Prohibition whisky is revived in Liguria

Diego began working at the mill, continuing the work of his grandfather (who died in 1993) and father Rinaldo (still with the company); but at the same time he cultivated a passion for travelling that led him to 'fall in love' with whisky. The idea of producing it on his own was born in 2010 but, before arriving at the first bottles of moonshine, the entrepreneur spent a decade gaining experience in Tennessee and South Africa. "I was lucky enough," he says, "to be taken under the wing of the president of the American distilling institute; then, in South Africa, I worked in a couple of whisky distilleries.

In 2018, Assandri decides to buy the stills, which it has manufactured to its own design in both the United States and South Africa. The Beigua distillery is ready in 2020, but Covid slows down the authorisations necessary for start-up, which only arrive in 2022. In the same year, the first bottles of moonshine are produced. The idea of creating the Mr Camillo brand, explains Diego, 'is inspired by my grandfather who taught both my father and me how to work well.

The company, he continues, 'produced around 7-8 thousand bottles of moonshine in 2024 and we expect to reach 1-12 thousand in 2025. To which, next year, we will add those of whisky'. At work, he clarifies, 'it's me and my best worker of 77 years, who is my dad. He is more focused on the mill, I take care, alone, of the distillery'. The latter is 'powered by 100 per cent photovoltaic energy. So much so that we are now stopped until March. We take three months 'off', in which we actually do a lot of other things on the farm, during the period when the solar system does not allow us to use the distillation machinery'.

In addition to Il signor Camillo spirits, the company produces Mulino di Sassello 1830 flour and is also focusing on zero-kilometre catering. 'Above the mill,' says Diego, 'we have created the Beigua docks. These are former warehouses transformed into rooms with an 'industrial chic' style, where sandwiches, focaccias, and first courses prepared from the mill's flours are offered, as well as local cured meats and cheeses and some special recipes from the Ligurian Apennines. "We have a shop for products and a restaurant, which also function thanks to collaboration with artisan producers in the surrounding area. And in the bistrot we organise tastings of our products'.

The Assandri family brands are marketed by the Ligurian company 1492 Coloniale group (of the historic Timossi house), which is the exclusive distributor on the national and (soon) international market. The half-litre bottles of moonshine are supplied to wholesalers and wine shops, while large-scale organised distribution is avoided for quality reasons.