PUNI was established by Albrecht Ebensperger in the Vinschgau valley, the ‘Highlands of Italy’ in 2010. The distillery takes its name from the Puni river, which flows nearby through the valley. Much like Scottish distilleries, which very often have gaelic names, PUNI is an ancient raetic name, deeply rooting the distillery in local history.
The growing of grain has a long tradition in the Vinschgau Valley, predominantly rye, and PUNI only uses locally grown rye in its mashbill. PUNI uses three types of malted cereals; the barley forms the malty, spicy foundation, the wheat adds a mellow sweetness and the rye brings body and depth to the spirit. The distillery is based amidst the Alps, inside a pretty funky 13 metre red brick cube. It was inspired by the traditional style of the old, air-permeable brick walls of a rural barn, coloured with soft earthy tones, sporting both tradition and modernity. Inside, it houses handcrafted copper pot stills.
In the spring of 2012, production finally began after over two years of construction. Little over three years after that in October 2015, the first Italian malt whisky was born! PUNI don’t like to overcomplicate things, demonstrated through their sleek bottles and packaging.