Melbourne craft distillery Starward Whisky is set to make its first appearance at TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes next month.
Said to reflect Melbourne – the Australian city known as being ‘flavour-obsessed’ – Starward is looking to extend its network in global travel retail, with a big focus on expressions that are exclusive to the channel.
The Moodie Davitt Report talks with Starward Whisky Commercial Director Scott English, to learn more about the brand and its ambitions.
Let’s start at the beginning. Starward Whisky was founded in 2007 by David Vitale who spent the beginning of his career working in finance and tech. What prompted its development?
Dave Vitale was always a craft beer fan. He even considered starting his own craft brewery, before realising that beer doesn’t travel well. At the time he was based in Tasmania and met Bill Lark [a founding member of the Australian Distillers Association and the Tasmanian Whisky Producers Association], the ‘godfather’ of Australian whisky.
From there, Dave realised everything he loved about craft beer – from the provenance to the ingredients and the flavours – was evident in single malt whiskies. He went on to spend some time at Lark Distillery, alongside Bill Lark, learning the fundamentals for whisky making.
This was a special moment of clarity for Dave as it helped foster his passion for the Australian craft whisky scene, which would then lead him to found Starward.
What makes a craft distillery like Starward stand out from other brands in the whisky category?
There are a number of points of difference for Starward. Firstly, it’s a whisky that speaks to the place that it’s made. For us it’s Melbourne, so we made a whisky that’s vibrant, dynamic and flavour obsessed. Melbourne’s notorious ‘four seasons in a day’ climate helps our whisky mature well beyond its years, meaning we have some of the hardest-working barrels in the world.
Secondly, pushing the boundaries and innovation is part of our DNA, from how our whisky is made, to how it is enjoyed. Our distillers aren’t afraid to trial unexpected ingredients or processes in the pursuit of crafting an outrageously delicious whisky.
One of Starward’s most interesting and distinct processes is our red wine barrel maturation. Australia is home to some of the finest wine regions, and we often receive freshly emptied wine barrels and ‘wet fill’ them with our whisky. Juicy, luscious and bursting with flavour, red wine barrel maturation is integral to the award-winning Starward flavour.
Finally, we’re quintessentially Australian; from the ingredients we use to make our whisky, to the barrels we use to mature it. We source all our ingredients and wine barrels within a day’s drive of our distillery.
What is Starward’s strategy in travel retail? The company has stepped up its global expansion over the last three years, helped by being named the World’s Most Awarded Distillery at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. What new geographies and new consumers is the brand targeting and why?
Our strategy for the channel is built around building our distribution base and building consumer awareness and trial to support it.
Our continued focus is on driving brand visibility in stores, and we are excited to take the executions we have done in Melbourne with custom-made fixtures and Sydney with permanent signage and ongoing HPP through airports globally.
We have plans for further launches in key European locations later this year and look forward to continuing our expansion globally, with a key focus on Asia, Middle East and Europe. We have seen substantial growth year on year across our travel retail business. Our team has been working closely with:
- Lotte Duty Free at airports in Melbourne, Brisbane and Changi
- DFS in US airports including Los Angeles, John F. Kennedy, San Francisco and Honolulu, the Singapore ferry terminal, and in airports in Vietnam.
- Gebr. Heinemann at Sydney Airport, and additional locations coming in late 2023
- Lagardère Travel Retail at airports in Adelaide, Auckland and Cairns
- Dufry at Perth Airport.
What expressions are available in travel retail? Is there a focus on channel-exclusives?
As reported, Starward Whisky presented its core range of whiskies, each in a travel retail-exclusive one-litre bottle, at TFWA Asia Pacific earlier this year. The selection showcases Starward’s signature red wine barrel maturation, with each whisky notable for a distinct flavour or process.
Among the expressions in the range is Left-Field, which is our approachable and versatile, single malt whisky. It offers a balance of berries, apple and sweet vanilla characters. It’s a single malt for all sorts of serves and claimed a Double Gold medal in the San Francisco World Spirits Comp 2023 as well as Gold at the IWSC Mixer Awards 2022.
Starward Nova, our signature single malt, also took a Double Gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Comp 2022 and once again this year. It combines aromatic notes of red berries, chocolate and soft oak spice.
Starward Solera is also a key part of our travel retail portfolio. That was our very first whisky, crafted using the traditional solera process and offering a rich blend of fig and caramel with a lingering dry spice.
Championing Australian ingredients, 100 Proof is Starward’s bolder, higher ABV expression. Rich, full-bodied and another award winner.
Our whisky is approachable and versatile, meaning consumers can enjoy it any way they like. Whether that’s spritzed in a highball, served in a sour, shared with friends or poured neat or on ice. That’s why we’re taking our Australian whisky to the world, and already gaining cult followings across the USA, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Some of our limited-edition Project releases are also available in global travel retail, including a very exciting collaboration release and Melbourne Airport exclusive with Lotte Duty Free, coming to shelves in November 2023.
How do you see the future of craft whiskies in travel retail?
Craft whisky continues to innovate ahead of the curve, and this is driving consumer interest. As a result, we believe we’ll continue to see craft whiskies enter the shelves across global duty free stores.
From an Australian craft whisky perspective, the sector continues to grow and gain international popularity through accolades, distribution and consumer connection. This along with the innovation coming through will continue to drive the growth of Australian whisky.
Sustainability is an increasingly important criteria in all categories. What is Starward doing to ensure the brand has a sustainable future and can meet the demands of today’s travelling consumers?
Starward is committed to making a positive contribution through our sustainability measures.
In 2020, we updated our distillery to reduce our electricity usage by -35% per litre of alcohol distilled and reduced our water usage by over -300% through implementation of a cooling tower. We also continue to redirect our spent grain to farmers as cattle feed, diverting from landfill.
By 2026, we will also achieve zero waste to landfill, become net-zero carbon and operate with best practice water usage. We will continue to work with experts to develop and evolve our sustainability roadmap to achieve our 2026 targets.
Starward is a newcomer at the annual TFWA World Exhibition. Why now, and what will the brand be highlighting at the event?
We are committed to the travel retail channel, and TFWA Cannes is a great way to drive our brand awareness to the trade and connect with new customers.
We’re always looking for new opportunities to connect with a global audience. We’re excited to showcase our range at TFWA this year, as we continue to take our Melbourne-made whisky to the world. 
