BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Starward Australian Whisky
• MASH BILL: 100% Malted Barley
• AGE: 4.5 years
• YEAR: 2024
• PROOF: 114.8 (57.4% ABV)
• MSRP: $99
• BUY ONLINE: Pinhook Bottle Shop

STEVE’S NOTES

SHARE WITH: Any whisky drinker, especially single malt fans who will appreciate its subtleties.

WORTH THE PRICE: Yeah, I’d say so. It’s delicious at every turn, lightly complex, like a lot of Pinhook’s younger bourbons. This is very much a less-is-more expression that’s never out of balance or heavy-handed in any direction. Pinhook’s master blender, Sean Josephs’ skills are on full display here.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bottle definitely, but bar if it’s the only place you can get it.

OVERALL: Whiskey writers who live in Kentucky find themselves tripping into serendipitous experiences, such as being at the warehouse where Pinhook’s barrels are queued for bottling. On a random day to meet Pinhook master blender, Sean Josephs, to trade whiskey for aged country ham, a fresh tote of this whiskey was being transferred to a tank. With glasses at the ready, Josephs snagged a couple of pours from the tank for a quick taste. It was amazing, and Josephs said a sample would arrive sometime in the fall.

The nose leads with red apples and grapes (from the wine cask finishing) before shooting straight to classic malt notes like honeydew melon, white port, golden raisin, ripe pear, a little pineapple and lillies. Graham cracker eventually slips in with light oak, cinnamon-sugar and surprising hint of ice wine.

Classic single malt notes of honey and dried raisin dominate the palate before warmed oatmeal and cream weave into the mix. Spice character is the only thing hinting at its respectable 114.8 proof, yet it’s so delicate at that proof–well below it, I’d swear, were this a blind tasting. The finish is all honey, lemon and shortbread cookies with lemon cream icing. I’m surprised and delighted by the subtleties in this whisky.

BRAND NOTES

THE COLLABORATION SERIES’ THIRD RELEASE

In our Collaboration Series, Pinhook co-founder and master blender Sean
Josephs teams up with experts from other sensory-rich fields to craft inventive,
special edition whiskeys in a creative project that epitomizes Pinhook’s unique
approach to whiskey-making: sourcing great barrels of whiskey and meticulously
blending to artfully bring out their finest characteristics. This very limited series
expands the possibilities of whiskey and pays tribute to the distillers and
palates we most admire.

• Distilled by Starward, a distillery based in Melbourne, Australia, which produces, among other whiskies, Australian Single Malt aged exclusively in red wine barrels.
• Four to five years old, considered full maturity
• in Melbourne’s warm climate.
• A blend of 28 barrels.

Jordan Salcito: In this third edition, Sean revisited his wine roots with Jordan Salcito, our 2024 collaborator. Jordan is an internationally renowned sommelier with a storied career in the wine world and at leading restaurants including Restaurant Daniel, Eleven Madison Park, and Momofuku where her wine list was named the “Most Original Wine List in the World” by World of Fine Wine Magazine. In 2016, she founded Drink RAMONA, a family of award-winning Italian spritzes.

She bonded with Sean Josephs over their shared love of wine and backgrounds as sommeliers. Together, they blended this extraordinary Australian whisky from four distinct styles of Starward Australian Single Malt, which had been exclusively aged in red wine barrels, further bridging the worlds of wine and whiskey.

Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.