Samaroli
Famous and influential Italian importer and bottler of Scotch whisky and rum.
Kik Bar Profile
The Kik Bar – also known as The Whisky House – is a whisky bar and shop based in Bologna, Italy, owned and operated by Bruno Benassi. From the mid- to late-1990s it released a handful of its own independent bottlings at a variety of strengths, from 40% abv to cask strength.
The bar is still open and still stocks official bottlings from a variety of distilleries but no longer offers its own bottlings.
Kik Bar History
The Kik Bar was founded by Bruno Benassi in 1967 as a typical urban bar serving families and commuters as well as evening drinkers. Benassi was approached by importers looking for outlets to stock products by independent bottlers, such as Gordon & MacPhail and Wm Cadenhead, as well as some proprietary bottlings. With such pressure from importers Benassi began to build a not inconsiderable whisky selection and established a small off-trade business in tandem with the bar.
As interest in whisky grew, by the 1990s the company had established such a good reputation in Italy’s whisky scene that Benassi sought to bottle some of his own whiskies. Through Nadi Fiori of High Spirits, and connections with Signatory via one of his importers, Benassi was able to source a number of single casks which were labelled for and sold through Kik Bar. The last of these bottlings were produced in the early 2000s.
The bar, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017, is still open today with a slightly smaller whisky selection.
Contact
- Address
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Kik Bar
Via S. Donato 66/14
Bologna
40127
Italy - Phone
- +39 51 511328
Map
See also
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Independent bottler
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Independent bottler
High Spirits
Italian bottler with strong historical connections to recent whisky history in Italy.
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Independent bottler
Hidden Spirits
Young Italian independent bottler with a meticulous focus on single cask whiskies.