Puni Nova
Puni is a distillery founded in 2010 in South Tyrol by the Italian alps and is named after a local river. Their two pot stills were crafted in Rothes, Scotland and the curious architecture of the distillery makes the building appear much like a giant cheese grater. Puni is guided a great deal by the whisky-making tradition out of Scotland without seeking to copy and is Italy’s first single malt whisky. The Puni Nova is one of their first two offerings (along with Puni Alba) and is matured in first fill American and European ex-bourbon casks for three years and finished for a month in virgin oak casks.
Balvenie 17 Year Doublewood
While there are whiskies with age statements and whiskies with cask finishes, less often are they seen together. Even rarer are the combination of the two, especially when they feature the same mix found in a younger offering. Like the iconic Balvenie 12 Doublewood, the Balvenie 17 Doublewood is a mix of whiskies aged in ex-bourbon casks and ex-sherry casks. So, like the younger offering but with an additional five years of maturity. It is always fun to see a distillery copy most of the particulars of one scotch in their portfolio and then only tweak one factor. Most of the time, other factors are changed like differences in cask finishes, so seeing the age be the variable here allows the studied drinker to make a different kind of comparison.
Wayne Gretzky No 99 Red
What to do when you’ve finished a legendary hockey career with the moniker The Great One? You could rest on your laurels, but you could also start a winery followed by a distillery. Wayne Gretzky Estates opened in 2017 in southern Ontario and boasts a wide array of offerings from both areas, including some beer. Taking a cue from recent trends, one of the brand offerings is the Wayne Gretzky No 99 Red, a rye whisky finished in casks taken from the estate’s winery – specifically the red one. While the details on which specific red wine casks are not specified, the winery offers Merlot, Shiraz Cabernet, along with multiple mixed reds.