Starward, Nova

Starward’s signature single malt is a deliciously balanced and bold whisky for sharing and mixing. Nova is matured exclusively in red wine barrels from wineries making great Australian shiraz, cabernets and pinot noirs.

Nose / Like we took bright flavours of red berries and orchard fruit and coated them in soft oak spice.

Palate / Imagine a rich red berry pudding covered in vanilla, caramel and spice.

Finish / Balanced and long. The sweetness fades and the delicious flavour goes on.

Nova borrows from tradition but breaks away from it too. This whisky’s distinctly delicious flavour all starts with our new-make spirit.

Starward double distill their single malt whisky using Australian malted barley. Borrowing from the craft brewing scene, they ferment their barley with brewers’ yeast for an extra bold flavour.

Then come the barrels. They go local and source barrels from wineries in the nearby Yarra Valley and Barossa Valley so they keep their fresh red wine flavour profile. Then, they’re lightly charred or steamed. Often, the barrels are still wet with wine when they fill them.

Barrels are filled at a lower alcohol proof than other single malts, the whisky takes in all the red wine fruit characters and tannins.

Next, Melbourne’s intensely reactive climate gets to work. A far cry from the sunny Australian stereotype, the infamous ‘four seasons in a day’ makes Nova work hard in the barrel, extracting maximum flavour from the wood in just a short time. They call this elemental maturation.