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Twenty-two Gold medals were also awarded by the judges, including seven for Lark, five for Starward and four for Copper and Grain Distilling Co. Lark’s Rebellion whisky was described as having “cinnamon and aniseed, with some citrus and apricot compote”, while one judge enjoyed Starward Rum Cask Release IV for its “huge spice and fruitcake notes”. Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique Single Malt | Image: Kent Street Cellars 3. Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique Single Malt (Taiwan) Making whisky in Melbourne, Australia also challenges the process with wide temperature swings daily and throughout the whole aging process. It’s not just put into a cellar but gets worked by the heating and cooling of the climate, causing the ABV to go up and not down like a traditional Scotch whisky. This is what Starward has termed “Elemental Maturation” in case you were wondering when you saw it on the label. There is a high degree of quality expected when a cask has been chosen as good enough to be released in this form. Let’s see how it measures up. Starward Single Barrel Australian Whisky – Review
No partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship is created as a result of your use of the Service. Matt Chambers, whisky and spirits writer, and co-founder of the Whisky For Everyone blog, chaired a team consisting of: Renata Ma, of Grain & Glass, and a whisky specialist; and Herchelle Perez Terrado, founder of Drinks Partnership. Closures producer Talis was the official sponsor of The World Whisky Masters
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Each and every Member must be of legal drinking age in its country of residence to be allowed to use the Service. If no such law exists in a Member’s country of residence, the Member has to be over 21 years old to use the Service. We have the right to ask you to provide proof of your age and/or to provide further identification to prevent underage usage and/or for any other legal or legitimate purpose. By using the Service, and by creating an account you represent, warrant and confirm that you are of legal age. Starward has three whiskies in its core lineup, along with other rotating limited offerings. For the broadest picture of the distillery's output, I tried the three core bottles along with the latest limited offering, all of which are described below. Chambers added: “Some lovely examples but also some that were a little mean and too woody. There also seems to be an obsession with bottling at high ABV. Some of these would benefit from being lower strength.” If this year’s contest is anything to go by, we can expect to see whisky producers upping their game when it comes to experimentation with casks, climates, and production methods in the future.
Then come the barrels. We go local and source barrels from wineries in the nearby Yarra Valley and Barossa Valley so they keep their fresh red wine flavour profile. Then, they’re lightly charred or steamed. Often, the barrels are still wet with wine when we fill them. Now that I’ve been open about my predispositions, it’s time for one more confession: I am an easy mark when I see an appealing single barrel release. The single barrel versus small batch wars rages on, with me sitting on the sidelines an interested observer. I intellectually understand the skill required in blending together the ideal barrels to create a small batch release. I’ve owned more than my share of Cadenheads (now sadly defunct) small batch releases, which regularly hit a sweet price point with appealing distilleries at cask strength. By no means bad, but pretty average. I’d be interested to try a longer-aged expression bottled at a higher ABV. Score: 4/10 A few things make Starward's whisky-making process unique. One is that the distillery ages its whiskies in wine barrels (typically red wine), imparting more complex flavor than you'd get from, say, new oak barrels. The unique climate of Melbourne, Australia, where the distillery is located, also allows for much shorter maturation times than is typical, due to the city's "four seasons in a day" climate, a process that Starward refers to as "elemental maturation." From the consumer’s perspective, consistency can cut both ways. We want to be able to walk into a shop and select a bottle with a familiar label, assured that we know more or less what the contents inside will taste like. We want whisky to taste the same as it did last go around, or as we remember it tasting years ago, the vicissitudes of time and fortune be damned.For my tastes, I will always prefer the romanticism of taking a chance on discovering a single barrel release that gives insight into what is coming straight out of the casks of a distillery.
The former had a “fruity, slightly nutty aroma with japaleño and chilli notes”, while the latter offered “pear drops” on the nose with a “deliciously fruity palate”. Our signature single malt is a deliciously balanced and bold whisky for sharing and mixing. Nova is matured exclusively in red wine barrels from wineries making great Australian shiraz, cabernets and pinot noirs. It wasn’t just Australian whiskies that took home the top gong. New Zealand’s Scapegrace Distilling Co won a Master for its Scapegrace Fortitude V, with its “light smoke on the nose and complexity” and “smooth palate with hints of smoke and sweetness”. Far from stellar. “No va” translates into Spanish as “doesn’t go,” and unfortunately that’s the case with Nova. It doesn’t go to the stars, or anywhere good; it doesn’t really go much of anywhere at all.
Nose / Like we took bright flavours of red berries and orchard fruit and coated them in soft oak spice.
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