Islay Fusion 12yo (46%, Moon Import)?

[Ardbeg311]

Just saw this in a store today. Has anybody tried it? I found nothing in the tasting notes of the forum. I do know that it is a "fusion" of young Laphroaig and Caol Ila and that it is Moon Import bottling, but that is about it.

[Lawrence]

Sounds different, I've never heard of it.

[kildalton]

There are 2 Islay fusion bottlings :

1)no age stated "PARIS COLLECTION" with the
label depicting a view of notre-dame

2)1992 and the label is depicting an isle with 12 in red .

I post here the official tasting notes from Mongiardino(Owner of Moon Import)

(I translate from italian)

1)Islay Fusion - 1992 - 46° - torbato - Collezione Paris
fusione di diverse annate di Laphroaig e Caol Ila. Bouquet potente, di grande rotondità in cui spiccano aromi pronunciati di cuoio, iodio marino, inchiostro, catrame e tabacco. Pieno, avvolgente, caldo esplosivo in bocca, con lunga persistenza aromatica. Di grande espressione.


It's a fusion among various vintages of Laphroaig and Caol ila.
Powerful bouquet well rounded in which emerge aromas of leather,
marine iodine,ink, tar and tobacco.Full and coating, warm and explosive in mouth with a long aromatic persistence.Of great expressivity.


2)Islay Fusion - 12 anni - 46° - torbato
straordinaria fusione in verticale di Laphroaig e Caol Ila, la cui partita più giovane è stata distillata nel 1991. Bouquet potente, ma di grande rotondità, in cui spiccano aromi pronunciati di cuoio, iodio marino, inchiostro, catrame e tabacco. Pieno, avvolgente, caldo ed esplosivo alla bocca con lunga persistenza aromatica. Molto meglio strutturato ed espressivo di un single.

Extraordinary vertical fusion of Laphroaig and Caol ila, the youngest batch was distilled in 1991.
Powerful bouquet well rounded in which emerge aromas of leather,
marine iodine,ink, tar and tobacco.Full and coating, warm and explosive in mouth with a long aromatic persistence.
Better structured and expressive than a single malt.


As you see the tasting notes are almost identical.
in the second bottling we only get the info that it might be made of older batches than the former but I'm not sure.

I hope this help.
If you try let us know

[Ardbeg311]

Thanks, Kildalton! I had seen the website of Moon Imports and the bottle I saw was not from the "Paris Collection." This probably should be in a PM, but it is fair to say that the best whisky selection in Italy tends to be in the northern part (Milan, Bologna) rather than central-southern (Firenze, Roma) part of Italy?

[Di Blasi]

Yes, true, it seems there is such a concentration of big, serious, world-class, top whisky collectors in and around Bologna!! Not sure about Milano or south of Bologna. But there was a member here in Rome, don't remember his name, that ran a bar in Rome with a nice, growing whisky selection.

[kildalton]

About Milan there's Mr.Giorgio D'Ambrosio who's one of the most important collectors in the world and runs the famous barmetrò.
I'd say that talking about collectors to my knowledge they're basically from north-central Italy, but speaking about wine-whisky shops there great ones in Rome as well so I suppose that might be very good collection there even if not known.

[Di Blasi]

In Bologna another top collector in the world, Giuseppe Begnoni, at
http://www.whiskyparadise.com/
Also in Bologna there is Kik Bar
http://www.thewhiskyhouse.it/
which has a great selection with reasonable prices, with a classic Italian bar for your morning coffee and pastry, also sellling reasonably priced drams.
And another big time, world-class whisky collector in Bologna, of old vintage wines too, is ? Montanari. His restaurant is supposed to be excellent, although expensive, worth it.
http://www.astratta.com/bointav/navile.htm
To find others, get the Single Malt Whisky an Italian Passion book, it features the other world-class collectors in Italy.

[Ardbeg311]

Kildalton, I have not been in Rome for very long. Could you provide me with some of the names of different enotecas/enoteche? and such?

I have been to the following stores here in Rome with decent selections:
Costantini
Trimani (somewhat near the train station)
Enoteca Chirra (also not that far from the train station)
Achilli Enoteca al Parlamento
Bernabei
Enoteca del Corso
Mr. Wine
La Vineria Reggio (small selection)
Enoteca delle Vittorie
Enoteca Per Bacco (small store, not bad selection and prices).

Of these I would recommend Achilli Enoteca al Parlamento for the best selection of high quality single malts (which you pay for!) and Costantini for best selection-price ratio. The latter I have been to several times and each time was very DISPLEASED with the service. They make it very clear that they don't care if you shop in their store. In addition, all the malts are behind the very busy counter area so it is difficult to see what they have without constantly bumping into people and having them walk in front of you. At this point, even if I have to pay a little more elsewhere I will shop at that other store rather than Costantini. Their website is NOT up-to-date.

Mr. Wine has some good malts too but one needs to be careful with moldy containers. I suspect they had a flood there (or at their old store) at one point. I had to throw out both boxes of my Uigeadail because of mold. I saved the bottles .

The other places have so-so offerings that are often priced on the high side for me.


Di Blasi:
Somewhat embarrassingly, I am not familiar with the book "SMW and Italian Passion." When was it published? Do they list stores or only collections? I am aware of several important whisky collections in the Bologna area (in addition to the ones you mentioned there is also Zaggatti's collection in Lugo).

[Di Blasi]

Hello Ardbeg311!
http://www.amazon.com/Single-Malt-Whisk ... F8&s=books
Is the link to find the book, it's a great one to have! It features 5 top Italian collectors. I don't remember if Zagatti is one of the 5 mentioned. No, it doesn't tell shops or such.

[kildalton]

Hello Ardbeg311!,
You've been in very good places.
Costantini amd Al parlamento were the ones that most I'd have suggested,
so, I can't help you further about this I'm sorry,
but the other posts were well informative, Kik bar is a great place and
Begnoni's whisky paradise as well.
Anyway i recomend to pay a visit to Giorgio's bar metrò(see malt madness web site for photos(Mmaniacs were there in 2004 if i don't err)
in Milan.
It's a great place with extraordinary bottles.

About Zagatti's collection :

http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/acatal ... S_159.html

[Di Blasi]

I will definitely have to visit Milano soon then, thanks for the tip!

[andreasen]

Maybe wrong of me to bump an old thread, but there used to be pictures of the Islay Fusion bottles here? I spotted the second bottle, the "non-paris" version of it last time in Rome, but ofcourse I didnt buy it (i know). My father is going to Italy again soon, and I would LOVE if someone could upload a picture of it? As far as I remember it has a a black label with a map on it, with red letters. Thanks in advance!