World Whiskey Tour

Alright, grab your glass and settle into the front row because this is a show you definitely won't want to miss. Pee breaks? Those are for quitters!  Don't know the lyrics? Let's teach you right now:

First up, let’s set the stage with Starward Two-Fold Double Grain. Picture this: Melbourne, the heart of Australia’s wine country, where the guys at Starward had a vision for creating a whisky that is both affordable and approachable. No pretentiousness here, just a no-compromises approach to flavor. They’ve crafted a unique blend by marrying malt barley whisky with aromatic wheat spirit and aged it in some of the world’s best red wine barrels. The result is a unique, multi-dimensional taste that’s hard to classify but impossible to forget.

Next, we journey to the ancient capital of Nara, Japan’s Temple Central, to meet Kamiki Maltage Japanese Whisky. Experiencing Kamiki, which translates to “Breath of God,” is nothing short of divine. Blessed by the priests of Omiwa Shrine, this whisky combines rare Japanese malt with the finest from around the world, all infused with pure, high-quality spring water. Imagine a perfect balance of heather honey, sweet caramel, Japanese plum, balanced oak, peat, and toffee with hints of sandalwood and green tea.

Our third act hails from the rustic landscapes of Vermont, USA. Enter WhistlePig PiggyBack Rye—a bold and spicy rye that spent six years in oak barrels, emerging as a complex and smooth delight. Master Distiller Dave returned to the farm with a wild dream: to create the best-aged rye whiskey that’s also perfect for your cocktails. Whether you’re mixing a classic Old-fashioned or a robust New Orleanian Vieux Carré, PiggyBack will be the star performer in any concoction you create.

Let the touring begin!
 

Smartass Corner

1) In 2017, there were more than 120 distilleries operating in Australia - 31 of them in Tasmania.

2) The modern Australian whisky industry may be only decades old, but locals produced the amber Spirit more than two centuries ago. Unfortunately, Tasmania banned distilling in 1838, so the noble craft remained silent for over 150 years.

3) Whisky or whiskey? The spelling differs geographically. In Scotland, Japan, Australia and some other parts of the world, distilleries usually spell it whisky; in Ireland and the USA, they spell it whiskey.

4) Japanese whisky is connected to both Scotch and bourbon. It’s a Scotch-style spirit that’s matured in climates similar to Kentucky’s.

5) It’s not uncommon for Japanese whisky to be aged in mizunara (Japanese oak) casks. Suntory conducted a research on how mizunara oak influences whisky flavor and found out it adds coconut and sandalwood notes to it.

6) The two biggest whisky producers in Japan and major rivals are Nikka and Suntory.

7) Rye whiskey is made from mash that is at least 51 percent rye. The grain gives rye whiskey its spicy, sometimes peppery, and bitter flavor. It was a big seller before Prohibition, and after decades in obscurity, it’s fashionable again. Fun fact: George Washington distilled rye whiskey at Mount Vernon.

8) Rye sparked the first revolution after the American Independence. It was called the Whiskey Rebellion, and it arose when the government tried to tax whiskey and enforce the taxation on distillers. The lesson here? Don’t mess with a whiskey drinker’s dram.

9) What the heck is a “whistle pig” anyway? Even though the label for Whistle Pig Rye is adorned with the sketch of a tuxedo-clad hog, “whistlepig”, groundhog, and woodchuck all refer to the same animal.

10) Although WhistlePig's heart is in Vermont, its soul stems from Canada. The brand’s initial rye stock was sourced from Alberta, proving that great whiskey knows no borders.