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David Vitale, Starward Whisky co-founder, said: "We all have a 'special occasion' whisky cabinet which is overflowing with options, but the sharing cabinet is curated. We believe we have an opportunity to elbow out some space and create an alternative to the great whiskies from around the world with an Australian whisky, matured in Australian wine barrels."

Left-Field is matured in 100 per cent French oak casks, including some which have been charred to add another flavour dimension to the whisky. The barrels were sourced from the premier Australian wine-producing regions of the Barossa Valley and Yarra Valley. Toshio Ueno, vice-president and executive instructor at Sake School of America, was in a panel with Joyce Chou, WSET translation project manager, and Marie Cheong Thong, food-and-beverage educator, who chaired the group. Tobias Gorn, co-founder and senior partner at the International Drinks Specialists, chaired a fifth panel. Judging alongside him were Dan Greifer, manager of The Proofing Room, and Ruchira Neotia, drinks experience consultant for Darjeeling Express in London.

Whether you’re just curious or looking to expand your whisky repertoire outside of Scotland, there’s a huge benefit to looking to the rest of the world for your next dram. Each country has its own climate, benefits from using locally grown ingredients and produces with a fresh perspective, resulting in some very exciting discoveries. The first category to be put to the test was blended whiskies from Europe, where three Master medallists were discovered.The Taste Master award for the most impressive expression in the competition went to an Australian whisky, Starward Fortis, after the judges retasted all of the Master medallists. The final team was made up of David T Smith, spirits writer, consultant and co-founder of the Craft Distilling Expo, who chaired Keegan Menezes, independent rum consultant, and Julia Nourney, independent spirits consultant. Unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise, your use of and membership to the Service are exclusively governed by Dutch law. We shall first try to settle any dispute over a dram of whisky. Disputes that cannot be settled over multiple drams of whisky shall be solely submitted to the court of Amsterdam, The Netherlands unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise.

The producer said the whisky had been designed with the European palate in mind and was part of a concerted push to make Australian whiskies more widely available to consumers around the globe. Concluding the trio was Forest Whisky from Cheshire in the UK. Gorn described it as “rich and sweet with some lovely toffee apples and floral notes” while Neotia enjoyed its “spicy tingle” and finish of “long-baked apple and walnut”. It stands a chance of success. Tasting Starward Left Field without any ice or mixers is lightly biting into a juicy apple. The fruit flavours burst out from the beginning before leaving a lovely richer red wine feel afterwards. It is a whisky that I would enjoy on its own. It feels more 'English' than Starward's other offerings, reminding me a little of the heavy fruit from my choice for best whisky of 2023, Cotswolds. I can't really give it any higher compliment. Pendelton Midnight was particularly praised by Cheong Thong, who noted: “Apples and stone fruit. Rounded and deliciously fresh. Great complexity, with a long length.”The first went to Bellevoye Orange, a whisky from France that was matured in rum barrels. It was praised by Gorn for its “nice tropical fruit and vanilla” notes. Greifer enjoyed its hint of “orchard fruits” and “lengthy finish”. This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services. The second Master winner, Nestville Whisky Single Barrel from Slovakia, was lauded for its “strong bold malt flavours, with a lovely hint of spice and fruit at the end” by Greifer. Neotia added: “Toffee apple with cinnamon, clove and dark chocolate dusting. Round, sweet, and smooth.” More positive news for the sector also saw Welsh single malts recently gain geographical indication (GI) status in the UK, while English whisky producers have also joined forces to propose a GI for the category. Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.

If we decide not to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms, such decision shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. Earlier this week, we published results for The American Whiskey Masters and The Irish Whiskey Masters.

Ingredients: 60ml Starward Left-Field whisky, 10ml sugar syrup, 2 dashes Orange Bitters, 2 dashes Angostura Bitters, pink grapefruit to garnish Look away from the traditional whisky-making heartlands and consumers can find an exciting array of expressions, as shown by our annual jaunt around the world. Whiskies from around the world made a positive impression on our judges Lawrenny Estate Distillery won two Golds for its Cellar Collection Sherry Cask and Cellar Collection Bourbon Cask bottlings. The former was enjoyed for its “burnt toffee, fortified wine, plum syrup on the nose”. Chou said of the former: “Toasted oat, stone fruit, citrus peel, leather, coffee, chocolate, very long finish, complex aroma, well balanced, very smooth with a rounded texture.” While the richer, darker elements of Left-Field profile seems more suited to an Old Fashioned or Manhattan/Rob Roy (what are they called when they’re made with Australian whisky? A Cate Blanchett? A Phar Lap?) than a Sour, I still think this is the approach that has greater merit. Left-Field is versatile enough to suggest a fair number of bartenders will (hopefully) soon be having a lot of fun experimenting with it. But, a gain this isn’t very left-field, given Starward’s other expressions are all great mixers.