Iconic Independent Bottler
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Samaroli bottles regularly receive the highest scores by critics, and I must admit that out of my top three whiskies I have had the pleasure of tasting, two were bottled by Silvano. Of all his bottlings there are a couple that stand out as being particularly iconic.
- The first is the venerable Bowmore Bouquet (1966), which holds the accolade of being the most valuable Samaroli bottle after selling at Sotheby’s in 2019 for £72,600.
- The second is the Laphroaig Samaroli 15 Year Old (1967). Notorious Islay collector Marcel Van Gils said, “Every whisky aficionado will agree that Silvano Samaroli’s Laphroaigs rate amongst the best single malts ever bottled by man. The 1967 and 1970 are arguably only surpassed by some of Silvano’s other casks."
Indeed the Bowmore Bouquetand Laphroaig 1967 received scores of 97 and 98 points respectively on Serge Valentin’s Whisky Fun, and hold the first and fourth place respectively on Whiskybase’s list of the top 1000 whiskies ever bottled (of these 1000 whiskies, the top five were all bottled by Silvano Samaroli).
Samaroli died in 2017 at the age of 77. While the sad news of his passing was felt across the whisky industry, he left an unforgettable legacy preserved within these bottles.