Francesco Viola was a home distilling hobbyist and in 2010 he decided to bring some of his grandfather's old whiskey recipes to life. Upon learning that it was illegal to home distill, Francesco dove in head first, obtaining a license to distill and creating the Luca Mariano brand along the way. The company derives its name from Francesco’s son, Luca Mariano, who is named after Francesco’s grandfather. It’s bottling design employees embossed glass reminiscent of what you might find in an italiain liquor. The brand is currently working with a Kentucky distillery to distill their products to spec. In 2017, the company found a 300 acre farm in Danville, Kentucky with the goal of it eventually housing a future distillery, rackhouses, and a visitor center.

The nose of Batch Number 2019-03 contains light hints of butterscotch, vanilla, oak, and hay. The sip is approachable and brings with it marshmallow, caramel, sweet vanilla, and a touch of oak. The finish rounds it out with vanilla, hard butterscotch candy, and tannic oak that lingers along with a pleasing heat. This heat helps drag out the finish longer than you would expect for an 83 proof bourbon.

Much like the Luca Mariano Small Batch Rye, the 83 proof on this bourbon delivers a lighter sip. The flavors are light and limited yet distinguishable, however I do wish this was higher in proof to pull them out more. In its current form, Old Americana Small Batch Bourbon would be best suited to use in a simple whiskey cocktail or paired with a light bodied cigar.

‍The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Luca Mariano. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.