Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 27, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. Here is what has caught our attention this week ...

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Aberfeldy - Sweet 16
John Dewar & Sons, the owners of the Highland distillery of Aberfeldy, have announced a new expression that will sit in their core single malt range.  The Aberfeldy 16 years old has been matured entirely in ex-Oloroso sherry casks and will sit between the 12 and 21 years old expressions in the range.  There is also an 18 years old, which is exclusive to the travel retail sector.  The 16 years old has been bottled at 40% ABV and will be available in eleven world markets - Belgium, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, Lebanon, Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, Taiwan and the UK. No indication of price was given in the press release.

Puni - Italy joins whisky world
The first ever Italian single malt whisky is about to hit the market.  The Puni distillery, which is located in the southern Tyrol in the foothills of the Alps, began production in February 2012.  They have announced the release of their first two limited edition whiskies - Alba (pictured, left) and Nova (pictured, below).  Both will be available in two batches, the first at 54% ABV and a later one to follow at 43% ABV.  Alba ('dawn' in Italian) has been matured in ex-Marsala wine casks for two years and then transferred for a further years to casks that have previously held smoky Islay whisky.

Nova ('new' in Italian) has been matured in American oak ex-bourbon casks before being finished in European oak casks.  The Puni distillery is the epitomy of Italian style and is a 13 metre high red brick cube from the outside.  Inside is one of the most highly advanced distilleries in Europe.  This contemporary style is reflected in the bottle design for the single malts.  The first batch of both will only be available via the online shop at www.puni.com or at the distillery shop.  The same applies for the second batches, but these will also be available through selected specialist and luxury retailers in France, Germany and Italy.

Prices are - Alba Batch 1 €154 per bottle and Batch 2 €74.  Nova Batch 1 €126 per bottle and Batch 2 €59.