PUNI Alba

I had heard good things... and bad things about this whisky. Being from France, I've been able to see whisky rise up in France, Sweden, Wales, Ireland (after a collapse in production) and so I was curious to see what Italy had to offer. So lets start, the nose was delicious, wine cask, a drier feel from the Italian wine, not as round and sweet as French wine cask whisky, and smooth peat, in one word, promising. Upon tasting it... It is watery, young, the grain is weak, not sturdy Breton, not austere but subtle Scottish, not generous French... just dull, lacking in personality, the Marsala starts to be felt, but it's barged out of the way by the peat. A rough Ileach Cask Strength hum of old oak, bourbon, rye and merciless peat tears through, it strikes the wrong chord with the youth of the whisky at hand. Finally, the Italian wine feebly flits through after the peat, dry and peppery, sweet, but the impact is tainted by the bitter peat. Maybe if this whisky is given time to age, we'll see something worth while, but as it stands, it's a mess. I'd recommend Ileach Cask Strength if you are looking for that old cask and peat feel or G. Rozelieures Rare if you want European oak, wine cask and peat, if it's something rough and delicate you want, look at Naguelann Mesk with malted buckwheat and malted barley, just stay clear of this overpriced whisky.

The color is a beautiful light amber, very delicate. The nose you immediately perceive a light peaty smokiness, a sign that the Islay barrels are not just passing through, accompanied by decisive sweet and vinous notes, obviously marsalate. Yellow fruit with a pinch of pepper. The sense of smell is not particularly complex, but pleasant: youth is felt whole. On the palate alcohol slightly pinches, and the peat smokiness is immediately dominated by the clear influence of Marsala: lots of wine, lots of orange, together with candied fruit, spices (still pepper, with cloves) and, after a bit of wait, return of the herbaceous peat with a hint of minerality. The profile in the mouth is more interesting than the olfactory one, with a greater variety even if it remains not particularly stratified, with the vinous aspect that dominates it. But for a 3 years old it is already a remarkable achievement. Marsala finish (very) with a touch of citrus, not very long and dry.

If you like extreme smoky whiskey, you’ll like Puni Alba. I purchased this whiskey 3 years ago through my daughter in the UK and because of Covid and other reasons I couldn’t get my hands on this bottle. Recently, with the restrictions lifted, I was able to travel to the UK. With much anticipation and excitement I was finally able to taste the first Italian whiskey made in the country of my forefathers. To my extreme disappointment, I couldn’t get past the cigar-ashtray taste that permeated my senses. I am a big fan of whiskey and bourbon but don’t like smoky to the point of overwhelming all of the other notes in the spirit. If I could give the whiskey 0 stars I would. Sorry to all the fans of smoky peaty spirits.

Nose: dense fruit cake, caramel, floral honey, apricot, blood orange, vanilla and light citrus. Rose water and light berry notes. Taste: intense bitter wormwood with cinnamon, nutmeg, and light cloves. Finish is fruity and honey with a hint of vanilla. Very sweet cherry and toffee.

Flaviar advent day 2 Sweet dark fruits honey Walnut spice as you talk after trying it. There's a vanilla in the palate that is quite nice. The oak is light and just in the background.

Very sweet whiskey with notes of raisins, honey and light orange zest. Linger notes of lite spice on my pallet after my tasting. First sniff screams dried fruit and sweetness.