Category Archives: Australia

Starward Two-Fold Double Grain 40%

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Australia deserves its reputation for fabulous wines and – yes – whisky! So why not combine? While Tasmania dominates, Starward prove you can be in Melbourne and deliver something worthy of attention with distinction – by consistently maturing their whisky in wine barrels.

So when this wee sample showed up as a “bonus” with a larger whisky order, I was delighted to have a chance to check out how this distillery has evolved.

Starward Two-Fold Double Grain 40%

  • Colour – Reddish copper, even a bit of sediment
  • Nose – Clear influence of the wine casks, rich dried berries, coffee toffee sweets, creamy vanilla
  • Palate – Sharp, intense, dark fruits and berries, dark chocolate, tannins
  • Finish – Spice, red wine, bitter close, lingers

It was a bit hard to imagine this was only 40%… the flavours were much sharper and more intense. Certainly young but interesting. A definite departure from a classic Scottish dram – a bit edgier and funkier, in a good way.

Starward Two Fold

What do the folks at Starward have to say?

Smooth, tropical, lightly spiced. 

An Australian double-grain whisky. For depth, we use malted barley, just like our Nova. For an aromatic, dry flavour, we use Australian wheat.

Lightly charred or steamed barrels. Sourced from Australian wineries that make great shiraz, cabernets and pinot noirs. Often filled fresh when the barrel is still wet with wine. We mature each whisky separately in Melbourne’s wildly varied climate, then deftly combine. Smooth as silk. Spiced vanilla, tropical fruits and cereal characters rounded with red apples and berries.

Here are their official tasting notes:

  • Nose / Bright red berries coated in buttery vanilla spice.
  • Palate / Imagine a smooth, rich caramel dessert balanced by tropical fruit.
  • Finish / Delicate and long. A delicious, dry finish from a faded sweetness.

They go on to add:

We carefully select barrels from vineyards making great Aussie reds like shiraz, cabernet and pinot noir. These give our new make spirit tasty fruit, caramel and spice notes. To keep as much of a fresh red wine flavour profile as possible, we source barrels from just a day’s drive away. We either lightly char or quickly blast barrels with steam. Many are still wet with wine when we fill them. Flavour obsessed as ever, we fill each barrel at a lower alcohol proof than is traditional. This means our whisky draws more lip-smacking red wine fruit characters and tannins.

Then, it’s time for Melbourne’s climate to shine. Or, rather, rain and shine in a wildly unpredictable way. Famed for its ‘four seasons in a day’, Melbourne’s fluctuating climate means Two-Fold extracts more flavour from the barrel in a much shorter time than is traditional. After just three years, both barley and wheat whiskies are ready to be expertly combined.

At approx Eur 40, it isn’t as pricey as some other Starward’s we’ve come across… Here are a few earlier explorations of Starward:

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Vita Dulcis 3 – Hellyer’s Road Original Roaring Forty

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Next up from my Vita Dulcis 2020 International Whisk(e)y Advent Calendar was Hellyers Road from Tasmania.

I remember being blown away by the intensity of flavours and character of the Hellyers Road 12 year when first tried it – some five years ago.

This is the Original “Roaring Forty” expression, named after the 40km/h winds which blow in the rain-clouds. It’s aged in American white oak barrels and was the 1st Hellyers Road sampled at 40%.

What did I think?

Australia – Hellyer’s Road Original Roaring Forty 40%

  • Colour – Bright straw
  • Nose – Distinctly different. Almost rancio, not paint varnish but something a bit paint-like and funky.  Nuts… Some over ripe bananas, almost banana cream pie, tartar
  • Palate – That nuttiness continued on the palate, some dark fruits
  • Finish – A bit of spice

Frankly, it was a bit peculiar… There was none of the intensity or bursting with flavours of the 12 year.

Not sure this one is for me, to be honest…

I came back to revisit just to see if it changed character… Nope!

I couldn’t find any official tasting notes on Hellyers Road website, however the chaps at Master of Malt have this to say?

  • Nose: Creamy lemon and vanilla – a bit like Lemon Meringue Pie. Hints of banana and toffee.
  • Palate: Grassy at first, before juicy notes of pear and plum appear.
  • Finish: Peanut brittle, cedar.

I’ve found it online in Germany for EUR 45.

Over the years, we’ve enjoyed our Ozy whisky explorations which has covered quite a range! Specifically with Hellyer’s Road, we’ve tried

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Dunkerton Drams – Starward Nova 41%

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Australia deserves its reputation for fabulous wines and – yes – whisky! So why not combine? While Tasmania dominates, Starward prove you can be in Melbourne and deliver something worthy of attention with distinction – by consistently maturing their whisky in wine barrels.

And while we’ve explored their Apera (sherry style) Solera, a spirited experiment under 3 years (New World Project), even their 10th Anniversary special…. somehow missed trying this Nova expression from their core range! Time to rectify that gap in our collective whisky explorations…

Starward Nova 41%

  • Nose – Plum, red cherries, black and red raspberries, strawberries, red liquorice, grapes, red wine, sweet yet also tangy, dried mango powder (aamchor), sweet basil
  • Palate – Light tannins, soft, bitter, great round fruits, had a nice fruity ‘fullness’
  • Finish – Moist mouth-watering finish, cherry cough syrup

Perhaps it was just us, however we could really find the red wine element in the equation – something bold and full bodied like a shiraz or a cab? And while only 41%, this whisky had full flavours in abundance. A most enjoyable way to close our evening, watching the sunset over green rolling pastures in Somerset.

What do the folks at Starward have to say about their Nova?

  • Beginning / A fruity, double distilled single malt made with Australian barley and craft brewers’ yeast for extra flavour.
  • Middle / Lightly charred or steamed barrels sourced from Australian wineries making great shiraz, cabernets and pinot noirs. Often filled fresh when the barrel is still wet with wine. Matured in Melbourne’s wildly varied climate for three years.
  • End / Exceptional length thanks to the red wine barrels. Bright aromatic notes of red berries, orchard fruits, vanilla, caramel and soft oak spice.
  • Future / Smooth and complex when sipped neat. Shines in classic cocktails. Works exceptionally well with food.

And their tasting notes:

  • Nose / Like we took bright flavours of red berries and orchard fruit and coated them in soft oak spice
  • Palate / Imagine a rich red berry pudding covered in vanilla, caramel and spice.
  • Finish / Balanced and long. The sweetness fades and the delicious flavour goes on.

What did we try in our 2nd Dunkerton evening?

And here are a few earlier explorations of Starward:

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Starward 10th Anniversary 52%

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In the grand scheme of things, 10 years may not seem like a long time. However in the context of a young Australian upstart which challenged conventional thinking about maturing whiskies, casks and more, all with a goal of creating something accessible and affordable, well…. then it is something to celebrate indeed!

Starward 10th Anniversary 52%

  • Colour – A beautiful deep dark ruby
  • Nose – Strong black cherry, intense and concentrated, prunes, old dark wood, cherry brandy, peppery – mostly black peppercorn, rich burnt cake, toffee, dark chocolate, burnt orange, cinnamon, dark purple grapes
  • Palate – Sugar sweet, tart, had a definite kick, while a bit odd initially and took some time to adjust to its concentrated quality, the wood, dark cherry, berries, figs, toasted oak, creamy vanilla, rummy raisins
  • Finish – A lovely black pepper spice that sweetens

Above all, for me this whisky was a heavy rich tapestry of intense flavours.

We decided to add a generous dollop of water to see if it tamed it. What did we discover?

  • Nose – Brought out loads of fruits, while retaining the richness
  • Palate – Absolutely gorgeous! Turned down the volume on the intensity without diminishing the character or complexity
  • Finish – Retained the lovely spice

When we returned, it was distinctly flat coca-cola! Then shifted into a very tasty creme brûlée,

There was no doubt this was quite a whisky. It reminded me of the richness of some Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask or Paul John’s Kanya. What they both have in common is accelerated absorption of the barrel’s interaction with the new make spirit thanks to the respective climates in Australia, Taiwan and India.

So what is the story behind this dram?

Apparently it is a vatted blend of 28 casks of various ages and 8 different types used throughout Starward’s 10 years, of which most are first fill Apera, Pedro Ximenez and red wine barrels.

What would it set you back? If you bought it at the Whisky Exchange, as this one was, then £79.95.

Here are a few other Starward‘s explored:

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Starward Solera 43%

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Solera is the process of transferring part of maturing liquid from one barrel to another in a continuous rotation, typically used in making Sherry. In Australia, this method can be found in the making of Australia’s equivalent of Sherry – Apera – and now also in Starward’s “Solera” whisky which uses this system to bring consistency to each batch from their Apera barrels. As they put it, it also

“means that every Apera barrel we have ever emptied is in every bottle of STARWARD Solera.” 

A few years ago, the Whisky Ladies were introduced to Starward with an early Solera version… and it was such a pleasure to try its newer avatar as part of a Starward trio…

Courtesy Anish Trivedi

Starward Solera 43%

  • Nose – Lemon, fruity, varnish, wet bread, burgundy, even some pear drop buried beneath the top notes, more of that wood, vanilla… then lemon curd
  • Palate – Much more going on than the nose would suggest – has a “graph” to how the palate evolves from soft to strength and substance, even a hint of brine
  • Finish – Strong… with some liquorice

We found it much more enjoyable than the “project”, easily accessible..

We weren’t sure whether water should or should not be divided.

After some time, we returned to be greeted by a delightful “cotton candy” aroma, still initially light but retained the substance. Delicious!

And what do the folks over at Starward have to say?

The original STARWARD is solely matured in Australian fortified wine barrels, which are hand selected, re-coopered, re-toasted and re-sized specifically for aging our spirit.

These barrels have formerly contained Apera, which is an Australian take on Spanish sherry. These barrels are 40-50 years old and have rich and complex flavours of dried fruit, spice and sweetness.

Here are a few other Starward’s explored:

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Starward Wine Cask Project (2018) 41%

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Starward’s New World Project series is deliberately intended to “buck” whisky convention. In truth, what is bottled is not “whisky” at all by the traditional guide of requiring a minimum of 3 years maturation. Instead it is a malted barley spirit, playing around with different wine casks – either fortified or table wine – in this case an undisclosed red wine.

And what better way to kick of our evening exploring Starward than with one of their experimental wine cask projects!

Starward New World Project Wine Cask 2.25 yr malted barley spirit batch 170721-A (8 Aug 2017) 41%

  • Nose – Pear drops, autumn leaves, wood, fresh sap, bourbon, very sweet, raw molasses then shifted into a lighter caramel, orange concentrate
  • Palate – Smooth yet youthful and a bit raw, a tinge salty, marzipan, fruits
  • Finish – Sits there with a slight nuttiness

Overall the aromas were much more interesting than the palate – one even described it as “palate stripping!”

It was certainly interesting… we wondered what it would be like with water. For those who added, it lost the delightful pear on the aroma and didn’t gain much on the palate or finish.

And when we returned after some time… was quite sour on the nose, became quite tart on the palate – think the inside of a kumquat.

My strong recommendation with this one is enjoy it but don’t linger too long. Or perhaps try it one of the many cocktails the folks at Starward recommend.

As for its cost? This bottle was purchased at The Whisky Exchange, London and currently retails for £50.25.

Here are a few other Starward‘s explored:

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Starward Flight – Wine Project, Solera, 10th Anniversary

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What would happen if you matured whisky fully in a red wine barrel rather than merely finish?

And what if the temperature swings of Melbourne’s climate was used as an asset rather than adversity?

Even more, what if your goal was to go against the trend of ever increasingly expensive whiskies to craft something affordable, approachable and distinctly Australian?

Well if you were the folks over at Starward distillery in Melbourne, Australia this would be exactly the questions you are dedicated to answer!

Here is the trio we explored:

What a treat to sample each side by side in Mumbai early March 2018.

Interested in exploring other Australian whiskies? Check out:

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Whisky Live 2018 – Sullivans Cove

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In the main floor of Whisky Live 2018, it was such a treat to meet Patrick Maguire of Sullivan’s Cove.

While we sipped away, Patrick regaled us with their passion for the craft and preference for small and old fashioned approaches that may require patience yet produce results that cannot be rushed.

All the while, I quietly sniffed, swished and sampled two of their malts.

Double Barrel (12 Dec 2007/24 Jan 2018) Double Cask No DC098 Barrel No 45%

  • Nose – A lovely fruit – particularly pear and apple
  • Palate – Balanced texture
  • Finish – Darker

Patrick shared it is a combination of French Oak and American casks – typically aged 10 – 18 years, sometimes using up to 6 different barrels to get the right balance.

After the Double Cask, we moved on to a single cask matured in American Oak – ex JD barrels to be precise.

American Oak Single Cask (9 Jun 2006/20 Aug 2018) Barrel No TD0108 47.5%

  • Nose – Lovely ex-bourbon aromas, wood, vanilla, a whiff of forrest
  • Palate – Some spice, wood
  • Finish – Warm, long and strong

It was truly memorable to meet the man behind the malt… and one of the reasons to

You can find more experiences from Whisky Live 2018 Singapore here.

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Sullivans Cove 16 year 47.5%

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Sullivans Cove shot from quiet quality in a special niche corner to global prominence a few years ago thanks to a few well deserved awards. Since then, tracking down a bottle is challenging… even more so to find one with an age statement.

Our merry Mumbai malters were earlier introduced to the Sullivans Cove French Oak Cask and not so long ago our Whisky Ladies went on a Trans Tasmanian Tour which included  Sullivans Cove Double Cask, yet these glimpses into what Tasmania has to offer and more specifically Sullivans Cove remain rare opportunities here in Mumbai.

Which made it all the more interesting to discover, sampling completely blind this beauty…

Sullivans Cove 16 year (05 Dec 2000/22 Feb 2016) Barrel No HH0561 47.5% Bottle No 74 of 120, Non-chill filtered, American oak ex-bourbon cask

  • Colour – Dark gold
  • Nose – Sharp, distinctive, came across as high alcohol initially, then opened into a tropical fruit paradise, some biscuit, compost and wet earth, moss, it then rapidly dissipated closing up… with a few deep sniffs could discern rubber, cashew feni… quite tricky on the nose as it was on the one hand a bit sharp and on the other hand shy… After the 1st sip revealed pears, dry copra, beyond the coconut, the tropical fruits really came to the fore, quite lively… After quite some time and a revisit, there was paan betel nut too!
  • Palate – Barley water and really rather sweet, then the spice grows, not harsh but surprisingly forceful, chew and get cinnamon. It had this most amazingly deceptive quality of seeming mellow and yet take a good swish and breath in to find SPICE!  Yet equally take a small slow sip and it was like honey water with just a dash of pepper,  so so smooth
  • Finish – A funny sort of finish… An immediate ‘flash’ then just holds you gently for quite some time
  • Water – Most were not tempted. Those that did found it took the sharp and spice mellowing it to modest and nice.

While initially the nose gave a sense of alcohol strength, the palate clearly put this into perspective with a determination it must be below 48%. There were many aspects of this whisky that were ‘tricky’ – in a very interesting way. It also was one that demanded time and attention. Sit back, relax and enjoy the dialectic.

With some whiskies, we find the flavour profiles are fairly universal – accessible to practically anyone in the world. In cases like this Sullivans Cove, we found many qualities that fit perfectly with the palate of Indian fruits, spices, country liquor and deserts. Which made it all the more meaningful and memorable to enjoy in India.

What else do we know about this Tasmanian dram? Here is what they say…

To create this exceptional Single Malt Whisky our distiller has selected the highest quality local ingredients and American Oak ex-Bourbon casks. The award winning result is elegant and creamy exhibiting sweet malt, vanilla and citrus notes with a lingering finish. Taste our splendid isolation, indulge your senses.

Our host admitted this bottle set him back a pretty penny. I do believe something like $400 was mentioned, in large part as a rather hefty “Angel’s Share” made the remaining liquid all the more precious.

What did we try in our “pedigree” evening?

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Pedigree Malts – Midleton, Sullivans Cove, Kilkerran

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There is no doubt that the world of whisky has changed and will continue to change. What has emerged are a few players that are truly “pedigree” even if their origins are not your typical Scottish… Brands that are being recognized for their consistent calibre…

We were treated to such a trio on a fine monsoon swept evening in Mumbai… Each was sampled completely blind with the reveal done only after all three were given our full and careful consideration.

What did we try in our Pedigree Malts?

While none of these are the “traditional” pedigree vintage whiskies, each has a dedication to quality that shines through.

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