Episode 23: Starlight Distillery Sherry Finished Bourbon

The Pot Still Column: Episode 23

Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber's Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Sherry Barrels

Batch #: B2103

Proof: 106.4

Age: 4.5 Years

Source: Starlight Distillery (Borden, Indiana)

Price: $55.00 to $65.00

It isn't often that you see a sherry finished bourbon, a technique used more frequently in Scottish malts than in any genre of American whiskey. Starlight Distillery, however, has burst onto the scene as an aggressive proponent of finishing bourbon in secondary barrels, both commonplace and exotic.

Starlight Distillery is a relatively new addition to the whiskey community, only having started whiskey production in 2014 during the heat of the craft distilling revival. However, the Huber's brand and distilling operation goes back much further than the 21st century, as the family has been producing wine and brandy for generations. Starlight Distillery is the newest addition to the Huber's vineyard and winery, the largest producer of wine grapes in Indiana and a well-awarded manufacturer of fine wines. The distillery began producing brandy in 2001, releasing their first barrels in 2004, and started bottling older spirits as operations developed. Jumping on the craft whiskey movement of the early 2010s, Starlight began incorporating whiskey into the production line, resulting in the first batches of Carl T. Huber's bourbon. The distillery has since prioritized whiskey production over its other offerings, and the ratio of whiskey to other spirits being produced continues to grow in whiskey's favor with every passing year.

Carl T. Huber's bourbon is derived from a mash bill of 58% corn, 27% rye, and 15% malted barley, making it a completely unique concoction in the bourbon industry. As far as I know, no other company uses the same high-rye and high-malt mash, although the closest comparable ratio is Jim Beam's 63/27/10 mash bill found in Old Grandad and Basil Hayden's. Being a young whiskey producer, most of Starlight's bourbons are between 4 and 7 years of age, with most clustering around the 4.5 to 5 year mark. While the distillery does produce a low-proof core offering, it seems to favor bottling at or around cask strength, with most individual bottles displaying odd and frequently decimal proofs.

Today's review is focused on a distiller's select small batch version of Carl T. Huber's bourbon finished in Spanish Oloroso sherry casks. The Indiana bourbon is aged for at least 4 years in oak and 8 additional months in a sherry cask, and bears a proof of 106.4. The color is a fiery copper red, a visible reminder of the whiskey's time in the sherry cask. The presentation is simple but elegant, featuring a square-shouldered bottle with a rustic, wood-topped synthetic cork, and a pastel grape-purple label to represent the wine finish. Other than the mash bill which is clearly stated on the website, the bottle contains every piece of information a potential buyer may want to know. It is nice to see "distilled in Indiana" written on something other than an MGP whiskey.

The nose is a pleasant contrast of classic bourbon caramels and vanillas with the fruity influence of the sherry finish. While the scent doesn't scream of a winey or sulfuric sherry finish as is often the case with scotch whisky, the secondary aging left its mark in more subtle ways. The first indicator of a finish is that the bourbon just smells different. While that description does not provide one with a vivid image by any means, the experience of encountering an abnormal element in an otherwise normal bourbon is an experience well known to most of us, and the discovery has little to do with the identification of specific notes. A closer inspection exposes a tangy, acidic smell, hinting at citrus flavors. As I have found with several of Starlight's bourbons, the nose is plagued by a slightly too prominent ethanol presence, a detail that makes it frustrating to pick out specific features of the bourbon. While not terribly complex, the smell is perplexing, somehow dancing around my best efforts to single out specific components from the pleasant but messy jumble.

The first sip surprises me with its softness, coming and going quickly with little disruption on the palate. I feel no sting from the brief exposure to the alcohol, but the flavors are just as fleeting. Each sip contains a notably creamy texture, although it is slightly thinner than I would prefer-- think of 2% milk versus whole milk. Swishing the drink more intentionally around the palate unearths few secrets, and the experience is over before I can make anything of it. The rate at which the flavors abandon my palate is a bit mysterious, and the disappearance brings to mind water evaporating from a very hot pan: there and gone in an instant. Do not let me mislead you into thinking that there is nothing present in the taste; there is plenty of flavor including the predicted caramels and vanillas, but everything is muted. I don't recognize the citrus notes that I expected, although I would not describe the taste as strictly generic. The finish is more of an Irish goodbye than a Kentucky hug farewell, leaving almost too quickly to notice. While there is nothing unpleasant about the finish, I am left feeling somewhat robbed of a crucial part of the tasting experience.

I may as well try adding some water. Adding a few drops brings out the rye dramatically, flipping the entire experience so that the bourbon seems more like a rye as a whole. The now-diluted profile reveals more than initially met the senses, uncovering an earthy and chocolatey component that did not exist before. This is a whiskey to be enjoyed with water, and I am doing just that--- beginning to enjoy it. I was preparing to give this bourbon a somewhat unflattering score, but a few drops of water have saved the day, changing the profile dramatically. If I were presented with this new expression blindly, I would very likely guess that it was a finished rye of some sort, the sharp, herbal spice bearing too little resemblance to any bourbon I know. The taste, while noticeably watered down, is somehow thicker than the original version, coming to life with bran muffins, oaky malt, and a creamier texture.

Closing Impression:

Regardless of its baptismal revival by water, "life" for this bourbon is not one that I want to live. The ethanol-heavy nose, muted flavors, and slightly thin texture are faults too impactful to ignore, and I am left feeling slightly disappointed. This disappointment, however, is relative to my high expectations for this bottle as a sherry finished bourbon. I love sherry finishes on malt whiskies, so I was prepared for a similar experience, even if only tangentially so. While one could be led to believe that this was a sherry finished bourbon based on the "different" presentation that I described, I don't think it is a sherry finished bourbon that achieves its full potential. While the oakiness of the pour leads me to doubt if age is the issue, it must be noted that this is a young whiskey, and bourbons tend to peak after 6 to 8 years. I am excited to see what Starlight does next as its stock ages more thoroughly, and I will absolutely be returning for the next creative concept.

Nose: 74/100

Taste: 73/100

Finish: 67/100

Overall: 71/100