“Like previous editions, it retains a timid character. A rum that quietly affirms its importance. A rum that is distinctly “Whisky”. As it reveals itself to us, its overall structure on chlorophyll and molasses supports it. First we have the scents of undergrowth, then a slightly medieval aroma that evokes the “nave of an old Romanesque church”. That smell of ancient worship books. With grace and harmony, these scents turn to vanilla … Or rather, stracciatella ice cream with notes of licorice and dried fruits. Complex and complete, his shyness reveals more an awareness, that of being a great mind. On the palate, an explosion of juniper berries and a very subtle, unexpected sweetness, a mixture of butter and honey. A finish where the soft notes take shape with roundness and subtlety. –Â Samaroli”
This one is a personal favourite of ours… Which Trinidad distillery it comes from, we may truly never know, not that it really matters.
Samaroli is Italy’s most revered independent bottler; indeed they are one of the most revered bottlers in the world. The company was founded in 1968 by Silvano S. Samaroli who initially was a spirits importer. However, within a decade Samaroli had become the first independent bottler of Scotch whisky, outside of the UK, in the world. In the 1980s Samaroli released a slate of whiskies that, due to their quality, whisky connoisseurs worldwide clamoured to procure. These 80s releases have since become truly legendary, fetching enormous sums of money when they pop up at auction. Some of the releases from this era are heralded as the best iterations of certain distilleries ever produced. Beyond just his phenomenal palate, Silvano was a pioneer in the world of whisky. He was one of the first bottlers to embrace the notion of cask strength whisky and was also one of the first in the industry to recognise the need for no-age statement (NAS) whiskies. Silvano retained ownership of Samaroli until 2008, at which time Antonio Bleve took the reigns; however he remained closely connected to the business until his death in 2017. Today, Samaroli produce, in total, only 12,000 to 14,000 bottles of whisky annually.
