17/11/2023
Chapter 31
A chat with...Mariella Romano (Arran & Lagg distilleries) - #27
For this interview we are moving to the Islands whisky region, exploring two great distilleries located on the Isle of Arran.
One Island, Two Distilleries is the motto used here by the owners of both the Lochranza (Arran) and Lagg distilleries. The first one was founded in 1995 in the north end of the island, while the younger sister distillery is in the south end and was only recently opened (June 2019) and produces exclusively peated spirit.
Their Global Brand Ambassador Mariella Romano answered a few questions for us.
Let’s see what she told us…
Hi Mariella, thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Please introduce yourself, and tell us a little bit about your whisky journey so far.
Ciao! My name is Mariella Romano and I am the Global Brand Ambassador for Isle of Arran Distillers.
I have the amazing job of looking after and promoting the Arran & LAGG Single Malts, with two very different but equally striking distilleries on the beautiful Isle of Arran.
These days I am based in Glasgow which allows me to travel to Arran, the UK and the rest of the world very easily. And I am obviously Italian, not sure if the name and the loud “ciao” at the beginning of this interview gave it away?!
When and how did you join this growing industry?
I fell in love with whisky in 2013. I did try various whiskies growing up and working in hospitality back in Italy but, during the month of September ten years ago, I found myself working in a hotel in London and tasting a Scotch Single Malt with the proper attention for the first time.
My manager at the time sat me down and poured me a Lagavulin 16, one of the most requested in the bar. My lips touched the whisky and something changed, I had never tasted something so exciting, different, delicious before. I immediately became obsessed, I needed to taste more, learn more, discover more!
My passion led me to look for a job in this industry, a few months later I started working in a whisky shop where I very quickly realised, I wanted to become a brand ambassador.
Ten years and many different jobs, cities and brands later, here I am now enjoying my dream job visiting markets across the globe and making people fall in love with whiskies from Arran with my “charismatic” and weird slightly Scottish Italian accent (thank you Glasgow!).
Now tell us a bit more about Isle of Arran Distillers, what is it that makes them stand out in the whisky industry?
Isle of Arran Distillers’ story is very different from any other whisky company in Scotland. Many people consider us the pioneers of the new whisky wave which we are now seeing growing and thriving so much.
Harold Currie, founder of IOAD, decided to build and run a distillery independently in Lochranza back in the 90s where whisky demand was non-existent and other companies were very much mothballing and closing down their businesses. He went on despite the warnings and difficulties, he wanted to follow his dream and strongly believed in it.
Lochranza Distillery, home of the Arran Single Malt, sounds very much like a successful love story to me. During my time with this company, I truly enjoyed meeting customers and listening to their version of the same tale – an independent business that started small and, through the years, built a bigger and stronger reputation years after years without compromises. Still the same passionate people, producing a whisky that wants to be true to itself and not another version of the nearby regions and styles, bottled and produced with quality as a priority.
With a fresh new look, a core range that varies between age statements, peat levels, cask types and a fabulous distillery nested in the northern mountains with eagles flying by, stags and otters hiding along the coast, castle in perfect location for a sunset shot over the Firth of Clyde… it is a pretty unbeatable combination.
LAGG Distillery is our new adventure – the design, ambience and focus are very different from its sister distillery. And so is the style, as we are producing heavily peated whisky on the southern part of the island. From the modern architecture of the building to the already very palatable taste of our first whiskies passing through a visitor centre with some insane views from Campbeltown to Northern Ireland, Ailsa Craig and southern Ayrshire, I could have not chosen a better time to join this company to really appreciate how a building site and a project can become a tourist destination and an exciting new whisky brand.
One island, two distilleries as we tend to say. I couldn’t encourage you more to visit them both and come see how beautiful they are for yourselves.
Can you tell us what your target audience is?
The target audience for Arran is the whisky drinker who believes in a good quality product created by real, passionate people. A drinker who enjoys a Single Malt with character and a story to tell, that has been produced and bottled in the most natural way possible, that is transparent and honest from barley to glass, can only be found in specialist stores and is recommended by other whisky drinkers.
LAGG aims at the same target audience as, at the end of the day, is made by people who share the same good values which are echoed within the company. Perhaps LAGG could be more attractive to the curious, the peat lovers, the drinkers who like to really discover what’s behind the label and love the idea of following a new exciting brand from its very early days.
Can you tell us how you select your casks, and anticipate anything about what we can expect to see next?
Our cask selection is very much determined by what we have available in the warehouses. As a 28 year old company that started in very dark times for the industry, we might not have huge amount of stock that we can play with but we definitely have a wide variety.
We have regular suppliers for both Bourbon and Sherry Casks but also small parcels of special barrels which may come from specific bodegas, vineyards, distilleries, etc.
Our priority for the Arran Single Malt is to continue producing the award-winning core range at the moment, but there could be a few limited-edition surprises coming out later this year (you haven’t heard that from me!).
Following the Inaugural Releases of the LAGG Single Malt in 2022, we are very much focused on releasing our core range down at LAGG and tell the world about our brand-new west-coast style whisky.
What advice would you give to a beginner that is approaching this world and perhaps starting his/her own collection?
Attend tastings, festivals, whisky events as they are the best places to learn more and ask very knowledgeable people all the questions you might have!
You will soon discover that the whisky community is a very friendly and inclusive place, there are lots of lovely people from both sides of the stand who want to share their passion and make sure you are enjoying it as much as they are too.
Lastly, what is, generally speaking, your favourite whisky style (cask type, ageing, peated/unpeated etc.)? What’s your dram of choice at the moment and/or your go to drams on a Friday evening?
My favourite dram is the one I share with a friend, it doesn’t depend on style – I know it’s cliché but it is also so true!
I really enjoy clean, tropical whiskies matured in 1st Fill Bourbon, or softer more lush older whiskies matured in 2nd or 3rd Fill Sherry cask, the ones that had time to actually let the spirit shine through instead of being suppressed by an active cask. A bit of peat is always welcome, I really have to be in the mood for the big peat beasts but my moods do change easily.
Arran 18yo is one of the whiskies I share the most lately, it is a concentrate of mango and pineapple in a glass and such an easy drinker.
I was recently on Mull where I tried a Tobermory finished in Madeira, oh so oily, sweet, nutty and warm! And I was also lucky to be in Campbeltown for the festival, I’ll take a tasty Kilkerran any day.
Arran 10yo is my solid choice, my favourite dram to share, my whisky for all occasions. If I was putting my feet up on a Friday evening, relaxing with a drink in hand, having a nice conversation with good friends and switching my brain off for the day, then I would pour us all an Arran 10yo or make a tasty highball with it because it just never goes wrong.
Official websites:
Arran: https://www.arranwhisky.com/
Drams
and more...
Today's drams
- Arran 10yo – 46%
- Arran Sherry Cask – 55.8%
- Arran Quarter Cask – 56.2%
- Arran Sauternes Cask Finish – 50%
- Arran Amarone Cask Finish – 50%
- Arran Port Cask Finish – 50%
- Lagg Kilmory – 46%