3 fun barrel facts from Starward’s Head Blender
If there’s one thing we love more than producing award-winning whisky, it’s sharing some unexpected facts about said whisky. More specifically, the barrels. Why? Because the barrels are where the magic happens! They’re the hardworking, all-rounders (pardon the pun) soaked in flavour and vital to our whisky distilling. It’s in these barrels that our whisky extracts maximum flavour and aroma during maturation (that’s where the whisky is changing and developing). Here, Starward’s Head Blender, Jarrad shares three facts about our whisky barrels that might surprise you. Here, Starward’s Head Blender, Jarrad shares three facts about our whisky barrels that might surprise you.
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Our first-ever barrel lives on today
Call us sentimental, but barrel number one – the first barrel we ever filled at Starward Whisky – has pride of place in our distillery and is still maturing whisky to this day! To think 15 years ago it played such a pivotal role in the birth of Starward, and after all that time it’s still got it. We’d love to tell you what’s maturing in there but that’s a secret between us and the barrel – needless to say it’s delicious and will be worth the wait.
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Our barrels get a second (or should we say third) life
Did you know many of our old whisky barrels end up at some of Melbourne’s best breweries? What can we say, we love sharing the barrel love. We also doing our bit for Mother Earth and reducing our footprint by ensuring the barrels can be utilised again. Brewers use them to make some stellar barrel-aged beers you might be familiar with. At Starward, we love seeing the great things other producers in the industry are dreaming up, and if we can give them a hand by lending a few barrels then we’re very happy campers.
3. Good things take time!
A spirit needs to spend at least two years in a barrel to be considered whisky in Australia. That, combined with our highly reactive climate, is why it’s so common for Australian whiskies to have two to five-year age statements. Patience is a virtue, and you'll be rewarded with a delicious whisky when it's all said and done.
