old and richly sherried. Intense savory notes, a decent amount of peat smoke, good depth and nice funky nuance... this is a great bottle indeed.
Value here is quite good; we do think that this is a good substitute for Ledaig 18 Year, as it's almost as good, but half the price in our area. Great stuff, highly recommended.
Our Rating: 8.0 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.81
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other recent reviews of Scotch blends:
Review #739 - Maclean's Nose Blended Scotch Whisky
Review #688 - Compass Box Transatlanticism Bespoke Release
Review #678 - Compass Box Glasgow Blend Single Marrying Cask - Storied Company Selection
