Representing the Land Down Under, distillery Starward Whisky brought Australian spirits to this year's Whiskies of the World San Francisco. Distilled and aged in Melbourne, these whiskies reflect a unique character of their origin. Let's see how they fared at our tasting!
Starward Nova
The first of two single malts, Nova is matured in a variety of locally-sourced red wine barrels. The nose had a lot of ethanol, making it difficult to pick out any particular scents. The palate was a bit rough as well, but we detected notes of cranberry relish on a medium mouthfeel. This gives way quickly to the finish, which is a mix of woody and peppery notes.
Starward Solera
The Solera, so named for the traditional blending method used for this bottle, is exclusively matured in Apera casks, a local fortified wine similar to Sherry. The nose is full of a nutty, molasses sweetness, evoking memories of pecan pie. Notes of ginger mix it with that to produce a complex, enticing bouquet. The mouthfeel is quite light, with a bit of the nuttiness continuing onto the delicate palate. One of my companions described the flavor as similar to "Girl Scout Cookie Lemon Drops". The finish is a little oaky, providing an extra layer of complexity to round out the experience.
This fairly young Australian distillery certainly seems to have a handle on their own unique identity. They're not here to just make the same whisky you can buy anywhere else in the world; rather, they want to show drinkers something very particular to their own local heritage. Of the two bottles we tasted, my personal favorite was the delicate complexity of the Starward Solera. I can't wait to see that whisky continue to evolve and grow through that blending method over time!