This is the second edition of this bottling. Also known as the “little brother” of Samaroli’s Ferry to Islay, the same technique is used here of blending casks of younger and older whisky to allow for a greater range of aromas and layers of flavor.
Bottled in 2017, it brings notes of caramelised banana, toffee and fruit pastilles, along with notes of subtle spice, and well developed Islay peat…
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.
