The aroma neat transported us to the Lago Maggiore in Piedmont where we opened a bottle of Barolo Chinato, infused with herbs, quinine bark and cardamom. On the palate we stayed in northern Italy and enjoyed Riserva Vermouth based on dry Muscat wine mixed with wormwood and alpine herbs and a teasing hint of smoke. Diluted we unwrapped a pungent and crumbly Castelmagno cheese which we enjoyed with bitter chestnut honey and a glass of Gattinara wine, a lighter version of Barolo, with elevated dried fruits flavours and an earthiness in the finish. After 11 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead we transferred this whisky into a first-fill charred red wine barrique.