Starward Stout Cask [Tasted #636]

Get ready to raise your glass, or rather your beer glass. Starward Whisky's latest creation combines the art of brewing and distilling. The expression, dubbed, Starward Stout Cask, is seek to combine flavours derived from whisky together with those flavours imparted by imperial stout beer. 

To create Starward Stout Cask, the Starward team have combined Starward's core whisky, from their renowned red wine and small format Apera barrels which is then aged for an additional 18 months in barrels from Brick Lane's highly acclaimed 'Trilogy of Fear' imperial stout series. The aging in the stout barrels is said to add bold and captivating flavours to Starward's tropical fruit and vanilla notes.

Sam Slaney, the Production Director at Starward, expressed his enthusiasm for the project, stating, 

"We love the change of seasons at Starward, and the colder weather means the perfect time for a stout! Brick Lane's amazing Trilogy of Fear series showcases complex dark malt and a rich texture, allowing our whisky to soak up all the robust flavor from these stout-soaked barrels. This limited release has been brewing for some time, and we couldn't be happier with the result."

Bottled at 52% ABV, Starward Stout Cask balances rich roasted characteristics with Starward's signature notes. With the flavours that have been imparted by the stout barrels, Starward Stout Cask is an ideal candidate as a boilermaker or just drunk neat. Starward have recommended pairing it with a barrel aged stout though it says it complements other craft beer equally as well.

Let's dive into the Stout Cask neat for now...

Starward Stout Cask (52% ABV, Melbourne, Australia, A$169)

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A rather delicious and fun release from Starward combining Starward's traditional tropical fruit notes with a layer of malt and chocolate. The nose and palate are fun filled and quite enjoyable neat. Definitely a great input into a boilermaker.

Nose: Lots of tropical fruits, pineapples, lychees, passionfruit followed by a layer of vanilla, milk chocolate, maple syrup, and oat biscuits

Palate: The palate is equally fruity, with banana lollies and vanilla ice cream at first before some notes of  passionfruit and mangosteen that follow before light white pepper spices mixed with some milk chocolate to end

Finish: Oat biscuit and milk chocolate with a lingering white pepper spice

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100 (Hendy) 

Before its official launch, selected venues across Australia will offer Starward Stout Cask boilermakers starting from May 20th for a limited time. There's also the opportunity to grab the bottle through Starward's ballot system via their website. Ballot registration opens 10 May with the ballot drawn from 5 June.

Thanks to Starward for providing us with a sample as well as the pairing imperial stout cask from Trilogy of Fear.