Origin: Trentino Alto Adige (Italy)
Type: Italian Mountain Single Malt Whisky
Strength: 54.2%ABV
Ageing casks: New oak and ex-wine
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: Villa de Varda
Average price: € 114.00
Official website: www.villadevarda.com/whiskyinquota
A bottle that holds many firsts for Villa de Varda’s mountain whisky, the distillery of the Dolzan family that launched the InQuota line at the end of 2023.
First time for a single cask, actually two (one for Italy and one for the international market), first time for a cask strength bottling (54.2%ABV this one, 55.4%ABV for cask 1009) and first time for a peated whisky, the only element of non-Italian origin. As is always customary for the raw materials of their whiskies, locally sourced barley is used.
A rare edition as the name suggests, and I add courageous, because releasing a cask strength single cask whisky, and peated as well, is certainly not an easy choice for an Italian whisky.
Distilled at the end of 2020 at 37ppm, initially matured in new wooden casks with the last two years spent in an ex-Amarone cask, which in September 2025 produced 279 bottles.
Tasting Notes
Let’s talk about the peat right away, which is undoubtedly the most distinctive note on the nose, dark and vegetal, featuring creosote, roasted chestnuts, burnt aromatic herbs (thyme, rosemary) and quinine, also leaning towards antiseptic. Intense, almost brutal aromas of licorice, chinotto, cherry, crème brûlée, arnica, and a sense of damp, mineral undergrowth creating the backdrop. Barbour jacket in length. Muscular.
The peat is less assertive on the palate, with notes of cinchona, licorice, aromatic herbs, chinotto, and sour cherry triumphing, while the burnt wood watches from the stands. Spices initially pronounced, like black pepper, coriander, and a hint of ginger, gradually recede to the background, giving way to the oily richness with dark and slightly bitter tones, accented by touches of baked apple with cloves, fondant, and blackberry jam. Medicinal hints linger on the lenght.
Final notes of licorice, cherry, aromatic herbs, cinchona, dried orange, burnt wood, medicinal and balsamic hints.
Review: A somewhat arrogant whisky, especially in aroma, as one can expect from a young cask, with a very pronounced and probably divisive personality. Elegance and subtlety are not what you seek here; those may come with time. For now, I am satisfied with an imperfect yet bold and full dram.
Vote: 85/100