If you have at least a passing interest in whiskey, you’re probably familiar with the most significant brands in the industry. The Macallan. Buffalo Trace. Jack Daniel's. And, if you had to guess, you’d probably assume that one of those names — or some other heavy-hitting brand with famous labels — was named the Most Awarded Distillery of the Year at last year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
But you’d be wrong.
Shockingly, the brand that took home the most trophies at the prestigious global competition — which saw over 4,000 distilleries competing in 2022 — was an Australian distillery that you almost certainly haven’t heard of: Starward Australian Whisky, which smoked the competition by taking home 12 Double Gold and 3 Gold medals. In the process it also became the first Australian distillery to be named Most Awarded Distillery of the Year.
Such a performance from an underdog certainly got my attention, so I sampled Starward’s range of whiskeys to see if they lived up to their championship pedigree.
The Starward Australian Whisky Lineup
There are a couple of aspects about Starward's whiskey-making process that are unique. One is that they age their whiskeys in wine barrels (typically red wine), imparting more complex flavor than you'd get from, say, new oak barrels. The unique climate of Melbourne, 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."
Starward has three whiskeys 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.
- Nova: This is an 82-proof single malt aged for three years in red wine barrels. It won Double Gold medals at SFWSC.
- Solera: Another Double Gold-winning single malt, Solera was the distillery's initial offering. It's matured in apera barrels for three years and is bottled at 86 proof.
- Two-Fold: A more affordable double-grain whiskey made with wheat and malted barley that won a Gold medal at SFWSC, Two-Fold is recommended mainly for cocktails. Like Nova, it's aged in red wine barrels for three years and bottled at 80 proof.
- Vitalis: The distillery's most premium limited offering to date, which was released at the tail-end of 2022 (so it missed out on SFWSC) to commemorate the distillery's 15th anniversary. It's a single malt made with whisky aged between 4 and 10 years in red wine, tawny, bourbon, apera (an Australian sherry-like wine) and rum barrels.
How Starward Australian Whisky's Expressions Taste:
Starward Nova
On the nose, Nova smells terrific. It's heavy on the oak with some berries mixed in, and it honestly smells good enough that I kind of want this scent bottled as a room spray. On the palate it's exceptionally smooth, almost confusingly so — I had to double-check the proof on the bottle to make sure this was indeed an 82-proof whiskey I was sipping. The oak remains from the nose, but the taste is mostly influenced by red wine, resulting in an overall earthy flavor. The finish is just a bit spicy but with almost no heat — an experience unlike any whiskey I'd ever tried before.
Starward Solera
On the nose, Solera — which is aged in sherry-like apera casks rather than Starward's signature red wine barrels — is significantly sweeter and fruitier, with strong whiffs of cherry. Take a sip, and the apera comes into play, resulting in a taste somewhat reminiscent of Italian vermouth with a hint of bitterness. This to me almost tastes more like a Manhattan than a whiskey neat...which makes me think it would make a killer Manhattan or whiskey negroni. The finish certainly brings more heat than Nova, but it's a pleasant warmness that lingers for just a few seconds and leaves you wanting another drink.
Starward Two-Fold
With an suggested retail price around half that of the other two core bottles in Starward's collection, I didn't have the highest hopes for Two-Fold as a sipping whiskey— but I came away pleasantly surprised. On the nose, it's dessert-like, with creamy vanilla and lots of honey. On the tongue, it's the most "whiskey-like" of Starward's offerings: mellow and slightly sweet, not unlike a wheated bourbon, with considerably less of the wine-y notes of the distillery's other bottles. They're still there, though, hiding in the background and adding a slight and mysterious extra element. The finish, again, has very little heat, with a creamier mouthfeel than the other bottles.
Starward Vitalis
Vitalis is Starward's premier offering. It's their most expensive whiskey, it's aged the longest and it takes the most expertise to blend. But how does it taste?
On the nose, it's certainly harsher than the others due to the higher alcohol content (104 proof), but once you get past the initial sting there is a lot going on. I get apple, fig, vanilla, cinnamon, caramel — it's a cornucopia of scents. On the palate, the fruit dissipates but the vanilla and caramel stick around with some oak joining in, making for a shockingly traditional flavor considering this hooch spent time maturing in six different casks. The bourbon cask seems to have left the biggest impression here, and the finish is mostly oak with a touch of spice. It's good, for sure, but tastes a bit pedestrian compared to Starward's other offerings, especially considering the price.
The Verdict: Starward Is Worth Seeking Out
When it comes to Starward's success at 2022's SFWSC, I get it. The distillery's whiskeys are all quite good, and they stand out in a crowd thanks to their unique maturation process bringing in some unexpected flavors and frankly insane smoothness.
For the best representation of the Starward style, I'd recommend a bottle of Nova, thanks to its strong red wine notes and the almost-total absence of heat. If you want something more traditional-tasting for your shelf, opt for Two-Fold. You won't be disappointed. Or, best bet, pick up a sampler pack with all three core bottles.
