Nannoni Grappa di Brunello Riserva (40%)

N: whole grains, raw oats and rye berries, a workshop with old wood tools covered in sawdust. Fainter notes of banana and maple, as well as caraway

P: Honey-sweetened puffed wheat cereal, with some fruity-spicy rye too. Fuller bodied than the Poggione despite lower proof, and the wood tastes a bit older and darker—and sweeter—despite a lower age statement. But it’s also simpler and with less flavor intensity

84

Il Poggione Grappa di Brunello Riserva Vigna Paganelli 5 year (43%)

N: more lactic and doughy, very doughy with raw flour and specks of butter. Corn. Hint of strawberry

P: soft but with a prickle of spice. Banana bread, sweet untoasted nuts, raw wheat. Finishes with a touch of pale, dry spice (sandalwood?) in golden honey

87