Our Head Distiller, Loc, gets asked plenty of questions about whisky. In amongst the standard queries like ‘How do you make Starward whisky taste so good?’ and ‘Can you share what the next Small Batch’ release will be? (No, he can’t, sorry.) Loc also hears the odd myth. Lucky for you, he loves busting them and setting the record straight on some of the most common – like these three. Let’s get into it.    

Myth #1: Whisky is a man’s drink

Pfft! No way! Who started that rumour? Whisky can be enjoyed by everyone, any way they like: straight, over ice, mixed with tonic water, in a cocktail or paired with food. The only rule? There really are no rules – do whisky your way, and if that means adding a bottle of Starward to your cocktail trolley or drizzling a few drops on an oozy chocolate lava cake, then we’re here for it. Here’s to all the whisky fans out there, including the women behind ours. 

Consider this myth: busted.

Myth #2: Whisky needs to be old to be good

Starward is built on the fact that this myth is exactly that – a myth. Why? Because we mature all of our whiskies in Melbourne, which has a much more reactive climate than other popular whisky regions, like Scotland. What does this mean for the outcome of the whisky? Well, it’s able to extract delicious flavours from the red wine barrels at a much faster rate – usually about three to four years give or take. If we left the whisky in barrels for 20 years it would evaporate! It's also a lot drier here, which increases our whisky's ABV instead of decreasing it. This means the weather would ruin our drop if left for much longer (trust us, we tried). So there you have it, time spent in the barrel doesn’t reflect the quality of the whisky.

Consider this myth: busted. 

Myth #3: The darker the colour of whisky, the better it’s been aged or the better it is

Did you know that the colour of the liquid actually depends on the type of barrel we use, rather than how long it has been aged for? True story. Take Nova, we mature this in red wine barrels which leads to its darker colour. However something like our Small Batch Munich Malt was aged for 6 years, but is far paler in colour due to it’s ex-bourbon barrel influence. Moral of this myth? Don’t judge a whisky by its colour.

Consider this myth: busted.