Starward releases Botrytis Cask, a seven-year single malt matured in dessert-wine barrels
Melbourne distiller Starward has added a new limited release to its Projects series: Botrytis Cask, a single malt fully matured for seven years in barrels that once held botrytis semillon – the rich, honeyed dessert wine made from "noble rot"–affected grapes.
It's an unusual cask even by Starward's wine-barrel standards. Head blender Jarrad Huckshold says botrytis wines are made in such small quantities in Australia that the barrels rarely surface, and the distillery spent years tracking down enough to fill a release. The whisky splits its time between fresh and charred ex-botrytis casks – the fresh wood lending sweetness, the charred wood a more savoury edge.
Starward describes a dessert-like profile that sits well outside its usual house style: dried apricot, orange blossom, marzipan and marmalade, with cedar, nutmeg and beeswax on a long finish. Huckshold calls the flavours "not typical of our Starward style".
Botrytis Cask is bottled at 48% ABV in 700ml, with an RRP of AU$169. It is available by ballot only – entries open 1 August at starward.com.au, with the draw on 21 August 2024.
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See also [Mattinson Whisky Hub]
See also [Australia’s Most Awarded Whiskies]
See also [Starward Botrytis Cask Review]
