Nothing in the Terms shall exclude or limit our liability for fraudulent misrepresentation or for death or personal injury resulting from gross negligence or willful misconduct by us. Perez Terrado offered some insight: “The flight showed the huge quality in the category, and there was plenty of oak influence and interesting maturation in warm climates. It shows good diversity and plenty of boldness on show.” The panels swapped Australasia for North America as Canadian whiskies were sipped next. Two Masters were given to Proximo Spirits for its Pendleton Original and Pendleton Midnight whiskies. 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.

A second team consisted of me, Nicola Carruthers, deputy editor of The Spirits Business. I chaired spirits educator Antony Moss, and Claire Filer, of Ginesthesia. No partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship is created as a result of your use of the Service. A lone entry from Japan, Small Batch Pure Malt Hatozaki, secured the top Master accolade. Chou found notes of “oat, bread, toast, porridge, raisin, plum, and vanilla”, with a “good balance of sweetness and spiciness” on the palate, and a “rich and rounded texture”. Regardless of whether the Service offers the functionality to contribute, you are solely responsible and liable for any content and information that you create, upload, post, publish, link to, duplicate, transmit, record, display or otherwise make available on the Service or to other Members, such as chat messages, text messages, videos, audio, audio recordings, music, pictures, photographs, text and any other information or materials, whether publicly posted or privately transmitted (“Contributions”).Ingredients: 60ml Starward Left-Field whisky, 10ml sugar syrup, 2 dashes Orange Bitters, 2 dashes Angostura Bitters, pink grapefruit to garnish 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."

Nineteen Gold medals followed, many of which were awarded to producers from England. Of particular note were seven Golds for English producer The Spirit of Yorkshire, while three were given to the Cotswolds Distillery. Spirit of Yorkshire’s Gold medal-winning Filey Bay Peated Finish #3 was praised for its hint of “candied ginger” and “gentle smoky notes”. Gold winner Penderyn Portwood from Wales was lauded for its “rich wine and Sherry notes and good fruity character”. The Starward distillery is looking to make its mark in Europe Starward Left-Field: a marvellously mixable malt Whisky is booming globally, too. It is expected to post an increase of 23% in volume and 29% in value by 2026, according to data from IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, with an increase in activity particularly in its largest global markets, India and the US. Three Golds were awarded in the European rye whisky flight, including two for Denmark’s Stauning and one for Stork Club Full Proof Rye Whiskey. Stauning Rye Maple Syrup Cask Finish was praised for its “classic rye spiciness” and “lingering sweetness” and Stauning Dirty Bastard was praised for its higher ABV, “oak spice and caramel sweetness”. Stork Club Full Proof Rye Whiskey from Germany’s Spreewood Distillers had a “lovely milk chocolate note on the palate” and “nice dried fruits, raisins and apricot”.Interest in whisky being made in countries outside of the traditional nations of Scotland, Ireland, and America is flying high. As consumers face price hikes for well-known brands, and deal with tighter purse strings, there are boundless opportunities for drinkers to explore whiskies being made from Asia, Canada, and South Africa, to European countries such as Wales and Denmark. Melbourne’s own David Vitale was inspired to create a spirit that reflected his hometown’s famed ‘four seasons in a day’ temperature swings and captured the production values and craft of a city surrounded by some of Australia’s leading wine regions and regarded as the microbrewing capital of Australia. And they’re doing something right, STARWARD Solera recently won gold at the 2016 World Whisky Awards with the other product in the STARWARD range, the Wine Cask Project being named as Best Craft Distilled Whisky in the World at the revered San Francisco International Spirits Competition. The final flight of the competition, South Africa, saw five Silver medals go to Heineken Beverages for its Bain’s and Three Ships brands. The Silver medallists were: Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky, and Three Ships’ Bourbon Cask Whisky, 5 Year Old Premium Select, 6 Year Old Chenin Blanc Cask Finish, 12 Year Old, and 10 Year Old Single Malt.

This week we turn our attention to Starward Left-Field, an Australian single malt with aspirations to woo us Europeans. Taking the top award was Wire Works Whisky Alter Ego from Derbyshire, UK. Chambers particularly enjoyed this: “Golden syrup and malty nose, drying ashy peat smoke on the palate, nice level of sweetness, golden syrup and milk chocolate, with a hint of cocoa and gingerbread.” This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services. It wasn’t just Australian whiskies that took home the top gong. New Zealand’s Scapegrace Distilling Co won a Master for its Scapegrace Fortitude V, with its “light smoke on the nose and complexity” and “smooth palate with hints of smoke and sweetness”.

Bottle Sharing

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. 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.” If this year’s contest is anything to go by, we can expect to see whisky producers upping their game when it comes to experimentation with casks, climates, and production methods in the future. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, the remainder of the Terms shall continue in full force and effect. A whisky distilled in Melbourne is not really as outrageous as it sounds. The city is surrounded by some of Australia's best wine regions and has had a craft brewery scene that can hold its own against any major city in the world. So it was only a matter of time before somebody had the bright idea to create a Melbourne whisky.