I had some time to kill in Glasgow a few months back and when that happens the one place you can bet your last fiver on me being is….Good Spirits Company (side node: On finding the link it seems they have a new website, go check it out especially the Our Own Bottling Section)

When I visit, I am always asked if I am looking for anything in particular and the honest answer is always: no. I just browse the shelves and check the prices looking for something unusual, unexpected and priced cheap enough to stay under the radar on the joint account statement.

This bottle was the last on the shelf and caught my eye with the slender tall glassware, colourful and unusually cut label and the name of the independent bottler which was new to me. Look at the image at the top of the page and tell me you don’t agree?

The Bottler

Specialising in small batch and single cask releases, Living Souls is a Scottish spirits brand founded by John Torrance, Jamie Williamson and Calum Leslie. The brand launched in 2024 and interestingly enough the label on the bottle shows their address to be on the same street as the shop I bought the bottle in. It’s only a registered address for the company and is actually an accountancy firm so don’t go visiting!

There are a few Scottish bottlers in this microscale some of the others which spring to mind are Fib Whisky and Lady of the Glen. LotG is particularly one to look out for if you like cask forward heavily finished whiskies.

Back on Whisky Souls though and they have got bottles available all over the place. A quick google search shows them on all the major online retailers, independent retailers and obviously high streets like Good Spirits. A very good achievement for a company that is so young.

The Whisky

The first thing to make sure you are clear on is that this bottling is a small batch and not a single cask. It’s easy to forget that and assume all bottles from Indi’s are single cask or blended malts. This however, is a 10 year old Balblair which has been finished in Limousin oak XO Octaves so very small casks of around 50litres or so. The Whisky Souls website is amazing at detail and includes a factsheet which I have linked below.

https://malted.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/d5a96-livingsouls10yrspresenter-v1.pdf

Tasting Notes

Colour	A Pale Yellow
Nose	Esters with pear and cooking apples, Burnt toast coated in melting butter. The damp dank smell of a room in an old house
Palate	A big hit of woody spices, a little tingle of chilli pepper before becoming sweeter again with orange chocolate
Finish	A bitter complex finish which is like a mix of grapefruit, sawdust and chalk

Where Can I Buy?

Master of Malt – Balblair 10 Year Old

Tyndrum Whisky – https://www.tyndrumwhisky.com/balblair-10-year-old-living-souls-batch-1.html?srsltid=AfmBOoqK5w83odk21RDmSHVL6qnr7ushG2zpcKdmbO7Nc1fRtwNCigMI

Final Thoughts

I bought this bottle purely on the basis of the new bottler even though I expected to not like the whisky. I do love a Balblair but I am beginning to think between this Limousin Oak finish and the Manzanilla Oak in The One – Manzanilla Cask I struggle with the bitter notes these types of oak leave on the whisky.

I am enjoying this bottle more at the level reduces though and at less than £50 a bottle its good value for the 46% ABV and natural presentation.