When a family that has been producing grappa for six generations, exporting it all over the world, decides to create its own whisky line, it definitely doesn’t go unnoticed.
In Mezzolombardo, in Trentino (Italy), Villa de Varda is a point of reference for distillation, and the Dolzan family has demonstrated over the years its ability to seamlessly combine tradition and innovation, believing (rightly) that one cannot exist without the other.
And it’s Mauro Dolzan, who with his brother Michele and father Luigi is at the helm of the distillery, who came up with the idea of producing whisky, already having most of the tools and know-how to create it, but without making it a copy of Scotch or other well-known and established profiles, creating a true ‘Italian whisky’.
WhiskyArt What inspired you to make whisky?
Mauro Dolzan For a long time, we have been collaborating with other companies for the ageing of our grappas, starting with the great wineries of Italian oenology that supply us with their casks in addition to the pomace, and moving on to European rum, cognac and whisky distilleries, which we have visited to strengthen a relationship that is first and foremost one of mutual esteem and trust.
In particular, we started a collaboration with two large distilleries such as Glenfarclas and Edradour, which supply us with casks to refine our grappas, creating new and special profiles.
And we realised that in reality we lacked nothing to make whisky: the centuries-old tradition in distillation, the cereals that are part of our daily life, pure water, everything ready to make an Italian whisky of which, however, there is no definition as there is for Scottish or Irish whisky.
As we had no direct experience, we informed ourselves, we studied with those who already work in the sector, we spoke with farmers, and after a year of preparation we recovered some ancient cereals and, in collaboration with two local farms that were already working with barley and rye (which enthusiastically welcomed the idea), we had them replanted in the mountains, at a thousand metres, giving rise to our InQuota project.
We made the (few) necessary changes to the plant, and started with our Italian style: local grains, distilled with the Italian system (bain-marie and rectifying column), water from the Brenta Dolomites and also local woods.
WA As it was for Dolomiti.
MD That’s right, in addition to the classic oak we decided to use a particular wood already used for our grappas, that of spruce which comes from the Paneveggio forest, a wood that was appreciated by Stradivari who used it to create his violins, hence the nickname ‘Forest of Violins’. Wood that isn’t exactly easy to process to create casks, but which we believe succeeds in giving a fundamental imprint to our whisky.
Whisky that also finds Italianity in the collaborations with wine cellars for two other bottlings, one aged in ex Amarone casks and the other in ex Passito di Pantelleria casks, ideally uniting north and south.
And finally a rye, made with 100% Trentino rye.
WA Why a rye, and moreover 100% rye and not mixed as is usually the case?
MD We have always seen fields cultivated with rye in these parts, a cereal that is at its best in the Alps, and since in Trentino it’s generally customary to cultivate only one cereal in each area, we thought of translating the use of the single grapevine in oenology into the production of whisky, something that is already done normally only with barley. We are also experimenting with other cereals among the various valleys, but we still don’t know if they are really usable for distillation.
From oenology we have also ‘stolen’ a certain way of communicating, i.e., exalting on the label the provenance of the raw materials, the processing, the history of the territory and of our family: the alcohol content is not accidental, with the 47.6 strength corresponding to the year and month of my father’s birth, and also the number of bottles, 1,678, the year in which the De Varda family acquired noble status.
We are small, and we make small numbers, in an artisanal way and with a climate that also characterises our Italian whisky, with temperatures and maturation times that are different from those in Scotland, for example.
WA Do you plan to use other casks in the future, perhaps even ex-grappa?
MD We are just at the beginning but this is definitely not a flash in the pan, InQuota is here to stay, and we are slowly building up our stock of casks. Honestly, using grappa casks for whisky ageing scares me, not so much because of the influence it might impose, but because of the message it might give: Villa de Varda is synonymous with grappa in the world, which is why we have chosen to put the logo on the label in small print and to use different graphics and packaging from those of our main distillate. We don’t want the thought of anyone pouring InQuota into their glass to go to grappa, all the more so if they feel its sensory influence: the two worlds must remain distinct.
WA How is your whisky processed?
MD Mashing in a steel container into which brewer’s yeast is then introduced for the five-day fermentation, during which the mash is only mixed and not filtered, passing after a rapid cooling directly to the first distillation in the bain-marie still, in which then some grain also enters with the consequent aromatic advantages (to the disadvantage perhaps of the alcoholic part). Two distillations in the bain-marie still and then passage to the rectification column for cutting, so overall a triple distillation.
WA What’s the future of InQuota?
MD These four bottlings will be stable in our production, over time perhaps we will make single casks (as we did for Eataly and as we are already used to doing for grappa), then the idea would be to continue with the editions made with grain from the various Trentino valleys, perhaps with versions in which the bottle is accompanied by a mignon with the new make to make people appreciate the influence of the raw material in the distillate.
I’ve always been a patriot, and I would like everyone to pay more attention to our qualities, to our uniqueness, of which we should be proud in the world.
To network, to collaborate even among producers to create an Italian style of whisky, perhaps one day arriving at a real shared specification.
Many thanks to Mauro for his courtesy and for being an excellent guest at the distillery: visit him and you will be enraptured by his immense passion and energy.
