Octave Barrels
Single Malt Whisky
A modern whisky inspired by a red wine icon.
Our first ever Starward Projects release in the USA has won Double Gold at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. This Starward innovation pushes the boundaries of what whisky can be. We aged Octave Barrels in Yalumba’s The Octavius Shiraz barrels. It's a single malt where raisin, anise and caramel flavours meld with rich, dark fruits.
We aged Octave in Australia's most beloved shiraz barrels.
It took some of the world’s oldest Shiraz plantings, Australia’s oldest family-owned winery and Starward’s progressive red-wine-barrel maturation to make this distinctly Australian single malt.
When a whisky speaks to Australia’s wine heritage - and Australia's whisky future - you know it’ll be delicious. Especially when it brings the bold flavors you’d expect from Barossa Shiraz barrel maturation.
Tasting notes
Colour / Auburn
Aroma / Rich, full-bodied expression. Red fruit, raisins, ripe peach, caramel and toasty oak
Palate / Viscous and long, dark forest fruits, and a toasted oak backbone
Finish / Toasted marshmallow on the finish
Aged in history.
The Octavius Shiraz is the world’s only red wine aged in 100L octave-sized barrels. Once The Octavius was bottled, freshly emptied barrels were sent to our distillery in Port Melbourne and filled with Starward’s signature single malt.
These American oak barrels aged our whisky more intensely. The smaller volume created more wood-whisky interaction, allowing this single malt to soak up more celebrated The Octavius Shiraz characteristics as it fully matured.
More delicious than we could’ve ever predicted.
We aged Starward’s very first batch almost exclusively in Yalumba red wine barrels and they’ve been a trusted partner ever since. Yalumba is the only winery in the southern hemisphere to handcraft barrels in their own onsite cooperage. From oak selection to char, the Yalumba coopers have perfected the aroma, character and complexity each barrel brings to their wines.