Rich and Round

Note: We assign every bottle we review to one of five Flavour Camps, based on the most dominant flavours found. The Flavour Camps are : (1) Fragrant and Floral, (2) Fruity and Spicy, (3) Malty and Dry, (4) Rich and Round and (5) Smokey and Peaty. To learn more about each Flavour Camp, please click here.

The English language acts like an organism that usually grows and evolves on its own accord, undirected by any intentional human influence. Some 500 years ago, “flirting” at someone meant to sneer at and give them a sharp blow – literally. Somehow along the way, something happened. Today, “flirting” involves toying with emotions with the risk of having your heart ripped out – just figuratively. At no point in time did one person declare the meaning changed. Meanings just somehow changed along the way.

But people have an instinctive reactance against the intentional coinage of a new term – particularly if it seems contrived. Facebook’s abrupt renaming of itself to Meta, for instance, raised eyebrows and sparked off an avalanche of memes.

Fortified wines have over a hundred years of history in Australia, and are often made in the same style as their European counterparts. For years, Australian wineries produced “Australian Sherry”, “Australian Port” and “Australian Tokay”… until it wasn’t okay.

Authentic Sherry is, of course, a fortified wine originating from Jerez, Spain which ranges from dry to very sweet flavour profiles, and is often used as an apéritif (served before meal). Authentic Port comes from the Douro Valley of northern Portugal and is typically a sweet dessert wine used as a digestif (served after meal). Authentic Tokay (or Tokaji) is a sweet dessert wine from Hungary made from grapes affected by “noble rot” mold which intensifies the grape sugar content.

And as Europe stepped up its lobbying efforts for geographical indications and protected designations of origin, Australia had to rightfully give these terms “Sherry”, “Port” and “Tokay” back to European wine makers in the early 2010s. It outlawed the use of such terms by Australian producers.

This was a major setback for “Australian Sherry”. What should they call their product now? After some soul-searching and reflection, Producers came up with new and somewhat whacky names to describe their wines. “Australian Tokay” is now Topaque. “Australian Port” is now Tawny (because the wine has a “tawny” hue). “Australian Sherry” is now Apera (suggesting that you should drink it as an aperitif).

These invented words initially left a bad taste in the mouths of fans. Fans initially vowed to ignore these terms entirely. This is entirely understandable. Yet once we consider that commonly-used and taken-for-granted words like “impartial” and “lonely” were in fact invented by William Shakespeare 400 years ago, we might warm up to the idea that the English language sometimes needs a deliberate nudge to evolve a little faster…

Today I’m drinking the Starward Apera Single Cask Single Malt, French Connections limited edition.

Starward Distillery is one of the most well-known whiskies in the Australian craft whisky scene with a soft spot for craft beers, red wines and the idea that whisky should be easy to drink and enjoyable to new drinkers.

Learn all about the craft brewery and winemaker’s whisky from Melbourne: Starward

This was distilled in 2016, fully matured in a first-fill Apera barrel before being bottled in 2020 with an outturn of 240 bottles, and comes in at a hefty 58.50% ABV. This batch was bottled exclusively for La Maison du Whisky – and hence its “French Connections” title.

Scotch-makers love using ex-Sherry casks to mature their whiskies. So, it is unsurprising that when it comes to Australian whisky, fresh Apera casks that are found in abundance Down Under is a popular choice for maturation.

Starward Distillery’s signature style emphasises approachability, easy-drinking and an appeal to the broad masses. But occasionally, the distillery shows up with limited edition releases bottled at unusually high strength in different styles as an olive branch to more “hardcore” whisky drinkers who prefer greater strength and intensity. That “poke-you-in-the-eye, slap-you-across-the-face cask strength whisky” – as Starward’s founder, David Vitale would say.

This bottle is one of them.

Starward Apera Single Cask – French Connection, 58.50% Abv – Review

Colour: Burnt umber with a tinge of copper.

On the nose: Rich, fruity, candied and decadent. Opens with the rich sweetness and tartness of dried cranberries, plums and quince paste, accompanied by thick dollops of honey.

Within the layers of dried fruit and honey lies a core of ripe tropical fruits – I’m mainly getting bananas and overripe jackfruits – leaning on a depth of unmistakable oaky mustiness and leatheriness, found in some older barrel-proof bourbons.

A minute more of swirling reveals lighter, mildly effervescent notes of ice cream soda and Dr Pepper, and also a very faint solventy note of nail varnish remover.

We can find some of Starward’s heat signature also found in the Starward Fortis (which was matured in ex-Shiraz and Cabernet red wine barrels) – especially the notes of sweet and tart red fruits. Unlike the clean-smelling Starward Fortis, the nose here is “dirtier” with considerable earthiness, oakiness and tannins.

On the palate: Bold, luscious, savoury and hot. The medium-bodied texture opens with rich, sweet notes of dried dates, raisins, ripe bananas and mango. The medley of fruits is accompanied by a mouth-puckering dryness and intense spiciness that almost feels like being on a first date with a really attractive person. Also brings to mind slices of mangos slathered in sweet and spicy Mexican chamoy sauce and savoury sundried tomatoes.

Heat builds to an almost uncomfortable level, numbing the back corners of the tongue, before gently dissipating into notes of mint leaves and mild rosemary. There is an ever-present earthiness in the background – honey, caramel, fragrant Turkish coffee and mild tobacco.

The palate does not reveal much more beyond this point. That said, it is big on flavour with a decently thick mouthfeel, and a satisfying level of sweetness, depth and a thrilling spiciness to boot.

The finish is medium length, trailing off with roasted walnuts, dry leather, toasty and slightly vegetal tieguanyin tea, and a mild note of dry sootiness.

My Take

Starward pulls no punches with this release and we are all the better for it. Just 4 years of aging in highly variable climate conditions and the decision to bottle at cask strength has created a rich, intense, moderately complex and tasty expression that I would struggle to forget. In fact, this is my favourite expression from Starward yet.

Every whisky brand focuses on a particular market segment – whether it is Johnnie Walker, Singleton or Glenfiddich with their mass market consumers, or Springbank, Chichibu or Sullivans Cove with a smaller niche of connoisseurs and collectors. It is clear that the path to becoming a large, well-known brand lies in accessibility, ease of drinking and appealing to the broader audience. Starward understands this, and strategically positions itself as a friendly, approachable craft whisky for the new drinkers.

Yet, we know that mass popularity is far from enough for Starward to earn a place in the pantheon of critically-acclaimed craft distillers. To these malt maniacs and higher-brow critics, Starward has been deftly delivering some really tasty and memorable single cask bottlings. This is one of my favourites.

@CharsiuCharlie