Starward 10th Anniversary Bottling

Taking a break from Starward special releases to focus on a couple of special releases. Wait what? The 10th anniversary edition doesn’t fall under Starwards ‘projects’ or ‘small batch’ releases. Rather this single malt marked their 10th Anniversary. Apparently, this liquid was made from a vatting of 28 casks including the influence of all eight varieties of cask used by Starward up to their 10th Anniversary including red wine, Apera (Aussie Sherry), and Jerez PX. The exact mix is well guarded, but the ginger beer cask (I should track that down) is not in the mix. N: Deep, rich, indulgent yet precise and controlled. Bitter orange, crisp toffee, vanilla, smooth dark chocolate, cherry and jammy fig compote, a whip of leather highlights a buried core of slightly oaky malt. P: Thick, oily, and abundantly excessive in the best of ways. This has so much heft and presence that I can’t help but wonder if maybe I’m eating ice-cream. Sherry soaked raisins and sultans, treacle, apple cider vinegar, plums, mocha, nutmeg and pepper. The leather continues, but this time it doesn’t bring malt, it brings something brighter and greener, almost herbaceous; its refreshing and cleansing. F: Medium. Light blackberry, and a nuttiness with a touch of lemon peel. That nose, crikey. The opera and red wine are the backbone that deliver indulgent richness, but then with utter precision there is enough bitterness to cut through, and a figurative leather whip of sultry texture that pulls back the curtain to showcase a delicate malt. But then the palate comes at you like a freight train, incredible presence of flavours and richness, no rough edges, and an ability to take you deep without effort. But then, it just falls short. The finish just doesn’t stand up to what came before it. On a less massive liquid the finish would undoubtedly be wonderful. But here, it just fades away without making itself well known. An almighty effort from the team at Starward, ten years of practice clearly paid off. Distiller whisky taste #215 [Pictured here with the continued progression from peat to lignite to bituminous coal, now we have anthracite. This lump of carbon comes from the 323-290 million year old South Wales Coalfields. Anthracite is the ultimate transformation of peat. Pressure, over time is transformative. So as for rocks, so for whisky from Starward it seems.] Starward running scores: Fortis: 3.25/5 10th Anniversary: 4.25/5 Whisky Club Exclusive, Maple Cask: 2/5 Whisky Club Exclusive, Cognac Cask: 3.5/5 Projects, Octave Barrels: 3.75/5 Projects, Dolce: 2.25/5 Projects, Bourbon Cask: 3.5/5 Projects, Tawny #2: 3.5/5 Projects, UnExpeated: 3.75/5 Projects, Peated: 2.75/5 Small Batch, Hungarian Oak: 3/5 Small Batch, Sticky Toffee Apple: 3.25/5 Small Batch, Chardonnay: 4/5

Honey bourbon orange lemon slighted peated. Bit of a bizarre aftertaste