Samaroli

Wheat is the timeless wheel that has turned the steps of humanity from the dawn of history to the present moment. Around the fields of golden grain, the first settlements took root, and battles—both ancient and modern—were waged. We cherish the tales of simple folk, like my father, who journeyed hundreds of miles to gather this precious harvest in its season, when the entire year's labour and sweat hung in the balance. From lives like his, stories like ours are born, for we are the living history—no one should feel left out or unrecognised, whether they have devoured countless books or speak with few words.

And now, we present an evolution of wheat—an opportunity to savour today the essence of a grain that sprouted and was toasted thirty years ago. In its calcareous and stately presence, we discover floral undertones, notes of dried fruits, sultanas, apricots, and a whisper of honeyed sweetness. Grainy and malty hints blend with biscuit notes, touches of coconut and almond, creating a tropical and nutty embrace, a subtle hint of delicate smoke. History is us… This plate of wheat. I learned to dream when childhood was already far behind me... Composition: 1994 North British distillery, Ex Laphoraig Quarter Cask single cask number 80, Column Still, Grain whisky. Aged: 30 Years

Bottles Produced: 180

Bottled in Scotland in 2023.

Let’s try to imagine a certain kind of Scotland. One with peat bogs and columns of fog as thick as wax that only the sharp call of a bagpipe can cut through, if persistent enough. That of clans and the men descending to the lowlands to talk, and maybe fight. Now it might be easier to imagine this malt with the most Gaelic of names which seems to emerge out of a Codex from a mediaeval Abbey.

One of those treasures on which an amanuensis (ora et labora…) was called to toil for an entire lifetime. Take a step beyond if you like and invoke the Lord of the Rings with all his Dragons, Orcs and Elves, . . We have now paused in front of the monk who is at the Incipit of a classic, one never copied before. The first gloss we note is that of a very rhythmic nose with peaks made up of alternates. Immediately after we see a quality pertaining to Speyside classics: bread, yeast, fruit, and damp prairie grass. Then we turn over the page to discover balsamic tones of rosemary, oregano and lavender. The palate is well defined with a dry, savoury, tasteful flavour, and featuring rich characteristics. The finish is only just fruity and very balsamic and mineral. A whiskey uniting the diverse qualities of Speyside and Highlands in order to marry them up (fortunately) into a single original whole. As often - or always - is the case, our objective is that of doing. No more.

Blend Composition: Cask No. 900196 – Hogshead – Refill Bourbon

Bottles Produced: 408

Single Malt Whisky. Bottled in Scotland in 2022. How can we not get emotional before a twenty-eighter in Oloroso sherry? A path beginning in 1994 and ending today. A bridge in time during which the world has evolved by a leap previously never recorded in history. As all was shifting at such speed, our Macallan was there resting and getting ready by breathing in the rhythm of the seasons, becoming fine-tuned in the Scottish climate along with its Iberian companion. An elderly land, this mistreated old Europe of ours, from the northeastern folds of which a work of art reaches your glass and is ready to enthral, dragging with it the landscapes, aromas and everything humans have lived through and done from the dawn of time. Descending along the Atlantic and skirting Gascony, our imaginary itinerary dissolves into the highlands of Spain where the marriage is complete and enriched by panoramas and fragrances taking flight among the saline Asturias and Andalusian Moorish flashes. The nosing immediately awakens a fan of long-dozing sulphurous notes which are unleashed as the whisky conquers the sides of our glass. After freeing itself, the saline somewhat kicks in, but not without a certain fragrant quality. Finally and surprisingly it comes across as sweet in the mouth, as succulent as cherries in May. Here an extinguished match, there a thermal fumarole. A range of strident yet oily scents. We find these perceptions overturned on the palate, the sweet tones liberated quickly and the more linear suite of sensations playing hard to get, even resisting until the finish. Dried fruits and quince jam- yes, opposites do attract and complement each other to a tee-in a medley of shades and impressions which unfortunately have been long forgotten. Composition: Cask #11325 from Macallan Distillery Bottles Produced: 269