Origin: Liguria (Italy)
Type: Moonshine Italiano dei Monti Liguri
Strength: 40%ABV
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: Il Mulino di Sassello 1830
Official website: ilsignorcamillo.it
In Sassello, in the province of Savona, there is an ancient mill that has been run by the Assandri family for almost two hundred years, now in its fifth generation with Diego.
It produces flour from cereals grown in Liguria and southern Piedmont, as well as pasta and other products, and a few years ago it also started distilling.
With two master distiller certifications in the United States and South Africa, Diego Assandri began distilling in 2022 and created the Il Signor Camillo line (dedicated to his grandfather), under which label new makes (or moonshine) are currently bottled, both pure and with short ageing periods, pending the release of the first whisky in the near future.
The corn is processed without malting and stone-ground, fermented for between three and six days in steel vats and double distilled, first in a pot still in a bain-marie and then in a column still, with approximately 3,000 litres produced per year.
There are currently three basic bottlings, the Classico (tasted here), Il Cuore di Legno and Il Chinotto e il Miele, alongside three limited editions (50cl, like the others): DiCastagno, DiPorto and, from May 2025, DiMarsala, the latter also tasted here.
Il Signor Camillo Classico
Ageing casks: None
Price: € 41.50 on 1492 Coloniale Group
Gold medal winner at the World Whisky Awards for three years running, this is the new make from which all other editions originate, distilled from 100% corn and reduced to minimum strength.
Tasting Notes
The nose offers a play of aromas between fruit and cereal, where cooked corn intertwines with pear, apple and sloe berries with a slight hint of almonds. Time also brings out floral and herbaceous impressions, between hawthorn and hay. Fragrant.
On the palate, the roles are reversed, with the fruity aspects coming to the fore and the corn providing the backdrop, more convincingly in the form of polenta. Rather smooth, it revisits almond among the protagonists with hints of aniseed and salty touches in the finish.
The finish is obviously short, repeating the sensory score in which almonds and fruit are still the protagonists.
Review: A promising new make, whose controlled alcohol content has smoothed out the rough edges, making it pleasant to drink neat. I’m curious to try it aged.
Vote: 81/100
Il Signor Camillo Dimarsala
Ageing casks: Ex-Marsala
Price: € 49.00 on 1492 Coloniale Group
400 numbered bottles for this version, in which the corn distillate (of the 8-row variety) has spent six months in 225-litre barriques that previously contained Marsala wine.
Tasting Notes
Compared to Il Classico, the nose is enriched with spicy notes, albeit at a low volume, with a sprinkling of cinnamon on fruit, again in the form of apple and pear, also cooked, with a drop of chestnut honey. Cooked corn remains the base, enriched with nuts with pecans accompanying the almonds. Round.
It is in the mouth that the short ageing really makes itself felt, with the Marsala notes clearly evident and spicy, accompanying those of the wood, adding depth to the drink. Black pepper, cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg surround nuts, cooked apple, maple syrup and a touch of coffee. The cereal finishes at the bottom, more evident in length along with the wood, which tends to take centre stage.
The finish is still rather short, returning to the primary nature of the new make, dotted with spices, nuts, liquorice root and coffee.
Review: A few months in the cask make all the difference, with the distillate, although dominated by wood, still managing to emerge from the heavy influences of ageing. A glimpse into the future of a whisky that could bring great satisfaction.
Vote: 82/100