Starward x Lagavulin
The world has gone whisky crazy. Without a little the whole world. And as a result, the world was filled with distilleries. Without a little the whole world. Whisky is now made not only in Scotland, Ireland, Japan and the USA. Whisky is now made not only in Taiwan, India or Sweden. Whisky is also made - among other things - in Australia.
In recent days, a new limited edition has appeared on the European market Starward, subjected to finish in casks of smoky, peaty Scotch whisky from Lagavulin distillery. Starward x Lagavulin the single malt whisky is a beverage matured for 2.5 years in the Australian climate in barrels of local fortified red wine, after which it went into Lagavulin casks for another 1.5 years. The combination of these two types of barrels and the Australian climate resulted in notes of nectarine and pineapple with a slight iodine touch in the aroma. On the palate, expect notes of grilled pineapple and black tea, finishing with tropical fruits and a touch of oak on the finish.
This whisky has arrived in Europe through a Dutch importer and is expected to be on the market in mid-December. The retail price of a single bottle is set at 120 euros.
Despite its antipodal location and small seniority in the whisky market, the Starward distillery has already made itself known in Europe as well as in Poland. Founded in 2007, the distillery in 2015 received financial backing from the global distilling giant, Diageo Group. Thanks to funding from the Distill Ventures project, the distillery founded by David Vitale was able to relocate and increase efficiency. At this stage began the collaboration that resulted in the new whisky described above. Today, Starward is located in Port Melbourne and produces both single malt whisky and grain whisky, made with wheat. Starward matures its whisky in Australian Apera red wine casks, to some extent the equivalent of Spanish sherry.
Additional maturation of non-peat whisky in Islay malt casks is not a new idea. As it seems, the first example was Balvenie 17yo IslayCask, which debuted in 2003. There were several more similar ones, including Scapa Glansa, or Penderyn Peated. Similar experiments by rum producers and bottlers are also increasingly common. Suffice it to mention Plantation Fiji 2009 Kilchoman Casks rum, or Mount Gay XO Peat Smoke. The distinct peat and smoke accents of Islay whisky are also used in the maturation of heavy, dark beers.
Enthusiasts of Australian distilled products are invited to check out the current offerings of the House of Whisky Online. Despite the small scale of the distillery's production and the not inconsiderable distance from our warehouses, you can find in our store starward whisky selection. Please visit.
[30.11.2023 / photo: Starward]