This week, we were lucky enough to take part in a Tweet Tasting that showcased some of the whisky that feature in the new Drinks By The Dram Advent Calendars. As a way of celebrating those whiskies and telling you all about the calendar ranges that are available, we have reviewed two of the most interesting drams. The first is Australian whisky from Starward Distillery.
Starward was founded by David Vitale, a craft beer lover, who took what he saw in the craft beer scene and decided to inject the same spirit, vitality and passionate localism into whisky. He wanted to ensure that Australian whisky could be reflective of Australia, but also approachable and accessible to mass market. He did this by utilising both Australian wine barrels and the climatic conditions of Melbourne to create a whisky that was original and interesting.
Then in 2015 Diageo (the largest spirits producer in the world) invested money into the distillery, to ensure that its whisky could be found around the world. This meant doubling production and much wider reach for its whisky. Fast forward to today and they now have three different whisky types that can be purchased in most countries of the world.
Price: £50.44 from Master of Malt (at time of press)
ABV: 43%
Appearance: A rich deep ruby red colour
Aroma: This whisky has a really fruity nose, which sits somewhere between blueberry, baked apples and blackcurrant. As it opens up there are also spicy notes of ginger and then a rich, dark treacle sweetness. Finally there is a buttery sweetness that emerges and pervades.
Taste: Initially this whisky is all about the apples for me. Sweet, crisp and fruity like my favourite – the mighty Jazz Apple. Then as the whisky sits in the mouth there is a wonderfully spicy, warming middle, which is massively cinnamon led with a ginger like heat in the background. Lastly, there is a buttery fudge like creamy sweetness that softens the dram and rounds it off. Here in the background there is also a pear flavour and an almost date like stone fruitiness too.
Mouthfeel: This is as you would expect a fruity, sweet dram, but it is still full bodied and has layers of flavour.
Overall: This is a re-taste for us, having already consumed a full bottle of an earlier production run. We think that it is a fantastically priced whisky, which considering the relatively young age of the spirit is full bodied, has a long complex finish and yet is super well balanced an easy to drink. It is also one of the few Australian whiskies that can be purchased in the UK for under a hundred pounds.
Real Dram Factor: 8.1
Source: Drinks By the Dram Advent Calendar Tweet Tasting – You can see a list of the amazing array of whisky, gin and other spirit based advent calendars by following this link to Master of Malt.
More Information: https://starward.com.au
Buy Online: Master of Malt – Starward New World Whisky – £50.44