Richard-ModernDrinking
Starward Solera Single Malt
Single Malt — Victoria, Australia
Reviewed
May 21, 2020 (edited August 22, 2021)
Creamy and fruity, this is a satisfying dram that is easy to drink without having to think too much about the contents of your glass. Not a bad note, which is more than you can say about many a Scotch.
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@Soba45 From Bill Lark at a masterclass.
@cascode Woah 5 times. Out of interest how you find that out?
@Richard-ModernDrinking @PBMichiganWolverine Indeed - ruinous federal excise tax, high transportation costs, high raw ingredient and cask costs, very small production and tiny margins. Overall it costs around 5 times as much to make a bottle of whisky in Australia than it does in the US, and then you have to market and distribute it, which is almost entirely up to the distiller.
@Richard-ModernDrinking @cascode thats a good point on taxes. I think it’s based on ABV.
@cascode aren’t the taxes for distillers crazy also? I remember discussing something along those lines with the owner of Limeburners
@PBMichiganWolverine It's not price gauging, at least not by the distilleries. It's simply lack of supply.
@cascode way back, am entire 5-7 yrs ago, I used to love Sullivan’s Cove and Overreem. Suddenly overnight, Sullivan’s Cove went from $80 to about $500. And Overreem, from $60 to $300. And my favorite, Sullivan’s French Oak went up to $1000. Not sure if it’s a skewed demand /supply or just price gauging
@PBMichiganWolverine David Vitale, the owner of New World Distilelrs and the Starward brand, has specifically been trying to bring lower priced Austrailan whisky to market for 20 years now. His goal was originally a single malt for the equivalent of US$40, but every time he has got close the market prices have changed and the product has come out more like US$60. The blended whisky he brought out last year was an attempt to finally crack the price point in time for Christmas. He now has substantial backing from Diagio who have arranged world-wide distribution and helped keep prices lower. I've tasted everything Starward has done so far and it's good stuff, but not on the top shelf of Australin whisky by any means. This particular bottling is regarded locally as the closest we have got to Glenfiddich 12 year old, not in profile but in market position.
@PBMichiganWolverine Not a bad price, you’re right.
A reasonably priced Aussie ? That’s not common