Starward – Two Fold (75cl, 40%)

Starward Two Fold is a double grain Australian whisky from Melbourne, bottled at 40% in a 75cl bottle. The mashbill is 60% wheat and 40% malted barley, with each grain distilled separately before the two are married. It matures in 100-litre Barossa Valley Shiraz casks. The distillery says Melbourne's changeable weather speeds the exchange between spirit and wood, a process it calls elemental maturation. The nose has toasted hazelnuts, sweet berries, burnt toast, oak and brown butter. The palate is berry jam on buttered toast, with cream, caramel, raspberries, strawberries and tropical fruit. The finish is medium, with baking spices, gentle oak, nuttiness and dried fruit.