PUNI Alba (Batch 02)

Italian distillery PUNI recently launched two whiskies in the beautiful bottles: PUNI Nova, the ‘classic’ style, and this PUNI Alba. This whisky was first matured in Sicilian Marsala wine casks and then transferred to second-fill bourbon barrels that previously contained peated whisky on Islay for 10 to 24 years.

PUNI Alba 3 yo
(43%, OB 2015, Batch 02/2015)

Nose: sweet and sour onset, with plums, baked apple, the moving towards red grapes and lemon. Touches of agave. Peppery touches and a light smokiness – or rather more earthiness – in the background. Also clear malty notes with traces of hops (the Stella Artois factory on a summer morning).

Mouth: malty, with slightly strange mineral notes and then growing spices (clove, pepper). Some charred notes and creosote, as well as caramel and traces of forest fruits. Dusty hay. Quite some winey notes again.

Finish: not too long, but smooth, with the same traces of smoke, black pepper, a fig sweetness and lots of malty notes.

Of course for such a young distillery it’s difficult to come up with different profiles if you’re only producing one type of whisky – wild finishes are a risk you’ll need to take. I don’t think this is a keeper for a future core range, but it’s an original variation on sherry casks and interesting to get the smoky touch. Around € 80.

Score: 71/100