Puni Alba 43%
Batch 1/ 3 Year old Spirit aged in Marsala Casks and finished in ex-Islay Casks
Tasted: Apr 2016
Nose: Interesting, youthful and very malty. It reminds me of a Dutch malt-wine with sweet barley, honey and a winey, sup Grappa-like note. A touch of buttery oak appears along with what feels like a little rye spice.
Palate: Crisper and edgy with more earthy rye-like notes and hints of sweet barley and youthful Grappa-like spirit. Subtly, dusty spiced with building whisky notes and a suggestion of oak.
Finish: Good length, if a little dry and subtly smoky with malt biscuits and dark rye-like notes.
Conclusion: A curious and entertaining dram. I would have like to have seen a little more balancing oak character on the palate.
Puni Alba (Batch 3) 43%
Aged 3 years in ex-Marsala, finished in ex-Islay casks
Tasted: Sept 2017
The nose displays a lot more peat character than batch 1. The medicinal peat influence is very obvious and the fruit is richer. There’s hints of smoke, roasted, raisinated fruit and subtle darker honey. Like the Nova it has a lovely balance.
The palate is a little lighter than the nose suggests. Quite herbal and medicinal with peat smoke, dark honey and rich dried fruit. Quite sooty on the middle with subtle spice notes. Long and remaining sooty with subtle herbal notes. Very impressive
Puni Nova 43%
Batch 1/ 3 Year old spirit aged in American and European White Oak
Tasted: Mar 2016
Nose: Very estery, summery and aromatic with pineapple, banana and fresh barley. Creamy American oak mingles with some tighter grainier oak tannins. Late hints of grass and lime.
Palate: A little weak and underpowered, but pleasantly citric with lime, barley and vanilla. Again there’s some taught, grainy tannins which come through on the middle.
Finish: Good, crisp, slightly alcoholic finish with lingering barley and grass.
Conclusion: Lovely aromas, but unfortunately the palate lets it down and lacks the promise or complexity of the nose. Definitely work in progress.
Puni Nova (Batch 3) 43%
Aged 3 years in ex-Bourbon casks, finished in virgin European oak.
Tasted: Sept 2017
A lovely, soft, estery nose of pineapple, apricot, banana with hints of minerals and pure vanilla oak. The oak becomes quite toasty with time and subtle herbal and citric notes appear.
The palate is fuller than the nose, but still quite estery with banana, apricot and hints of mash-tunny cereal. Lightly mineral and grassy on the middle with a touch of honey. Good, crisp, citric finish with very subtle oak tannins and lingering minerality.
Puni Sole (2017 Release) 46%
Sole means sun. 2 year in First fill Bourbon, 2 years in ex-Pedro Ximinez
Tasted: Dec 2017
Delicate, aromatic and barley’d with dark honey, spice, vanilla and subtle, juicy dried fruit. The sherry certainly doesn’t mask the estery, fruity character of the spirit (banana, apricot) or its lovely minerality. With time the grainy sherrywood tannins come through, but all in all the balance is spot on.
The palate shows a little more of the sweet, grapey PX character with subtle treacle and honey. However the American oak and barley balance superbly. Lightly tannic on the middle but the subtly restrained juicy fruit comes through as well. For such a young spirit it’s wonderfully layered. Long and juicy with lingering apple, banana and dried fruit. There is a little clean, rose petal spirit note, which gives its age away but it is still an impressive whisky.
Puni Nero (2017 Release) 46%
3 years aging in South Tyrolean Pinot Noir Casks. Limited Edition of 3000 bottles
Tasted: Dec 2017
The nose has a tantalising wild and herbaceous bouquet with subtle tannins, coffee, berries, honey and warming cinnamon spice. The barley’d spirit character is just about noticeable along with a restrained citrus note. Although the focus is predominantly on the wine cask the distillery character is still evident.
Dry, dusty and lightly coffee’d on the palate with supple berry fruits, treacle and wild herbs (thyme, heather). Subtly honeyed and barley’d on the middle, with malt and cereal, but like the nose, the focus is on the wine cask. Long, malty and spicy with a mouth tingling, yet restrained intensity. The drying, coffee’d tannins return and make the finish a tad on the dry side, but it’s still impressive.
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 