I bought two bottles of this immediately after seeing it for sale online. It is not often I get a chance to buy a birth year bottle of whisky, and it is even less often that I can do so for under $200.  There has been a remarkably seam of casks of what I assume to be the same blend that Thompson Brothers and Living Souls have bottled in the last few years. I wish I knew more of the story behind them— why were they created?  Enough yammering, on to the whisky!

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Whisky: Living Souls 41 Year (1984) Blended Whisky Batch 4

Country/Region: Scotland/Blend

ABV: 42%

Cask: Refill Sherry Butt

Age: 41 Years (Distilled 1984, Bottled 2026)

Notes: Soft and floral, coastal tropical air heavy with the scent of blooming flowers, ripening fruits, musty earth, and salty air.  It was a botanical garden after the monsoon, or perhaps a particularly humid day, with a refreshing passion flower, red ginger, and pineapple-infused iced tea. A touch of strawberry and musk flavored candies lingered in the background with hessian, fresh garden herbs, and a wisp of smoke. Light-bodied on the palate, the flavors were fruity and floral with plenty of strawberry and musk candies opening onto a beach at night: mellow salt, wet sand, minerals, sea shells. Passion flower tea appeared again with chopped pineapple, mountain apple, and orange blossom— it was tea, tarts, and floral tea. Wispy perfumed smoke and hessian lingered in the background, something almost dirty and musty sitting beyond the clean florals upfront. The finish was long and mellow with citrusy calamansi, berries, musk, and malty biscuits. 

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Score: 7 (85)

Mental Image: Midnight Tea on a Tropical Lagoon

Conclusion: Mellow and mighty relaxing. This was perhaps a step back from the wonderful bottle the Thompson Brothers put out, but still fit the same vibe. It had a much stronger floral character, while some of the soot, smoke, and dirtier qualities were tuned down and hidden further in the background compared to the 40 Year from Thompson Brothers. I can understand why some might find this a touch soapy, but I love these floral flavor profiles. Each sip reminded me of standing in a humid tropical glade, the air heavy with the scent of flowers and fallen fruits. In that, the strong and clear flavors of the whisky, coming through after forty-one years, were remarkable and had none of the intense oaky quality I would otherwise expect.  Overall, a delight, one that may not last long on the shelf.