Tasting notes

nose

vanilla pod and toasted oak, then blackberry jam, raisins, dried fig and overripe plum

palate

rich and full; quince paste, raisins and chocolate ganache with cinnamon, baked banana bread, ginger candy and peppercorn

finish

long and viscous; ripe fig and raisin carry through while baking spice from the oak builds as it fades

Mash bill

100% malted barley. Starward ferments Australian malted barley with brewers' yeast, and like the rest of its ingredients the grain comes from within a day's drive of the Port Melbourne distillery. At 50% strength the malt carries more of the red wine barrel's dark fruit and the oak's spice into the glass.

Why it's craft

100 Proof is Starward's single malt bottled at 50%, matured for its whole life in American oak barrels that held big Barossa Valley reds such as cabernet and shiraz. Red wine barrels are the backbone of the Port Melbourne distillery's whisky, and Melbourne's four-seasons-in-a-day climate makes the casks expand and contract quickly, so a young spirit draws a lot from the wood. Founder David Vitale bought out Diageo and the other shareholders in early 2026, returning the company to his full ownership.