Starward Smoke & Mirrors Single Barrel Oak Barrel Exclusive

The Oak Barrel, a well-regarded Sydney bottle shop established in 1956, is known for its exclusive releases in the Australian whisky community. Their website describes this bottling in a way that seems a bit over the top… “This is created from five distinct 50-liter barrels, all too special or exciting to be incorporated into their main offerings. They were combined in a 200-liter barrel (#109) for eight months, containing two first-fill apera casks, two second-fill apera casks, and one Pedro Ximenez barrel. The first-fill aperas are the youngest, at five years old, with the youngest spirit distilled on August 28, 2015. The second-fill aperas were distilled much earlier and would be nine and a half years old [in 2020]. The PX cask is the oldest, distilled November 1, 2010. This barrel was bottled in late October 2020, just before the spirit reached its ten-year mark.” For my Australian readers, Dave Withers, formerly the whisky expert at The Oak Barrel and instrumental in setting up their ‘Projects’ with Starward’s Dave Vitale, later moved to Archie Rose. I now grasp Starward’s concept much more clearly. This was bottled at 57.5% ABV, with 250 bottles available at AU$199 each. Nose: In the style of a certain actor’s famous quote, this is fantastic. It’s big and bold, loaded with brown sugar toffee, aged oak tannins, malty toast, nuttiness, rich leather, and dark red fruits like figs and cherries, along with brighter notes of banana and strawberry. This nose is a rich, heavy, and complex blend that doesn't hint at its 57.5% ABV. Nicely done. Palate: Full-bodied, smooth, and creamy, making you want more. It’s very dark and tannic, with spicy notes that blend with a touch of stone fruit sweetness and orange zest, followed by biscuity malt, deep dark dried fruits, and a dark bitter marmalade. Finish: It’s long, perhaps a little too bitter from the wood, but a pleasant menthol note balances it and supports the fading clove and pepper spice. Adding water extends the experience, introducing a vinegary sourness and acidity to the nose, increasing the caramel on the palate, and temporarily reducing the bitterness before it reappears in the lingering finish. The nose strongly resembles the 10th Anniversary bottling, offering indulgent richness with a precise, leathery texture and balance. The palate was good, also comparable to the 10th anniversary, though it seemed to lack some of the nuttiness and slight acidity found in that one. Still, it was better than just good. The finish is unique; the bitterness stands out as a characteristic not previously encountered in the nineteen Starwards tasted so far (if memory serves). While not the absolute best finish, its distinctiveness keeps it engaging, which is a positive aspect here. Overall, this was quite good, with some elements being excellent to outstanding (the nose), others solid (palate), and some average but interesting (finish). These varied qualities make it difficult to categorize. It’s impactful but not as polished as the 10th and 15th anniversary editions (rated 4.25 and 4.5), nor as delicate and nuanced as the Chardonnay bottling (rated 4). I believe this ranks with the Octave Barrels as a good to excellent independent release that most of us will likely never have the chance to own or taste again.

Previously reviewed on January 20, 2021, on a different listing. Review transferred to this listing on August 21, 2023. Whisky Tasting: The Oak Barrel, Sydney, January 19, 2021. Whisky #4 Nose: A full, rich, and sweet initial aroma. Overripe tropical fruit, cooked stone fruits, sherry, and golden syrup. There's an oak cask scent that is neither the sharpness of young wood nor the staleness of old. It's a pleasantly fresh oak quality, but with a slight hint of damp cardboard. Palate: An oily and sweet arrival with prominent stewed fruit flavors. It echoes the nose with an added spice component – ginger, hot cinnamon, dried orange peel, a pinch of chili – but it's not unpleasantly hot. Some drying tannins are present, and the same peculiar cardboard note detected on the nose is noticeable. Finish: Medium to long. Warming, tannic, spicy. A substantial, expressive whisky that is just slightly too hot and tight to be truly enjoyable at cask strength. I found it significantly improved with a dash of water, really coming alive when diluted to around 50% ABV. This seemed to awaken many dormant youthful aromas and flavors. The only flaw I identified was the peculiar presence of wet cardboard or chipboard. It's not strong enough to be distracting, but you can definitely sense it there. I'm unsure of its source, but it likely comes from one of the casks, as it wasn't quite the same as the feinty note from an overly wide cut. This particular bottling was the result of a collaboration between The Oak Barrel in Sydney and New World Distillers in Melbourne, and was informally called the “Smoke & Mirrors” bottling (apparently a colloquial term at the distillery for an unusual and wonderful experimental vatting). It was a blend of five small sherry casks. Two were first-fill ex-apera (Australian sherry) quarter casks, approximately 5 years old. Two more were second-fill ex-apera quarter casks, aged for 9 years, and the last was an ex-PX sherry quarter cask, just over 10 years old. In the Melbourne climate, the influence of these small 50-liter casks would have been quite pronounced, likely equivalent to twice the maturation time in Scotland. The quarter casks were vatted into barrel #109, a 200-liter ex-sherry barrel, and married for 8 months. An interesting whisky. “Good”: 83/100 (3.5 stars)