In Conversation With: Nadi Fiori, Intertrade (Part Two)

Some figures in the whisky world leave an indelible mark. Not just through the bottles they’ve created but through the many stories, friendships and moments they’ve shaped along the way. Nadi Fiori is one of those people. A few years ago, we had the privilege of meeting and speaking with Nadi in Edinburgh*, the man behind some of the most wanted independent bottlings of Scotch whisky. As the driving force behind Intertrade, his selections helped define an era of independent bottling.

Right from the start, we were struck by his exceptional warmth and incredible knack for storytelling (it felt like we’d known him for years). Since then, we’ve stayed in touch and are always delighted at how open he is to have a chat and share some of his characterful whisky stories.

Now, as the most extensive Intertrade collection we’ve ever seen heads to auction (meticulously assembled over decades), we caught up with Nadi to continue our conversation. In this interview, he shares his thoughts on this collection and what he hopes future owners will take away from these extraordinary whiskies.

*You can watch a video interview from our 2022 meeting on our YouTube channel, or read a written version online here.

Nadi, it’s been a few years since we last spoke. How have things evolved for you and High Spirits since then?

Well, a few years after we met in Edinburgh I would say that the most notable thing for High Spirits and myself is that the time has gone quickly. I'm piling up too many years and I'm starting to show this - and the same goes for High Spirits.  The whisky world has seen a very big change since the late '70s when I began my little adventure.

This is the largest Intertrade collection ever to come to auction. How does it feel to see such an extraordinary assembly of your work come together like this?

I saw this collection last year and was immediately impressed. You have to consider that the collection includes bottles that were originally released over a period of about 10 years. I remember them all, though some I had lost track of.

Building a collection like this doesn’t happen overnight. What’s the journey been like between you and the collector - is there a personal story or connection with the seller that made this all come together?

 I met the collector who has now put the collection up for sale several years ago. In a short time, a certain personal harmony was created which then became a good friendship. He actually told me about collecting my old releases only after some time and, frankly, this surprised me.

I did not think that somebody could search with passion and meticulousness for all my old bottlings; for example I never kept any. However, I believe that this friend/collector was motivated not only by the quality of the product or its rarity, but also the personal stories I shared about various bottlings.

Are there any bottles in this collection that bring back particularly strong memories? Perhaps a cask you almost didn’t bottle or a distillery visit that stands out?

As often happens, the strongest memories are that of the first barrels. I am referring to the 21 year old Glenlivet and the 22 year old Glen Grant and Glenfiddich. The memory is strong but very vague in its details - in fact I do not remember the name of the person with whom I dealt with or how we first came into contact. I remember that we met for the first time in a hotel in Deeside and then a few other times in his office in Aberdeen. It was 1981 and dealing with barrels of whisky was certainly not my habit. However, the experience left me satisfied and after some time Intertrade was founded.

From then on, the production of bottlings increased and so did my trips to Scotland. Back then, visiting various distilleries was not regulated as they are today. There were very few visitor centres (the first being Glenturret and Glenfiddich) and you just had to show up at the entrance and ask to have a look. I really enjoyed stopping at Strathisla because the still room was directly accessible from the outside and I could go in and have a chat with the staff. 

Image

Your signature is on almost all bottles in this collection. That’s a rare and personal touch. What made you decide to do that and how does it feel to ‘send off’ these bottles to new homes?

As I said before, I never kept any of the bottles I produced and maybe now I regret it but I'm certain I would have probably given them away anyway eventually.

Signing the bottles of this collection was like reliving the moments of production and I liked it, but I completely understand the decision to sell. I believe that a collection should be exciting and fun to put together, but then you must have the clarity to give it away if in the meantime the interest has faded. It's important to let go and pass on this pleasure to others.

Do you believe the character of Scotch whisky has changed since your early bottlings? Would you select different styles of casks today?

I think that everything has changed in the whisky sector in general and even more so for Scotch Whisky. If I look at price lists from the 70s and 80s, I notice that some products that were appreciated then are no longer so today and, on the other hand, others have increased enormously in interest (and price).

Even Scotch is subject to fashion and, precisely for this reason, given the worldwide interest found in the last 10/15 years I have seen prices rise dramatically. I also see the opening of many new distilleries, which I find very exciting and if I were 40 years younger I would absolutely dedicate myself to exploring these new productions. But now I realise that I won’t have the time to witness their evolution, and unfortunately, I fear that not all of these new distilleries will find success easily.

What is the story behind the Celtic Label Port Ellen and Caol Ila bottlings?

These labels were Gordon & MacPhail creations and I have used them a few times when I didn’t have the time to produce something myself. The first ones I used were for a series of crystal decanters. At first I thought of them as just a small opportunity, but now I find them much more interesting thanks also to the fact that they have been used for a couple of fantastic bottlings of Port Ellen and Caol Ila.

Image

If you could re-bottle one whisky from the Intertrade days, with the benefit of your experience now, which would it be and why?

If you mean which whiskies I would bottle today, given the choices that I had then I would say I could bottle 10 casks a week of Longmorn, Strathisla, Caol Ila, Bowmore, Glenlossie, Glenlivet, Glen Grant, Port Ellen, Talisker, Rosebank etc. etc. such was the quantity and quality of the products that were available but, as we know, opportunities change and today nothing of the kind is possible (at least not at prices I could afford).

Among the many I did bottle instead, I would like to be able to have a twin cask to bottle today of Glenlivet 1960 ex-sherry originally bottled in 1961 (but perhaps too long in ex-sherry would kill it) or a cask of Ardbeg 1975 that I bottled in both 1988 and 1989 and whose aroma I still remember.

With this collection now heading to auction, what do you hope future owners and drinkers take away from these bottles?

I would like many of those bottles to be opened and drunk, sharing the pleasure with friends. If I could, I would love to be among those friends, while drinking, I would certainly be able to remember and tell many of those stories and keep everyone at the table until the last bottle is finished.

This remarkable collection will be featured in our upcoming March auction. At over 100 bottles, it's a time capsule of independent bottling at its best and a living record of a whisky pioneer’s journey through decades of whisky history, chance meetings, friendships and more. It might seem surprising to many of us that Nadi never kept many of these bottles, but it’s a reminder that his focus was always on the stories they told and the experiences they created.

As these bottles find their new homes, they carry more than just some of the world's most highly regarded whiskies, but also Nadi’s wonderful tales and most importantly, an open invitation to create new ones (with an invite for Nadi if possible!).