Whisky Italian: great selection online

The history of whisky in Italy it can be divided into two phases, with 2010 acting as a watershed between the Italian scene linked to collectors and bottlers and Italian production, made possible by the only distillery of whisky, or Puni in South Tyrol.

When it comes to Italy of whisky it is necessary to delve into some figures who have made our country one of the main consumers also from a qualitative point of view: it is impossible not to mention Glen Grant 5 and Macallan 7, or the two most iconic bottles and which the respective distilleries produced only for the Italian market .

History of the Whisky in Italy

Let's take a step back in history: in the post-war period the vast majority of whisky on the market it was of the blend type, or a mix between whisky of barley and whisky of wheat, going to create products of limited age, often without aging declaration on the label, for a soft taste, with little roughness and intended for mass consumption. Bottles of this type were often used as Christmas or birthday gifts, often not to satisfy the tastes of the recipient but simply because they were considered valuable products. In the 60s the situation changed slightly and next to the blended ones whisky (once also called vatted or with other denominations that are no longer legally recognized) single malts have increased whisky, Or the whisky produced by a single distillery and of 100% malt origin.

The Independent Bottlers and Samaroli

One of the first in the world to travel to Scotland, select and import bottles of whisky single malt was Silvano Samaroli, legendary independent bottler who selected some of the bottles whisky most requested by collectors, with prices on the rise. Silvano Samaroli had the idea of ​​going directly to the distillery to taste whisky coming from various barrels and then put them on the market under their own name, creating a real brand. The practice of independent selection was not born with Silvano Samaroli but precedes it, yet Samaroli's ability has been to broaden the attention on these products. From that moment on, various distilleries began to produce bottles of single malt with their name on the label and, above all, to export them all over the world, including Italy.

Silvano Samaroli was the first, but soon other people began to follow his example: Giorgio d'Ambrosio began selecting barrels for his whisky bar, the Bar Metro in Milan. Ernesto Mainardi founded a company dedicated to this purpose, Sestante, which today has merged into the Silver Seal brand owned by Massimo Righi, based in Formigine, in the province of Modena.

These figures have taught several generations of drinkers whisky to appreciate a single malt, net of the harshness and the impetuous character of these bottles, often with an alcohol content higher than the classic 40/43 degrees of most bottles on the market. In addition to this, Italy has a glorious past in terms of collecting: the collections of whisky Italian are among the best known in the world, with the mythological allure that only decades of research can give.

The most important collections among those known were that of Edoardo Giaccone, legendary collector and owner of a bar in Salò, a collection even mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records in the 70s. Giaccone has also selected several bottles of single malt.

The sale of another monumental collection, namely that of Valentino Zagatti, made headlines, with over six thousand bottles with which a museum was even opened in Holland. Zagatti in fact sold his collection in 2015.

The story of independent bottlers continues today with Valinch & Mallet, Wilson & Morgan, Hidden Spirits, High Spirits and others that are entering the market in recent years.

In 2010 the turning point took place, namely the first stone of the first distillery whisky 100% Italian: the Edensperger family has in fact decided to dedicate itself to the production itself: we are in Alto Adige, near the city of Glorenza, the distillery is contained in a large cube of exposed red bricks and since 2015 it is therefore possible to savor a whisky Italian. The range of Puni-branded products is expanding, also thanks to the general favor that various enthusiasts are paying to these whisky. Several very positive scores have arrived from the main sector journalists.

You can find some bottles with the inscription “whisky Italian” dating back to the 70s and 80s: it is about whisky Scottish imported and sold under another name of origin.
We conclude with an anecdote: in 1749 an Italian, precisely the Bolognese Giacomo Justerini, moved to London for love of the soprano Margherita Bellino. Justerini came from a family of grocers and saw that the British preferred the consumption of sweet liqueurs, so he decided to go into business and found a capital partner, George Johnson, in order to sell alcohol, including some invented by the grocer Justerini. The company that was created today is known as Justerini & Brooks, which is the famous blended brand whisky J&B, currently the fourth whisky best selling in the world.