Starward "Forget Me Not" Beer Whisky

flowery in a delicate subtle way (a subtle British-type small, slightly fragrant flower); a bit harsh alcohol-wise

Nose: Initially there is a sweet floral perfume note of frangipani, vanilla flowers, damask rose and eau-de-Cologne. It's so sweet that you might momentarily think you are sniffing gin rather than whisky. The nose expands into fragrant elderflower wine and then suddenly, magically, it transforms again into the smell of hops - just like a brewery during fermentation. As you get used to the nose, the familiar malty aromas of whisky start to emerge and after a while it all comes into balance with hops, elderflowers, malt, vanilla, oak and a little trace tropical fruit being the main aromas. Now, add water and this time the intense eau-de-cologne note is gone and the more standard "whisky" aromas are present. [Note: The dry glass aroma is malty and resinous, and not at all floral. Rather like Auchentoshan Classic, actually]. Palate: Neat, the arrival is sweet and smooth with herbal and malty flavours predominating. The development brings out a gin-like character that is herbal and oaky. Bittersweet ale notes arise and swirl about the mouth and there is no sign whatsoever of the 50% abv. This is dangerously easy to drink. Adding water makes it even more drinkable - the palate broadens and gains depth, but it does remain a rather simple profile. I would not call this a complex and subtle whisky on the mouth, it is a bit too bombastic and the profile is built from just a few larger than life flavours. Finish: Long. At first it seems to be a bit thin and fleeting but after a while you realise how much of the palate is staying with you, and eventually you start to wonder if you'll ever stop tasting it! The herbal/bittersweet character fades very slowly and there is a lingering aftertaste. Water is not kind to the finish, however, and produces a soapy character. Forget-Me-Not is a collaboration between Boatrocker Brewery and Starward (New World Distillery), both based in Melbourne. Boatrocker brewed up a batch of Alpha Queen, their classic dry-hopped pale ale, then passed it on to Starward who used it as the wash to create a whisky. You can unmistakably sense the beer heritage of the spirit through the intense hop note that distillation has transmuted into a multi-faceted fragrant herbal cloud. This is a most unusual whisky, and something very new to me. I'd bet that somewhere another distillery has done something similar, but this is the first spirit I've tasted that is based on a hopped beer rather than traditional fermented wort. I'm also sure that many whisky traditionalists would take one sniff of this and roll their eyes in disgust at the perfumed profile. It's absolutely not scotch whisky, and it proudly flaunts the fact, but the DNA of barley spirit is there underneath the strong hop presence. It's even less like bourbon, despite being aged in bourbon barrels (probably for 2-3 years). It's a contemporary Australian whisky of quirky but pleasing character. We are privileged to live at a time when distillers can count on the support and encouragement of their clientele and risk crafting such delightful experiments. I wouldn't want all whisky to be like this, but it is something I'd recommend to all whisky drinkers at least once just for the experience, and I'm enjoying the bottle I have. It's a good experimental batch and I'm rating it at 3 stars, but it is a singular profile. BTW - The producers chose the name Forget-Me-Not for this experimental batch because it is impossible to forget the beer heritage of the whisky once you smell it! My bottle is no.315. “Above Average" : 80/100 (3 stars)