Oh sweet, smoky peat!

Starward's UnExpeated received a Double Gold medal at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and made the Top 10 Whiskies Overall at the International Whisky Competition.

So, the leading Australian whisky makers are diving back into the world of peat with a second ‘new world’ twist on a traditional, old-world whisky style with: Starward Peated Finish.

Starward’s Founder, David Vitale; “When we sourced these barrels from the coasts of Islay, we knew we had something special on our hands. Peated Finish, for us, represents the old and new world coming together. We wanted to honour the charred and smoky notes from these peated barrels, while also putting our Starward flare on things with our red wine barrel aged whisky, which is fruitier and more tropical in flavour.

Peated Finish is a red wine barrel aged, single malt whisky, finished in peated whisky barrels straight off the rugged coast of Islay, Scotland. For the second time, whisky lovers will have the opportunity to enjoy Starward’s quintessential tropical notes melded with the smoky and earthy flavours from Islay’s coastal peat. These peaty characteristics combine with our delicious single malt to create a whisky unlike any other in Australia.

For this Projects release, Starward took its maturing red wine cask whisky and transferred it into old, heavily saturated, peated casks to finish for 18 months. This is double the amount of time spent finishing than UnExpeated. It has made for a whisky with a deeper, smokier finish that pays homage to the barrels Scottish provenance, whilst perfectly balancing Starward’s quintessential bright tropical fruits. Unmistakably delicious on its own, mixed in a cocktail or paired with some fresh oysters, a smoky beef brisket or an oozy chocolate lava cake.

"Finishing our single malt whisky in the peated barrels for 18 months allowed the spirit to develop a richer and deeper smokiness. In harmony with our tropical notes, this created a perfectly balanced whisky that pays tribute to the journey of these Islay barrels while still being versatile and approachable enough for everyone to enjoy it how they like,” said Mr Vitale.

Starward Peated Finish is available for pre-sale at Starward.com.au from Tuesday, 19 July and those quick enough will receive a Limited Edition Peated Finish Dropper, which is exclusive to the pre-sale. Filled with our Peated Finish whisky, this 30mL dropper adds a hint of smoky and peaty goodness to any dish of your liking.

A couple of drops on freshly shucked oysters or atop some truffle cheese, it’s another way to experience whisky. These Limited Edition Peated Finish Droppers are only available for the first 1,500 pre-sale orders of Peated Finish.

Peated Finish will be available to the general public from Tuesday, 2 August.