26-03-2025
Whiskies Of The Week: Florentis Super Tuscan & Vin Santo Wine Cask
By now, it's a well-known fact that whisky is pretty much made everywhere nowadays, from Mississippi to Tasmania to China to New Jersey to... well, you get the point. But every now and then I still encounter a whisky for the first time and think, they make whisky there?
So finding out that there's a craft spirits distillery making whisky in Florence, Italy was, for me at least, an eyebrow-raiser. Florence is in the Chianti Classico region of Italy, where wine has been made for heaven knows how long, so it stands to reason there are some stills there as well. But I figured they must all be for brandy or grappa.
As it turns out, Winestillery, the parent company of Florentis whiskies, is the only independent craft distillery in all of Florence, and it's only been active since 2017. It's not just a distillery, however — it's also, as you might have figured out from the name, a winery, owned and operated by oenologist/agronomist/consultant Stefano Chioccioli and his two sons, Enrico and Niccolò Chioccioli Altadonna. Niccolò tends to the vineyards; Enrico is the master distiller, having learned the trade in Cognac and, of all places, Brooklyn, where he interned at Kings County Distillery.
Florentine whisky is a thing! (Super Tuscan Wine Cask on the left, Vin Santo Wine Cask on the right)
Photo by Tony Sachs
Winestillery's wine is produced to be the base for a variety of spirits, including gin, vodka and vermouth. The whisky, of course, is distilled from grain, namely malted Italian barley, rye and wheat. After a long, six-day fermentation period, the mash is distilled in an Italian-made Frilli copper hybrid pot still, then aged for about four years in Tuscan wine casks. The temperate climes and moderate humidity of the area make for a fairly gentle aging process, which in this case produces a nice balance between the natural flavor of the whisky and the influences of the cask and the wine.
So how does Tuscan malt whisky taste? Both Florentis Vin Santo Wine Cask (47.7% ABV) and Florentis Super Tuscan Wine Cask (48.3% ABV), made from the same distillate stand out from the crowd. Vin Santo's aroma is heavy on hazelnuts and nutmeg, which translates to the palate, along with light notes of chocolate, pear, and bright red berry. Super Tuscan comes off a little like a rye, the nose heady with rye cereal and ginger. Tasting it blind, I could be convinced it actually is a rye thanks to the big notes of spearmint and anise that dominate on first sip. But it shape shifts, with apple, walnuts, and honey breaking through. The finish is spicier and a little less gentle than the Vin Santo, but they're both quite delicate and refined for their age and proof.
It'll be interesting to see how they both mature with a little more time in the barrel, but I say that with reservations — the balance of cask and distillate is fascinating, not to mention delicious, where they are right now. If you're looking for something off the beaten path that's also enjoyable to drink, at a reasonable price no less, (about $55 for Super Tuscan, $65 for Vin Santo), it doesn't get much better. And best of all? They're not limited editions, so you don't have to worry about racing to the store before they sell out. These whiskies are for drinking, not for putting on the shelf.
