Starward Single Malt Single Barrel – Plumpjack Selection

Its all about the finish! Not just your another single malt aged in red wine cask

DISTILLERY	Starward
REGION	Melbourne, Australia
AGE	4 Years in Red Wine Barrel
STRENGTH	55.7% ABV (111.4 Proof)
MASHBILL	100% Malted Barley
MSRP	$70

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GLANCE

Clear with deep rich brown hue. Deep intensity

NOSE

Rum raisins, stewed fruits, vanilla coated with sweet oak, cherry with strawberry jam. Hint of BBQ and smokey/savory notes. Pronounced intensity.

PALATE

Overall medium sweetness. Silky texture to mouthfilling. Medium to pronounced intensity. Most of the flavors are at the front of the palate. Cherry, cranberry sauce and oak. You can distinctly taste the red wine influence. Stewed pears, apples, peaches with dark chocolate. Some cinnamon and baking spices rounds out the palate. Towards the end I get notes of orange rind/orange juice

FINISH

Medium to long with some complexity. Cocoa, caramel, baking spices with some dark fruits

CLOSING REMARKS

This was an enjoyable dram and has put Starward on my radar permanently. Their single barrel highlights their stringent barrel selection process well. They source red wine barrels from the Barossa Valley (as this SB was aged in) and the Yarra Valley in Australia. Generally the Barossa Valley yield wines that are heavy reds (Shiraz, Cabernet) compared to the lighters reds found in the Yarra Valley. They dump their new make into wine barrels that are still wet from the wine that was aging in them. This combination of locally sourced wine barrels that are heavy reds and the weather in Melbourne, I feel plays a big part in hiding the youth of the spirit. Its balanced well of soft flavors and silky texture with the punch of the bold flavors. I must say at times, the roughness of the young spirit on the nose or towards the end of the palate comes through, but not enough to deter me for going in for another sip. Cheers!

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