Twenty-one. Twenty-one Starward whisky’s have now been poured into my glass. My word, this has been a tumultuous journey. More on that below. First this last entry into the Starward Saga. La Maison du Whisky, founded in 1956, is an upmarket spirits distributor with exclusive rights to over 250 brands around the world and around 4000 individual product. Here, like the last entry from Sydneys the Oak Barrel, is another Starward Exclusive. From what I can tell this whisky is made from golden barely grown in Victoria, Australia, and distilled in Starwards copper stills. This is standard. I am unclear if this saw time in Starwards red wine casks, then was finished in brandy casks. Or was fully matured in brandy casks. Apparently some of the maturation was conducted in France? I don’t know. And to be honest, 21 deep; I don’t really care. I want to drink other things. Barrel number 9171 filled June 2017 and 228 bottles filled April 2022 at 50% ABV. Shall we get this over with now? N: A bright and acidic presence that leads the way with pillowy marshmallow, crisp apple, brioche, pear drops and a bright strawberry and stone fruit. Warming oak spice and an empty bag of liquorice allsorts. P: Theres a lot to unpack here. Thick and luscious arrival with a hint of tannic burn. Thick slightly sour apple drenched in warm brittle toffee with a vaguely smoky presence that must be from toast on the barrel. Sweetness and some gingery-chilli heat lift the palate and add some almost turkish delight and blossom elements that layer delicate complexity. Theres a clean vanilla ice-cream here too, sometimes, perhaps hidden by a little milk chocolate covered coffee bean. This is complex liquid to be sure. F: Long. Slightly waxy, lots of orange blossom and floral presence, candied ginger, coconut and the greasy oiliness of a walnut jar, and a lingering oak tannin that keeps things pleasantly dry. Distiller whisky taste #131, Starward Whisky Club Exclusive Cognac Cask. I thought I’d have a solid ‘good’ performance to match that. Or the apple bomb that was the Sticky Toffee Apple Starward (#205) I was wrong. Those bottles wish they were this. I just poured another Cognac cask Starward to double check, and that is a dumbed down, softened and creamy imitation of this. My word, I saved a good one until last. I don’t know what sorcery was performed here, but everything works so damn well. The nose is all kinds of refreshing and crisp. Summery and light the nose manages to be sweet, rich, acidic and fruity, yet still balanced with effective wood spice and the deftest liquorice. The palate comes in with unexpected lightness of flavours. The palate delivers big on flavour but in no way is it heavy handed. This is like a rapier compared with a battle axe. The florals and light middle eastern influences of rosewater and blossoms are just magic. The finish, a simple extension of the palate with added oiliness. What surprises me here is that the self proclaimed ‘tropical spirit’ style that Starward are so proud to boast is most evident in the two wood smoked casks where they are detracting presences. But here, they are evident as stone fruit in the nose and coconut in the finish. They compliment the floral heavy delicate flavours and textures of this liquid wonderfully. Do I have faults here, yes, I guess the palate has some elements (the chocolate softer notes) that could have been better developed, and at times the oak spice becomes a little too prominent. But, this is easily up there as one of the top three stand outs from the twenty-one Starwards I’ve run down. So. Starward. A powerhouse of Australian whisky production that is still tiny on the global stage. A deal with the devil so to speak allows them to pump out big volume at what is a low price for Aussie sauce. Clearly part of the money talk involved making profits. The easiest way to do that seems to be: make a core range, then peddle whatever you can as single barrel exclusives, projects, and small batches. Overall, twenty-one drams and I average out with a score of 3.3/5. Thats better than good. But a closer look and that score has a big spread of 2-4.75. The top of the pack are easy picks, the two anniversary editions they were just well made and tasty, and the delicate chardonnay and this apple brandy limited runs. The funny thing about those is; they don’t rely on the signature red wine style. Thats a shame, the thing I find best about Starward isn’t the thing that Starward should be best at. For anyone wanting to try Starward, stick to the Solera, its the least ostentatious, carefully made whisky that succeeds in being accessible, enjoyable and reasonable middle shelf value for money. The 10th and 15th Anniversary editions are suave, rich, and mature and show what the Staward team are capable when focused and single minded. If you want to pay top dollar for something intriguing and interesting then perhaps the delicacy of the Chardonnay cask or this Apple Brandy are worth a hunt, but I probably wouldn’t go hunting for these myself, the effort and cost vs pay off is just not there. Anyway, if you’ve been following along for the ride, thanks. I have some fun stuff lined up: Ardbegs, Spring Bays, and Taliskers. Oh for fecks sake; I didn’t do Starward Two Grain! Distiller whisky taste #223 [Pictured here with a metallic blue lump of bornite, a copper iron sulphide mineral. This lump is from Katanga in the Congo. That is all I care to say about this, Starward has left me dazed and confused and I’m going to need a minute.] Starward running scores Nova: 3/5 Fortis: 3.25/5 Solera: 3.75/5 10th Anniversary: 4.25/5 Vitalis 15th Anniversary: 4.5/5 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, Cherry Wood Smoked: 2/5 Small Batch, Mesquite Wood Smoked: 2/5 Small Batch, Hungarian Oak: 3/5 Small Batch, Sticky Toffee Apple: 3.25/5 Small Batch, Chardonnay: 4/5 Whisky Loot Single Barrel Single Malt Exclusive: 3.5/5 Smoke & Mirrors Single Cask Oak Barrel Exclusive: 3.75/5 Ex-Apple Brandy LMDW Antipodes Single Cask: 4.5/5 'Brandy' cask running scores: Port Charlotte CC:01 - 5/5 Starward Ex-Apple Brandy LMDW Single Cask: 4.5/5 Talisker X Parley Wilder Seas - 4.25/5 Arran Rare Batch 17 y/o Calvados - 3.75/5 Balvenie 16 French Oak Pineau Cask Finish - 3.5/5 Starward Cognac Cask - 3.5/5 Starward Small Batch, Sticky Toffee Apple - 3.25/5 Glenfiddich Orchard Experiment 2.75/5