Living Souls whisky has arrived in a six-bottle drop, and the range is the story: a 15-year-old Speyside malt you can buy for under £70 sits alongside a half-century-old grain from a distillery silent for over forty years. In between there is a peated Islay 21, a sherry-finished Glen Moray, a tropical 27-year-old Dumbarton grain, and the return of the 99&1 concept as Error #2.
The prices run from £66.95 to £274.95. Every bottle is 70cl. Four are single malts, two are single grains, and all six are out now through Master of Malt.
If you have been following the Living Souls label, one name on that list will stop you: the 99&1 16 Year Old, badged Error #2. We have tasted the original 99&1, and it was outstanding, which is exactly why a second “error” makes us raise an eyebrow. More on that below.
What is Living Souls whisky?
Living Souls is an independent Scottish bottling label built around limited, small-batch releases of single malt, blended malt and blended Scotch. An independent bottler buys casks from distilleries (rather than distilling its own spirit) and bottles them under its own name, often disclosing the distillery, sometimes not.
This new set leans into two things independent bottlers do best. First, single casks and small vattings from named distilleries at ages the distilleries themselves rarely release. Second, whisky from closed, or “silent”, distilleries that no longer produce, where the only way to taste them is through stock that independents have held for decades.
The six bottles at a glance
Tasting notes below are the official released notes for each whisky, except where we say otherwise. We have hands-on history only with the 99&1 line.
| Bottle | Age | Style and region | Casks | ABV | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tamnavulin 15 | 15 yrs | Single malt, Speyside | Bourbon barrels | 48% | £66.95 |
| Dumbarton 27 | 27 yrs | Single grain, Lowland (closed) | Refill casks | 48.4% | £84.95 |
| Glen Moray 19 | 19 yrs | Single malt, Speyside | Amoroso sherry hogshead finish | 50.5% | £94.95 |
| 99&1 16 (Error #2) | 16 yrs | Single malt, northern Highlands | Multiple casks | 52.1% | £98.95 |
| Kildalton 21 | 21 yrs | Single malt, Islay | Refill bourbon and sherry | 42.6% | £139.95 |
| Carsebridge 50 | 50 yrs | Single grain, Lowland (closed) | First-fill bourbon finish | 40.3% | £274.95 |
The entry point: Tamnavulin 15 Year Old
At £66.95 this is the way into the range, and it is a straightforward showcase of Speyside malt left in bourbon barrels for 15 years. Tamnavulin is a quiet workhorse of the region, a distillery whose single malt turns up far less often than its output would suggest.
Style: Single malt, Speyside Age: 15 years Casks: Bourbon barrels ABV: 48% Price: £66.95
Nose: Toasted marzipan, fresh apple, pear drops, vanilla shortbread.
Palate: Red apples, treacle and ginger loaf, creamy malt, buttered soda bread.
Finish: Vanilla fudge, toasted oak, pancake batter, golden syrup.
Sherry sweetness: Glen Moray 19 Year Old
Glen Moray is one of the great value Speysiders, and here it gets 19 years plus an amoroso sherry hogshead finish. Amoroso is a sweetened oloroso-style sherry, so the finish pushes the malt towards dessert: the released notes point to nougat, honeyed malt and boiled sweets. At £94.95 and 50.5%, it is the sweet, sherried option in the set.
Style: Single malt, Speyside Age: 19 years Casks: 19 years maturation with an amoroso sherry hogshead finish ABV:50.5% Price: £94.95 Profile: Nougat, honeyed malt, boiled sweets.
The Islay: Kildalton 21 Year Old
“Kildalton” is the name independent bottlers use for an undisclosed Islay malt. Kildalton is the parish on the south-east coast of Islay that is home to the island’s most famous peated distilleries, so the label tells you the postcode without naming the maker. This one is 21 years old across refill bourbon and sherry casks, bottled at a gentle 42.6%.
Style: Single malt, Islay (undisclosed) Age: 21 years Casks: Refill bourbon and sherry ABV: 42.6% Price: £139.95
Nose: Warming spices, medicinal peat, burnt brown sugar, barbecued pineapple. Palate: Dried fruits, dark caramel, a prickle of peppercorn heat. Finish: Rich, smoky, herbaceous.
Lost distilleries: Dumbarton 27 and Carsebridge 50
The two grains are the collector’s corner of this release, both from Lowland distilleries that no longer exist.
Dumbarton, the grain plant behind Ballantine’s for decades, closed in the early 2000s. This 27-year-old spent its life in refill casks and has turned tropical: mandarin, coconut cream, ginger and papaya. At 48.4% and £84.95, it is a lot of age for the money and a good introduction to why aged single grain has a following.
Carsebridge is the headline. The distillery fell silent in 1983, so a 50-year-old from it is a genuine time capsule. Half a century in wood, finished in a first-fill bourbon barrel, and bottled at a natural 40.3%, it stays delicate rather than woody. At £274.95 it is the trophy of the set.
Dumbarton 27 Year Old Style: Single grain, Lowland (closed) Casks: Refill casks ABV: 48.4% | Price: £84.95
Nose:Mandarin, buttery pastry, honeyed nuts, soft stone fruits.
Palate: Oaken vanilla and coconut, zesty orange peel, ginger loaf.
Finish: Candied ginger, dried lemon, honeydew melon.
Carsebridge 50 Year Old Style: Single grain, Lowland (closed) Casks: First-fill bourbon barrel finish ABV: 40.3% | Price: £274.95
Nose: Orange blossom, lemon sherbet, butter shortbread.
Palate: Mandarin, vanilla fudge, cardamom buns, a gentle touch of coconut.
The one we care about most: 99&1 16 Year Old (Error #2)
This is the bottle that made us look twice. The 99&1 name is the recipe: a “mostly” unpeated northern Highland single malt with roughly one percent peated malt in the mix. According to Living Souls, that one percent got in by accident, a small amount of peated spirit from the same distillery added to the batch before it was re-racked into multiple casks. Hence “Error”. It is bottled at 52.1% and priced at £98.95.
Here is our honest position. We tasted the original 99&1, and it was one of the most complete drams to cross our table that year, with all the layered fruit and the faint curl of smoke that the concept promises. So when a second “error” appears, in the same house, with the same trick, we are allowed a knowing smile. Whether Error #2 is a genuine repeat accident or a happy formula worth reproducing on purpose, we honestly do not mind. If it lands anywhere near the first, this is the bottle in the range we would open first.
There are no official tasting notes out yet, and we have not tasted this exact batch, so we are not going to invent a nose for it. A full review will follow once we have a glass in hand.
Style: Single malt, northern Highlands Age: 16 years Concept: “99&1”, roughly 99% unpeated with about 1% peated malt from the same distillery ABV: 52.1% Price: £98.95
Price and availability
All six are available now from Master of Malt in 70cl, priced from £66.95 for the Tamnavulin 15 to £274.95 for the Carsebridge 50. Master of Malt ships to much of Europe and beyond, so readers outside the UK can order directly, subject to local import rules. These are small-batch bottlings, so the older and rarer names (the Carsebridge 50 in particular) are the ones likely to sell through first.
Which one is for you?
If you want the easy recommendation, the Tamnavulin 15 at £66.95 is the range’s value pick and an honest, fruity Speysider for everyday drinking. If you want sweetness and body, the sherry-finished Glen Moray 19 is the one. Peat drinkers have the Kildalton 21, an Islay malt at a relaxed strength that puts fruit alongside the smoke. Grain enthusiasts get two very different lessons in age with the Dumbarton 27 and the Carsebridge 50. And if you already know the 99&1 story, Error #2 is the one to watch, and the one we will be reviewing in full.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Living Souls 2026 release? Living Souls has released six new Scotch whiskies as part of its independent bottling label: Tamnavulin 15, Glen Moray 19, Kildalton 21 (Islay), Dumbarton 27 (grain), Carsebridge 50 (grain) and the 99&1 16 Year Old (Error #2). They cover single malt and single grain, priced from £66.95 to £274.95.
What is Living Souls 99&1 Error #2? It is a 16-year-old single malt from the northern Highlands, mostly unpeated with about one percent peated malt from the same distillery. Living Souls says the peat got in by accident before re-racking, which is why it is badged “Error”. It is bottled at 52.1% and costs £98.95.
How much do the new Living Souls whiskies cost? Prices run from £66.95 for the Tamnavulin 15 Year Old to £274.95 for the Carsebridge 50 Year Old. In between: Dumbarton 27 at £84.95, Glen Moray 19 at £94.95, the 99&1 Error #2 at £98.95, and the Kildalton 21 at £139.95. All are 70cl.
Where can I buy the new Living Souls bottles? All six are available now from Master of Malt, which ships to much of Europe and beyond, subject to local import rules. As small-batch releases, the older grains are likely to sell out first, so the Carsebridge 50 in particular is worth acting on quickly.
What is Kildalton whisky? Kildalton is a name independent bottlers use for an undisclosed Islay single malt. It refers to the parish on Islay’s south-east coast, home to the island’s best-known peated distilleries. The Living Souls Kildalton 21 is aged in refill bourbon and sherry casks and bottled at 42.6%.
What is an independent bottler? An independent bottler buys maturing casks from distilleries and bottles them under its own name, rather than distilling its own spirit. It is how drinkers get single casks, unusual ages, and whisky from closed distilleries such as Dumbarton and Carsebridge that would otherwise never reach a shelf.
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