It's been an incredible few months for Victorian liquor producers. Our very own Four Pillars was crowned the world's best gin maker for a record third time, a Yarra Valley winery has been ranked Australia's best for 2024 and now, there's yet another epic local achievement we can toast to. Starward Whisky just took home 13 perfectly scored double gold medals at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC), from more than 5,500 global entries. It's the largest win in the competition from just one distillery, and for an unprecedented third year in a row!
But what's all this whisky judging lingo? Well, a double gold is only awarded to entries that receive a gold medal rating by all members of the judging panel (it's a blind tasting), while a gold medal rating is for a score of 90 and above by one or more judges. And a platinum medal? Well, that's bestowed only to the very small number of entries that receive a double gold medal for three consecutive years. So all up, along with the 13 double gold medals, Starward's also taken home 13 gold and eight platinum.
In plain English, this Port Melbourne distillery is producing some pretty top-notch stuff right now and the world is noticing.
If you're browsing for a bottle at Starward's website or at any leading liquor store, keep in mind some of the producer's top award-winners:
Starward's platinum medal winners at SFWSC 2024:
- Starward Nova Single Malt Whisky
- Starward Hungarian Oak Single Malt Whisky
- Starward Left-Field Single Malt Whisky
- Starward Octave Barrels Single Malt Whisky
- Starward Single Barrel 3278 Single Malt Whisky
- Starward Single Barrel 8193 Single Malt Whisky
- Starward Single Barrel 684 Single Malt Whisky
- Starward Tawny #2 Single Malt Whisk
You may also like to look out for Starward's Two-Fold, Solera, HER Honeycomb, and Ginger Beer Cask products, all of which won gold medals.
“To be consistently recognised at this calibre is gobsmacking, quite frankly,” said Starward's founder David Vitale. “I started off with a simple vision; to create a distinctly approachable Australian whisky we can offer the world with pride. In our wildest dreams, the passionate and small team in Melbourne could not believe that this was an option, but now it’s a reality.”
Starward Whisky is the first and only Aussie distillery to receive the world’s Most Awarded Distillery of the Year award. What a win! Cheers to them. Visit Starward's website or the distillery in Port Melbourne to explore the range.
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