Historic Distilleria Varnelli has been making spirits on the beautiful slopes of the Sibillini Mountains in the Marche region of Italy since 1868. Founder and botanist Girolamo Varnelli lived in the heart of Mount Sibillini, now an Italian National Park and nature preserve, where he dedicated himself to the study of indigenous medicinal plants. As was both a necessity and a fashion of the time, Girolamo developed an original recipe for a medicinal elixir with fever-reducing and antimalarial properties thanks to its high content of yellow gentian and chincona. The result was what he christened Amaro Sibilla, dedicated to the spirits and and lore of his beloved Sibillini Mountains. Varnelli’s elixir was a hit, wining praise and a gold medal at the 1909 International Exhibition in Turin.
In the early 20th Century Girolamo’s son Antonio Varnelli took the reins and continued to build the reputation of the distillery, developing new liqueurs including a benchmark version of the region’s famed mistrà, a typically rustic anisette liqueur. Varnelli Anice Secco was released at a quality level never before seen for mistrà and became the company’s second big hit, putting Varnelli on the map of Italy’s great distillers. However it is the third generation, Girolamo’s grandson, also named Girolamo who seized upon the uniqueness and commercial success of the Varnelli brand, and propelled it to international renown. Their most recent Amaro is possibly their most famous to date—the astoundingly complex Amaro dell’Erborista; a digestivo developed with local herbs, roots and botanicals and also chincona, sweetened only by raw local honey and cooked over wood-fired kettles.
Over the years Distilleria Varnelli has continued to introduce new and regionally-inspired liqueurs, rooted in Marche’s strong traditions, with local ingredients. Under the fourth generation, entirely owned by all the female heirs of Varnelli, Elda, Gigliola Simonetta, Mari Donatella and Orietta Maria, many of the phases of production are still performed personally by the family members with closely kept secret processes that have been passed down through the generations. Their goal is to run the business through a balanced mix of tradition and innovation. They focus on quality by placing a value both on social responsibility, sustainability and good stewardship of their region’s resources.
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