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A Gold winner was found in the next flight, India, for Indri Dru Single Malt Indian Whisky. One judge found it to be on “the sweet side, with a good spicy chilli heat, nutmeg, Sichuan pepper, and cinnamon”. 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”.
So that’s the new Starward: it’s not particularly left field but it’s a great mixer. And it certainly appeals to my European palate. Australian whisky maker Starward has announced a new addition to its range exclusively for the European market.Three Golds were awarded in the European rye whisky flight, including two for Denmark’s Stauning and one for Stork Club Full Proof Rye Whiskey. Stauning Rye Maple Syrup Cask Finish was praised for its “classic rye spiciness” and “lingering sweetness” and Stauning Dirty Bastard was praised for its higher ABV, “oak spice and caramel sweetness”. Stork Club Full Proof Rye Whiskey from Germany’s Spreewood Distillers had a “lovely milk chocolate note on the palate” and “nice dried fruits, raisins and apricot”. 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. A whisky distilled in Melbourne is not really as outrageous as it sounds. The city is surrounded by some of Australia's best wine regions and has had a craft brewery scene that can hold its own against any major city in the world. So it was only a matter of time before somebody had the bright idea to create a Melbourne whisky.
The Service has been prepared by us solely for information purposes to Members and the Service is based on information we consider reliable and we obtain the contents of the Service from a number of different third party sources (including Contributions), but we do not endorse, support, represent, warrant or guarantee the completeness, truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of the Services and any information therein. Filer said of Starward Fortis: “Caramelised ripe banana and oak on the nose. A sweet palate opening with some fresh apple syrup, a touch of citrus and plenty of pepper.” Stablemate Starward Nova also impressed Filer, who found: “Toasted grain on the nose, dry grass and some poached pear. Warming and smooth mouthfeel, dry and toasted on the palate with some sweeter floral notes, orchard blossoms, and a touch of saline mid-palate.” 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.” The producer said the whisky had been designed with the European palate in mind and was part of a concerted push to make Australian whiskies more widely available to consumers around the globe. We may sell, license, transfer, assign or in any other way dispose of the Service (including Members) to any third party without any notification to you, e.g. (but without limitation) in connection with any reorganization, restructuring, merger or sale, or other transfer of assets.Whiskybase B.V. is the Dutch private limited liability company, having its statutory seat in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and its office at Zwaanshals 530, 3035 KS Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Whiskybase B.V. is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under no. 52072819. Bearface Spirits took home two Golds, including one for its Elementally Aged Triple Oak Whisky, enjoyed for “bread dough, maple syrup, toffee, caramel, honey, vanilla” notes, and another for its Whisky Wilderness Series 02 Mitlenatch Island Release. It stands a chance of success. Tasting Starward Left Field without any ice or mixers is lightly biting into a juicy apple. The fruit flavours burst out from the beginning before leaving a lovely richer red wine feel afterwards. It is a whisky that I would enjoy on its own. It feels more 'English' than Starward's other offerings, reminding me a little of the heavy fruit from my choice for best whisky of 2023, Cotswolds. I can't really give it any higher compliment. And they’re doing something right, STARWARD Solera recently won gold at the 2016 World Whisky Awards with the other product in the STARWARD range, the Wine Cask Project being named as Best Craft Distilled Whisky in the World at the revered San Francisco International Spirits Competition.
The most acclaimed flight of the competition was Australasia single malts, in which seven Master medals were given out, including two to Starward and Lark. Whether you’re just curious or looking to expand your whisky repertoire outside of Scotland, there’s a huge benefit to looking to the rest of the world for your next dram. Each country has its own climate, benefits from using locally grown ingredients and produces with a fresh perspective, resulting in some very exciting discoveries.
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A lone entry from Japan, Small Batch Pure Malt Hatozaki, secured the top Master accolade. Chou found notes of “oat, bread, toast, porridge, raisin, plum, and vanilla”, with a “good balance of sweetness and spiciness” on the palate, and a “rich and rounded texture”. Earlier this week, we published results for The American Whiskey Masters and The Irish Whiskey Masters. Pendelton Midnight was particularly praised by Cheong Thong, who noted: “Apples and stone fruit. Rounded and deliciously fresh. Great complexity, with a long length.” Interest in whisky being made in countries outside of the traditional nations of Scotland, Ireland, and America is flying high. As consumers face price hikes for well-known brands, and deal with tighter purse strings, there are boundless opportunities for drinkers to explore whiskies being made from Asia, Canada, and South Africa, to European countries such as Wales and Denmark.
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This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services. This week we turn our attention to Starward Left-Field, an Australian single malt with aspirations to woo us Europeans. While the richer, darker elements of Left-Field profile seems more suited to an Old Fashioned or Manhattan/Rob Roy (what are they called when they’re made with Australian whisky? A Cate Blanchett? A Phar Lap?) than a Sour, I still think this is the approach that has greater merit. Left-Field is versatile enough to suggest a fair number of bartenders will (hopefully) soon be having a lot of fun experimenting with it. But, a gain this isn’t very left-field, given Starward’s other expressions are all great mixers. Australia’s Waubs Harbour Distillery took a Master for Port Storm. One judge said: “Quite smooth for the higher ABV. Woody and wine notes present with heat on the aftertaste.” Master medallist Morris Australian Single Malt Whisky Muscat Barrel 48% ABV was lauded for its “vanilla, spices and complexity on the nose” and vanilla and wine notes on the palate with a “pleasant aftertaste”. Another Gold also went to Romania’s Carpathian Single Malt Whisky Cognac Cask Finish, enjoyed for its “nice maltiness” on the nose and hints of “chocolate, malt, cereal and some red fruits”. Sixteen Silver medals concluded the flight. Uresti was particularly positive about the European single malts: “You can see the whole category has a solid and consistent quality, and we see they’re getting better, replicating things done in Scotland and Ireland in a good way.”
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