Starward Dolce

Continuing my focused exploration of Starward distillery, I've chosen Starward Dolce (meaning 'sweet' in Italian), a limited, one-time release made with Australian malted barley and brewer's yeast, then aged in Australian red wine barrels. The spirit is then moved to dessert wine barrels, using wine made in the Sicilian style. It's a sweeter variation on Starward’s standard wine-cask spirit. Nose: Deep and sweet, initially with dark fruits, then moving to a warmer Spanish hot chocolate and toasted brown sugar. Very mild cinnamon and nutmeg. Overall, it's like a Black Forest chocolate gateau warmed up and poured into a mug. Palate: Bold and quite astringent. Dark plum, strawberries, cherry cola, bitter dark chocolate, soft marshmallow. There's a lot happening here in a big, booming way, but the astringency cuts everything short with every sip. Finish: Long, but unpleasantly so. It's very astringent with a building harshness. The cherry cola and marshmallow linger but don't do much to salvage the finish. It's interesting and not what I expected at all. 'Dolce' brought to mind sickly sweet dessert wines, summery brightness, and the color pink. Instead, it's drying and tannic, somewhat wintery and moody, with the color maroon. The nose is the best part, a rich Black Forest hot chocolate, but everything declines from there. The astringency gets in the way of the good components just as they start to emerge. It would have been great to see the cherry cola and marshmallow come to the forefront, but sadly, that didn't happen. The price is for a 500 ml bottle. Starward running scores: Fortis: 3.25/5, Whisky Club Exclusive, Maple Cask: 2/5, Whisky Club Exclusive, Cognac Cask: 3.5/5, Projects, Octave Barrels: 3.75/5, Projects, Dolce: 2.25/5, Small Batch, Hungarian Oak: 3/5

Flavor is extremely powerful... Challenging to discern any individual notes.

A lovely, light, and sweet whiskey with notes of toasted marshmallow and caramel.