Starward

New Italian-made stills, with five times the capacity of the original still, were due at the new site on 26 October 2016.⁵ A one-tonne mash tun and fermenters five times the size of the old ones came with them.⁵ The Port Melbourne warehouse, once home to an engineering equipment maker, opened to the public on 26 November 2016.^4,5,6 Carlie, later head distiller and blender, joined in 2018 after working in a winery lab.¹² In 2019 Simon Marton replaced Andrew Macdonald as chief executive.¹³

The distillery mainly makes single malt, because a malted barley wash is so like beer.⁶ Some of that malt is blended with wheat spirit from Manildra Group to make Two-Fold.⁶ For its Nova and Solera single malts, Starward chose Australian malted barley fermented with brewers' yeast, for the tropical fruit character it gives.¹⁴ The distillery has five fermenters, where the wash is made, and two copper pot stills.⁶ The wash, which resembles an unhopped Belgian ale, is distilled twice in pot stills.⁶ Its most common casks once held cabernet, pinot, shiraz or apera, and Starward says Melbourne's swinging temperatures make whisky work with the barrel faster than in Scotland.^3,7,8

The January 2026 deal ended the involvement of Diageo and other shareholders, after Diageo decided in early 2025 to scale back Distill Ventures.^7,8,9

Sources

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