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Interview Valentino Zagatti

Mr Valentino Zagatti was one of the most famous whisky collectors, one of the big five, as described in the “Whisky, an Italian Passion”. He collected whisky for more than 60 years, before selling its collection in 2015 to a Dutch investor. Before this, he published the book “The best collection of malts scotch whisky” in two volumes, a photographic collection of his whisky bottles, including many rare and unique bottles. A real photographic archive of past whisky bottles.
Mr Valentino Zagatti kindly accepted my request for an interview that is reproduced below.

Mr Valentino Zagatti

Whisky-news (WN): Mr Valentino Zagatti, could you please let us know when and how you got interested in the whisky?

Mr Valentino  Zagatti (VZ): When I was 26 years old in the 1960 I decided to stop smoking and instead of it I started to buy some bottles of whisky. I used to spend something like "2000 LIRA". (Note: equivalent to about 15 euros today). The idea was to buy the pure distillate for every country for example the cognac and armagnac for France or tequila for Mexico, vodka from Russia, brandy from Spain and so on...When I realized that was to complicated to collect everything I decided to collect only single malt scotch whisky.

 

WN: When did you started collecting Scotch whiskies and why, more specifically, single malt?

VZ: I started to collect only single malt in 1972 for the reasons I wrote before.

 

WN: The story of single malts in closely linked to Italy and the pioneer of single malts, Mr Giaconne. Could you please describe how was the market and the perception of whisky when you started collecting whisky?

VZ: Fifty years ago in Italy there wasn't a culture about whisky. We had only Black white, White Label, White Horse, Vat 69 and John Haig as blended and Glen Grant, Glenlivet, Macallan, Springbank, Glenfiddich and Glenfarclas as single malts. Very few people were interested in whisky. Brandy and Grappa were very popular.


WN: As you have been affected by blindness at a very young age, could you please let us know how you selected your whisky bottles and how did you managed your collection, to avoid purchasing the same bottle twice, as well as to avoid as much as possible to acquire fake whisky bottles?

VZ: Fortunately I have a very good memory and every time I bought a bottle I used to register it in a notebook that I wrote in Braille writing. Most of the bottles I bought came from qualified shops run by trusted people.

 

WN: Considering the size of your collection (over 3000 bottles?), how did your family accept it?

VZ: when I started to collect whisky my family didn't agree my decision but with the pass of the time they accepted my passion because they understood that it helped to live better making me feel engaged in something I loved.

 

WN: Over the years, you have acquired many extremely rare bottles (e.g., whiskies distilled prior to 1900 and whiskies from long gone distilleries, such as Parkmore)? How did you manage to find them?

VZ: Many of these bottles came from the auctions in England and others from some persons that used to travel abroad seeking rare bottles. For example in 1980's and 1990's I bought from private dealers some bottles came from California dated around early 1930's because in those years California imported a lot of pure malt scotch whisky (for example Glen Grant and Laphroaig). Moreover I used to go with my wife or alone by car in many places in my region Emilia Romagna and in Salo' from my friend Edoardo Giaccone.

 

WN: What was/is your favourite distillery and why?


VZ: Actually I don't have a favourite one but sundry distilleries I like such as Macallan that use sherry casks in a great way. Also on Islay Caol Ila, Laphroaig, Ardbeg and Lagavulin. In Orkney Island the great Highland Park.

WN: Have you been often to Scotland and visiting distilleries?


VZ: First time I've been in Scotland was in 1996. I visited the Ballantines head quarters in Dumbarton and Macallan Distillery in Craigellachie. I also visited the royal residence of Balmoral where there is the Royal Lochnagar Distillery nearby.A fterwards on 2009 I started visiting Campbeltown where  there is the Springbank Distillery and then I went in Isle of Islay to see Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Bowmore, Port Ellen, Bruichladdich and Caol Ila. On 2010 I went in the Highlands visiting Glenlivet, Benromach, Glenturret, Glen Grant, Glenfiddich, Glenfarclas, Cardhu, Oban, Old Pultney, Ben Nevis, Edradour (the smaller distillery in Scotland) and Tomintoul.I n Edimburgh I saw the Glenkinchie Distillery and the Heritage Centre a beautiful whisky museum. Last time I visited Scotland was on 2011 starting from Highland Park Distillery (Orkney Island), Talisker (Skye Island) then Tomatin Distillery, Chivas Brothers and other distilleries I had already visited and many whisky shops as Whisky Castle or Loch Fyne and in Forres City at Gordon and MacPhail Shop.

WN: Since you have tasted whiskies for over 50 years, what has changed in the flavours of the whisky and what do you think of the recent bottles and prices?


VZ: I think that whiskies of fifty years ago where better. They have a dusty feeling when you taste it. But now you can't find that sensation in the new ones. Different flavours maybe depend of raw materials that now are more polluted. Moreover bottles now are too expensive for the quality of the current whisky you buy.

 

WN: You have now sold your collection. If you have kept some, which are they and why?


VZ: The collection I sold included all the bottles of my two books I've published (3104 pieces). All that remains are something like 2000 pieces because I used to buy a couple of every bottle. At the moment I continue to buy the bottle I'm interested in. For example the new releases of Diageo like Port Ellen 32yo/34yo/35yo, Brora 35yo/37yo, Dailuaine34yo, Talisker 34yo/35yo and so on.

 

WN: For someone interested in collecting whisky, which would be your advices?
VZ: Fifty years ago was easier to collect for many reasons. First is that distilleries produced less issues and were less expensive to buy. Nowadays every distillery produce too much different kinds of bottles so buy all of them would require a huge amount of money. Furthermore you should have a lot of space to stock all of them. Therefore my advice is to choose only one or a few distilleries and buy every issue.

WN: Dear Mr Zagatti, thank you very much for your time.