12 facts about Vitalis
In case you haven’t heard, we just turned 15! And to mark the occasion, and the journey we’ve been on, we created a special limited-edition drop to celebrate. Here’s everything you need to know about Vitalis, a whisky we’re pretty darn proud of.
1. This special-edition whisky is a celebration of our founder, David Vitale, and is named after the Latin origin of his family name Vitalis, meaning ‘life’.
2. Vitalis was our opportunity to celebrate where we’ve been and where we’re going (and the fact that you, the whisky fans, have been on the journey with us).
3. Vitalis is a limited-edition, you needed to enter a ballot to get your hands on it.
4. Vitalis is comprised of six whisky parcels that all hold a special piece in Starward's story.
5. Vitalis was created in the barrel hall of our Port Melbourne distillery – and the parcels we mentioned above were carefully chosen by our distillers to create something magical.
6. According to Dave Vitale, Starward’s founder, the best way to enjoy Vitalis is neat, alongside a home cooked, sentimental meal. Basically, you should enjoy it with the ones you love – preferably around a dining room table.
7. Vitalis is a signpost of David’s gumption to “bet the farm” in hopes of creating a modern, accessible whisky.
8. When you sip on Vitalis, you’ll notice raisins, chocolate-coated pineapple, chewy coffee and cedar.
9. On the palate, Vitalis is big and bold (just the way we like it!) – you’ll notice rich dried fruits, red currant, and lightly roasted coffee beans.The best way to describe the finish of Vitalis is long and oily, with a delicate balance of fruit and oak.
10. The real star of the show in Vitalis is the red wine barrel influence we’re known for.
11.To bring Vitalis to life, we selected parcels from tawny, bourbon, apera (1st fill and 2nd fill) and rum barrels based on their connection to our 15-year journey.
12. Vitalis was matured in these barrels anywhere from 4-10 years, before being carefully assembled to create what you see (and hopefully get the chance to taste) today.
