The museum showcasing Valentino Zagatti’s famed whisky collection of over 3,000 bottles has opened in Sassenheim, The Netherlands. Whisky fans are expected to flock to the small Dutch village, for a chance to view the famed collection. Coined the “Unseen Collection”, the oldest bottle goes back as far as 1843. A big fan of Macallan and Islay’s famed Caol Ila, Laphroaig, and Lagavulin distilleries, Zagatti’s bottles are some of the rarest in the world today. Despite selling his collection, he still retains a few thousand bottles as he often bought two of each.
Valentino Zagatti, now 83, began collecting spirits and wines in Italy back in the 1960s. The reason? He had just quit smoking and had some extra cash to spare. Eventually, upon realizing how vast the drinks world was and how hard it would be to collect it all, he decided to focus on single malt whisky. Zagatti is fully blind, having stepped on a landmine at the age of 11, during WWII. However, this never stopped the man from becoming a successful accordion player, a loved musician and teacher, and a famed whisky collector. In 1999 he published “The Best Collection of Malt Whisky” and in 2004, delivered the “The Best Collection of Malt – Part Two – Whiskies and Whiskeys” after his collection expanded into new, exciting categories. Both books are well-known across the whisky world and have helped many start their own whisky adventures. While Zagatti has never laid eyes on his collection, he remembers each and every purchase including the date, time, and circumstances of the transaction. Pleased with an impressive memory, Zagatti added to his diary each and every day, documenting his life and collection as it grew.
For at least five years the bottles will stay together before they can be resold, so plenty of time for a quick trip to the Netherlands.
Source: Forbes