Meet Pablo Tognetti, the father of Argentine single malt whisky

Meet Pablo Tognetti, the father of Argentine single malt whisky

From a career in radar technology to training 60 Argentine distillers, Pablo Tognetti has a vision to establish Argentina as a single malt pioneer.

 

Image: Pablo Tognetti prepares a sample of Madoc whisky

Interview | 11 Oct 2024 | By Kristiane Sherry

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Most whisky stories don’t start with high-spec radars. But Pablo Tognetti’s tale is anything but ordinary. A physicist by trade (he holds a PhD in the subject), his journey into single malt, and essentially founding the category in his native Argentina, was far from straightforward. It’s also a narrative that hasn’t really been told. The country’s fledgling whisky market is only just attracting international attention. Indeed, it was only this year that Tognetti’s Madoc single malt whisky made it to UK shores, courtesy of Matías Agustín Luciani.

 

Surprisingly, it was on UK shores where Tognetti’s whisky journey began. “It started way back in 1979,” he explains over a Zoom call from his Madoc Distillery. He was in Manchester researching his PhD. Two important things happened, aside from the profound academic achievement. “I discovered and started home brewing,” he begins. “The other thing is that I was introduced to single malt whisky.”

 

Back then, the market was dominated by Glenfiddich. Very few brands were releasing single malts. But the monoculture didn’t stop a passion for the spirit taking hold. Through his own home brewing ventures, he discovered a love for flavour creation. Single malt was a natural extension. “I became aware of how whisky is made,” he recalls. “I conceived the idea of ‘why not make it myself?’ I'm really fond of trying new things and challenging things. Making my own beer fascinated me, and when I became aware of this situation with the whisky, I conceived the idea of making it myself.” By 1995, he had his own lab-scale pot still producing 40-litre batches. “I liked what I got.”

Pot stills and condensers at Madoc Distillery

Listening to Tognetti speak is fascinating. He uses soft tones, a gentle voice warm with the pride he feels for his work. He retired long before embarking on whisky-making. It feels like a secondary career, one that seems to hold more meaning to him than the first. The next part of the story brings real emotion into his voice. It’s clearly a painful chapter.

 

Around the turn of the millennium, Tognetti had a project on his own that was ready to be scaled up. “The dream at that moment was to design and set up a craft distillery for my retirement,” he explains. He designed and built a system, in partnership with local copper welders, that encompassed a 600-litre pot still. By 2011, over a decade later, it was operational.

 

“What follows is difficult for me to talk about,” he says, hesitant about whether to continue. To get the distillery off the ground, he chose to work with a partner. They found a location. “It seemed like a good solution to my needs,” he explained. “The site was beautiful with a good water supply.” Although it was a two-hour drive from his home, the distance was it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. The site went on to become La Alazana, Argentina’s first whisky distillery. The dream was realised — single malt made according to Scotch requitements was being produced in the country.

 

“My partner learned the craft from me, step-by-step,” Tognetti continues. By September 2014 their whisky was available on the market. Sales started flowing. At this point, he alleges that the business partner demanded their arrangement be dissolved. “It was devastating.” He was left with some equipment and a small portion of stock. “I was back to square one.”

Celia and Pablo Tognetti

Tognetti grieved the loss of the distillery and the dream he’d held for decades. But he didn’t give up. He figured it was worth starting over. This was the start of Madoc. “We managed to get land just 27km from my home. My vision could continue.”

 

That vision is to produce quality single malt — but it hasnt stopped there. His passion has evolved. “I realised I could use the experience and knowlege I’d acquired to share with anyone who wants to get into distilling.” He reckons there are more than 25 projects, and he has directly trained 60 distillers in the country. “Some of the distilleries are even larger than mine!”

 

From the obvious loss and pain, Tognetti has found an even deeper purpose. “I don’t hide any knowledge,” he says adamantly. Madoc is an open door. “When they ask me to teach them something, I say ‘why don’t you come on over?’” His training programme means that, in just two or three days, a would-be distiller can shadow the entire production process. “That’s the only way to learn, learning by doing.”

 

Madoc itself is flourishing, too. It is made from malt grown in Argentina, processed at the largest independent maltster. In what will be no surpise given his background, fermentation is a major focus. In fact, his daughter Celia Tognetti, a chemist in her own right who shares a passion for brewing, works alongside him. Then the stills are set up for the maximum possible reflux and a light spirit.

Madoc Single Malt Whisky

“We’re aiming at the Argentine market,” she says. “People in Argentina think that whisky is too strong. We’ve decided to make a lighter spirit, we want to show them that it is for them.” Maturation-wise, Madoc makes use of Mendoza wine casks, predominanly Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as ex-Sherry butts. Tognetti says they are currently only selling about 10 per cent of what’s produced, with a main focus of laying down stock for the future. Nothing is released until it is at least five years old.

 

But while Madoc sees that initial hard-fought dream become a reality, the vision has broadened. Tognetti, through his work training distillers, has laid the groundwork for Argentine whisky to flourish. He is the founding father. Of course, he brushes off all praise.

 

“He’s generous,” says Luciani, who has spent time with him at the distillery with Tognetti. “He’s amazing. He’s very interested in anyone who wants to produce a high quality product.” Attention has turned to growing the market as a whole. With inflationary challenges, it’s a difficult place to carve out a new industry. But under Tognetti’s tutelage, there’s a cohort of passionate makers carving out their space in the global whisky scene.

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