ABOUT

SAMAROLI

A legendary independent whisky bottler whose expertise extends to rum, Cognac, and more.

Like everyone, Italians love Scotch whisky. And perhaps the greatest Italian whisky connoisseur of his (or any) era was Silvano Samaroli, a Roman wine and spirits merchant who began selecting and importing whiskies in the late 1960s and 1970s. When he founded his eponymous firm in 1968, Samaroli became the first independent whisky bottler in the world outside of Britain or Scotland.

Samaroli was a passionate enthusiast and a visionary entrepreneur who turned his company into a cultural phenomenon—a brand fueled by the newfound economic prosperity in Italy following the Second World War. Enjoying a rare single-malt Scotch became a symbolic statement for many Italians, a way of telling the world: “We have arrived.”

During the '70s and '80s, as the company rapidly grew, one of Samaroli's most important collaborators within Italy was Anacleto Bleve, a Roman restaurateur who shared his passion for whisky and other spirits. Bleve ran successful wine bars in the 1980s and went on to open the acclaimed Casa Bleve Ristorante, which is still a destination spot in the heart of Rome, not far from the Piazza Navona and Campo dei Fiori market. These Roman hotspots became showplaces for Samaroli's custom bottlings, which, by the early 1990s, grew to include prized Carribbean rums.

All of which leads us to the present day, with Anacleto Bleve's son, Antonio, now heading up this historic firm as its master taster, blender, and CEO. Antonio began apprenticing under Silvano Samaroli in the 2000s, and the two men worked side-by-side assembling the company's ever-evolving portfolio until 2013; sadly, Mr. Samaroli passed away in 2017.

Under Antonio Bleve's direction, the company has continued to attract international renown as an independent bottler—one which, like all the best independent bottlers, focuses primarily on natural and “noble” aged spirits that have not been colored or chill-filtered. Samaroli maintains aging warehouses in Scotland, where their whiskies, rums and other spirits are matured until Antonio deems them ready for release. It may say “Product of Scotland” on the labels, but these are products with a uniquely Italian flair, adorned with some of the most evocative labels in the spirits universe.

In all, the Samaroli operation is small in scale and very hands-on, typically releasing between 20,000 and 25,000 bottles per year across a multitude of labels. In all, Bleve divides his extensive product range into five categories:

PRIDE: Samaroli's introductory range, which includes younger bottlings and blends of both whisky and rum. Within this range are two “series” designed to acquaint consumers with Samaroli's sensibility and expertise: The “A Series” is composed of three stylistically distinct whisky blends—Apprentice, Ardenistle, and Architectus—while the “Yehmon” series offers a similarly diverse trio of Rum blends: Yehmon Classic, Yehmon Retro, and Yehmon Vintage.

EXTRAORDINARY: This range includes both blends and single-cask bottlings, most of which are selected by Bleve to express a strong regional identity. Noteworthy examples include “classic icons” like the Samaroli Islay and Samaroli Spey whisky bottlings, as well as more vintage- and distillery-specific selections that strongly reflect their region of origin. Rum bottlings in the Extraordinary range include blends such as Barbados Rhapsody and Trinidad Carnival.

MARVEL: The next step up the ladder includes longer-aged single-cask selections as well as rarer, older blends.

MAGNIFICO: The ultimate “fine and rare” selection of single-cask treasures. The top of the line.

SPECIAL: Reserved for hand-selected spirits from other categories, such as Cognac and Armagnac, as well as proprietary creations such as Orange Liqueur.

*NOTE: By design, everything Samaroli does is on a “limited release” basis, but we've included profiles below of some core items we hope to keep in regular rotation at The Italian Spirits Company. Contact us directly for current pricing/availability of all the latest Samaroli releases.