Starward Two Fold is an Australian whisky that hit U.S. shores in the fall of 2019. Like Starward’s Nova single malt, it’s been aged in lightly charred Australian red wine barrels that previously held shiraz, cabernet, and pinot noir. But Two-Fold is a double grain whisky: 40% of its mashbill is composed of malted barley that’s been fermented with brewer’s yeast (the same distillate that makes up 100% of the Nova), while the other 60% is wheat. The malt and wheat whiskies are aged separately and combined after three years to make Two-Fold.
It has a light, jammy nose that brings forward a whole range of sweet jarred spreads: strawberry jam, raspberry jam, marmalade, peaches, and more. There are also touches of spice, orange rind, and a note that reminded me of good vanilla rooibos tea.
Two Fold is delightfully light on the palate and starts with vanilla buttercream, which sweetens towards the center to fulfill all those fruity jam flavors first detected on the nose. The back brings in a slightly herbal flavor that again had me thinking of rooibos tea, which was joined by a trace of wood spice before giving way to a light, lingering finish flavored by sweet berries.
The combination of warm fruit flavors, rooibos tea, and a light, delicate presence on the palate had me thinking of Starward Two Fold as an excellent “goodnight whiskey”: the sort of thing I might sip in a rocking chair on my front porch while wearing a sleeping cap. I own none of those three things, but I can count on Two-Fold to provide a gentle glide to the end of my evening with plenty of fruit flavor. And at $32.99, I won’t lose any sleep over the price tag.
★★★
Stats:
— 40% ABV
— $32.99
