Ex-bourbon cask malts may be a dime a dozen from most whisky producers around the world, but they're far less common in Australian single malts. There are only a couple of Australian distilleries that are using ex-bourbon casks on a regular basis, largely thanks to our massive import costs, their relative scarcity, and the abundance of Australian wine and fortified wine casks. So the majority of high quality Australian single malts are matured in Australian ex-port (officially 'tawny') and ex-sherry (officially 'apera') casks, and red wine casks to a lesser extent. But ex-bourbon casks can work very well with Australian single malts, with Melbourne's Bakery Hill and Tasmania's Sullivan's Cove being the most widely-known examples.
Melbourne-based Starward, produced by New World Distillery, are best known for their accessible and (by Australian standards) affordable Wine Cask and Solera "core" expressions, with the former being matured in fresh Australian red wine casks, and the latter being matured in Apera (Australian sherry) casks in a solera system. They're both intentionally very easy-drinking and crowd-pleasing whiskies, at 41% and 43% ABV respectively, but for the more hardcore whisky fans they can be a little light. Aside from 2017's Tenth Anniversary release, the only way to get higher strength offerings from New World Distillery was the "New World Projects" range of limited and often experimental bottlings. The "Projects" releases have been around for quite some time, and actually started off with the distillery staff playing around and experimenting with different casks and different maturation techniques. But the label has been a little quiet recently.
But the distillery hasn't been slacking off - the demand has been so strong that they recently ran out of their core range whiskies for a while, and haven't recovered yet - and they've recently re-launched the Projects range, now known as Starward Whisky Projects, now in a 500ml bottle with a more presentable design. And the first Projects release since the re-launch is Starward / New World's first bourbon cask-matured whisky! It's substantially older than the core bottlings at 4.5 years of age, and it spent all of that time in first-fill ex-bourbon casks from Maker's Mark and Wild Turkey, before being bottled at 52% ABV without chill filtration or added colouring. That ABV won't be full cask strength of course, but it's a nice substantial drinking strength and it worked very well with the aforementioned Tenth Anniversary bottling. There wasn't a lot of build-up or marketing hype for this new whisky, in fact it was all done relatively quietly, but it didn't matter: the 1200 bottles released sold out on the official website within hours of release, despite only a select few having tasted it in advance. Which just goes to show the loyal following that Starward & New World has, and the level of faith that following has in the distillery crew. But then again, if you decide to try a new limited release Australian whisky before buying in the current climate, you're essentially deciding either to miss out completely or to pay an inflated price further down the track, so it often involves a slight leap of faith.
Some naysayers may be baulking at that 500ml bottle size, but let's remember that the reduction in size means there were nearly 30% more bottles to go around than there would have been otherwise, and that pricing is generally kept to a reasonable level. At least it is in Starward's case, since unfortunately there are plenty of other Australian producers that go the other way, even with 500ml bottles. Speaking of pricing, this one was priced at $109 AUD - including shipping - straight from the distillery, which is extremely reasonable for a limited-release Australian single malt at a higher strength. Some may also baulk at that 4.5-year age, and no there isn't an age statement printed on the label, but don't forget that Starward take full advantage of Melbourne's famously indecisive climate, and as a result their whiskies are far more mature than the numbers would suggest. But as always, the proof is in the pudding!
Matured for 4.5 years in ex-Maker's Mark & Wild Turkey bourbon casks. 1200 bottles. Non-chill filtered, natural colour.
Colour: Gold.
Nose: Quite sweet, banana lollies, slightly dusty, some lightly sour pineapple sherbet, and a little aniseed in the background. Some green apple & melon, vanilla custard powder, a little white chocolate, and marshmallows dusted with icing sugar.
Texture: Medium weight, rich & lightly chewy. There's a little heat, but not an unpleasant amount.
Taste: Drier than the nose suggested, quite astringent as well. More of that sweet banana confectionery (Starward's trademark esters of course), some savoury crystalised (grainy) honey, white pepper, vanilla custard and a little caramelised oak.
Finish: Short-medium length. A little spirit-y initially, becoming mellow with more pineapple, green melon, aniseed and white pepper. Vanilla custard again, but more of a baked custard now, and a flash of those bananas and aniseed before fading away.
Score: 3 out of 5.
Notes: A nice tasty dram for sure, and very much what you'd expect from a light, young, ester-y whisky matured in fresh bourbon casks. It has plenty of character though, as usual from Starward, and the nose is a particular highlight although it's very much on the sweet side of things. The overall effect isn't massively complex, but there is enough going on to keep things interesting. That touch of heat is a little distracting admittedly, but it's not harsh or rough, particularly when you consider that this is a 4.5-year old whisky bottled at 52%. Which is showing the fruits (pun intended) of Starward's labour, and the effects of the local weather conditions of course. So this Bourbon Cask expression doesn't quite have the magic of the Tenth Anniversary bottling in my book, nor the brilliant distillery-exclusive Cognac Cask, but it's nevertheless another enjoyable Starward, and like those aforementioned drams it showcases a different side to the spirit that isn't seen in the two core expressions. Which of course is what the Projects series is all about.
We also need to consider the pricing here. I don't usually account for that that in my scoring, and I haven't in this review. But where some Australian single malts have literally doubled in price over the last few years, and are still selling despite them now being beyond the reach of most drinkers and even their previously loyal fans, to have a limited release at higher strength sell for such a reasonable price is a breath of fresh air. I know the fans of some of those very expensive Aussie whiskies are going to rebut that Starward is one of the largest malt whisky producers in the country, and is the only one to attract international investment so far, which is a fair point - and is no bad thing if you ask me. I'm all for the small producers who are making quality whisky at reasonable prices, but those are becoming harder to find these days. I'd place Starward, Bakery Hill, Black Gate, Belgrove, Bellwether and the newcomer Launceston Distillery in that camp, and that's about it. They're producing great quality whisky at relatively affordable prices, rather than banking on the apparent collectibility of Australian whiskies and choosing to put their product out of reach for most of their initial supporters. And more power to them.
Cheers!
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