With wine deeply embedded in the national identity, and high-quality productions spanning anything from liqueurs to artisan beer, Italians are no strangers to the arts of fermentation and distillation. The country’s profound passion for whisky, however, has never managed to trickle down from independent bottlers and whisky clubs to master distillers.

At least not until recently as, since the pioneering launch of Alto Adige’s Puni whisky in 2015, the past few years have witnessed a true explosion of whisky projects. With 12 distilleries already having released their own malts, some industry insiders believe Italy could soon boast as many as 20 active whisky makers. And unusually for such a young industry, Italian whisky is already carving out a strong identity deeply influenced by the country’s vinous heritage.