Chicago, IL (October 2020)–American whiskey lovers can now enjoy Italian malt whisky with the launch of PUNI this October. The Ebensperger family of the Alpine town of Glorenza, Italy has been crafting the first and only Italian malt whisky for ten years and is proud to bring four unique expressions to the US.

The four expressions include:

  • PUNI Gold, matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, establishing the house style
  • PUNI Alba (Italian for “dawn” and Scottish Gaelic for “Scotland”), matured in Sicilian Marsala casks and finished in ex-Islay barrels
  • PUNI Vina, the first in a range of limited edition wine cask-matured whiskies and aged in ex-Marsala casks from Sicily
  • PUNI Sole, finished for two years in rich Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks from Jerez, Spain

“After working on it for years, we are very proud to finally be able to share ‘The Italian Malt Whisky’ with the US,” says Distiller Jonas Ebensperger, one of the founders of the family-run business. “We put our hearts into the making of our whisky and are very excited to now give whisky lovers in the US a chance to taste it. We have found a professional and capable partner in High Road Spirits to finally bring PUNI to the United States.”

Not only is PUNI unique as the sole Italian malt whisky, but Ebensperger also employs an unusual recipe using three different malted grains – barley, wheat and locally-grown rye – to create a signature mash bill. The local rye grows in the foothills of the Alps near the Ortler mountain range in the Trentino-Alto Adige region, where the distillery sits as a landmark to modern Italian design and distillery innovation. The Alpine climate contributes to the particularity of PUNI’s whiskies, which are aged on the family’s stunning new distillery campus.

“I have been fortunate to work closely with Jonas and the Ebensperger family for several years as we’ve planned our entry into the US market,” says Ken Fredrickson, founder of PUNI importer High Road Spirits. “It’s a great honor to share and tell the story of these beautiful whiskies, we are all very excited about it.”

PUNI Italian Malt Whisky will be available nationwide in IL, CA, MN, NY, NJ, WA, TX, and FL with more states to come and ranges in price from $90 to $130.

ABOUT PUNI WHISKY:

With great enthusiasm and profound passion for the Scottish water of life, the Ebensperger family founded the PUNI distillery in 2010 in the midst of the Italian Alps, near the Ortler mountain range, just outside the small town of Glorenza. The so-called “Highlands of Italy” are an ideal place for creating an extraordinary whisky. For more information about the whisky, the distillery and the family, visit https://www.puni.com/en.

ABOUT HIGH ROAD SPIRITS:

Headquartered in Chicago IL, High Road Spirits is an importer of fine spirits from around the world. A unique collection of family-owned producers, High Road continues to push the boundaries of exploration and discovery. Visit them online at https://www.highroadspirits.com/.

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