When the season ends, Portofino becomes a village again. The lights of the houses stay on, those of the fishing boats glimmer offshore. It is this face, unknown to the rest of the world, that Portofino Dry Gin bottles with Winter Nights, its limited edition for the end of 2026.
The village once the visitors have gone
Portofino is associated with summer, crowded quays, the dolce vita in full light. The press release proposes the opposite: an intimate, wintry hour when the village returns to its inhabitants. Winter Nights is conceived as the night portrait of a place we think we know, and this idea of an inverted season gives the object its story.
The house was founded by three friends, Ruggero Raymo, Christopher Egger and Alessandro Briola, united by their passion for the village. It pays tribute to Ruggero’s grandfather, Klaus Pudel, a figure of the Italian dolce vita, admired for having saved Portofino from destruction during the Second World War. Its mission, it says, is to share the beauty of the place with the rest of the world, each sip being meant as a stroll on the Piazzetta.
A bottle dressed for the night
The bottle remains faithful to the house’s signature square shape, inspired by vintage perfumes. For the occasion, the glass turns midnight blue and wraps the gin like a cape. Silver screen printing brings the stars to life, while hot-foil gold marking relights the lights of the village on the label.
On the back, a sentence invites daydreaming: “Under the winter stars, Portofino sparkles, the moon kisses the sea and the night reveals its most beautiful secrets.” Each bottle is numbered, which makes it, according to the press release, a true collector’s item. The detail is less trivial than it seems: among gift spirits, it is often the number that turns a bottle into a keepsake.
Twenty-one botanicals, one landscape
Inside, we find Portofino Dry Gin, blended in a former Italian distillery from 21 botanicals, including lemon, lavender, marjoram and sage, some of them picked on the hillside above the harbour. Each ingredient is distilled individually, combining the classic method with vacuum distillation in a Rotavapor, in order to preserve the most delicate aromas.
The profile described follows the same landscape logic. On the nose, wild lavender and lemon zest. On the palate, a lively citrus attack, then a floral, Mediterranean heart. On the finish, herbaceous notes, long and refined, carried by sage and dried flowers. It is a gin that speaks of hillside as much as of sea, and this is better understood in the light of the Ligurian winter.
Practical information
Winter Nights is offered as a limited edition, in numbered bottles, at 43% ABV, in a 50 cl size, at a recommended retail price of €51. It will be available from 19 October 2026 in La Maison du Whisky stores and on whisky.fr, for the end-of-year holidays.
The price places this edition among seasonal gifts rather than display bottles, and both the numbering and the 50 cl size confirm a format designed to be given. The agency Pour-Parlers makes cut-out visuals available to the press. Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health. Consume in moderation.
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