‘Smoky whisky barrels meet red-wine-barrel-aged single malt. Islay, Scotland melds with Melbourne, Australia. UnExpeated indeed. Peated Australian Whisky is not common, Australian Whisky peated with Australian Peat is even less common. So, this is actually rather Expeated. If you want to avoid the difficulty of using peat in Australia then its arguably easier to piggy back off of the experts on Islay. From Starward “It fuses new world whisky with traditional Islay peated casks, melding our red wine barrel aged Australian single malt whisky, with the peated whisky-drenched casks from Islay, Scotland. It spent close to 9 months in those casks, and according to Head Blender Jarrad the first 6 months of that time were a bit of a gamble as the whisky settled down and began to develop into what you taste today.” I would add that the listing for this bottle is incorrect; this is a peated cask finish whisky, not a peated whisky. The malt has not seen smoke…. Distiller, please allow entries to be edited! N: How curious, light and vibrant with a dark undertone. This instantly gives me vibes of a temperate rain forrest just after the rain. Juicy non distinct fruitiness is layered with a toasty slightly tannic oak, vague hint of leather and cocoa, and then a slightly sweet medicinal peat seems to be inseparable from barley malt. P: The palate is nothing like the nose. Initial rich salty beach bonfire, burnt BBQ glaze, and charred stone fruit. Subsequent sips reveal brighter summer berries, creamy chocolate, and fresh apple acidity. Something at the back end though has an almost artificial outlier that I can’t put my finger on, but it pulls you away from an otherwise interesting and playful profile. F: Medium-long. Lingering slightly peppery coastal smoke, a hint of salt and tar, and rich dark cocoa powder and gentle toffee. Just the slightest metallic residue. Nose a strange medley of profiles that would be more typical of simple malt profiles, rich port casks, and brighter Islay heavyweights. The palate is a surge from the outset and definitely does fulfil Starwards goal of an unexpected combine. The Isaly casks are undeniable and whilst not delicate in presence they do not completely overpower the fresher and juicer red wine barrel contributions Starward is known for. The curious back end of the palate though almost feels like the two components are tearing apart and leaving something untoward in the wake. The finish is well executed and rewards you with each sip. This is not without its faults but is none the less a surprisingly well executed dram, and interesting enough to deliver something against the grain for consideration. Distiller whisky taste #213 [Pictured here, not with another shooting star for Starward, but rather the closest thing I have to peat. This isn’t really a peated whisky, so this isn’t really a piece of peat. This is a lignite, or brown coal, the next step in the burial conversion of peat to true coal. This sample is young, at around 11-18 million years old and comes from the Lower Rhine Basin of Germany.] Starward running scores: Fortis: 3.25/5 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 Small Batch, Hungarian Oak: 3/5 Small Batch, Sticky Toffee Apple: 3.25/5 Small Batch, Chardonnay: 4/5