Starlight Distillery "The Joy Of Starlight, Ep. 3" Port Finished Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey The Prime Barrel Pick #20

Starlight Distillery is located at Huber's Orchard, Winery & Vineyards in Starlight, Indiana. Initially, they planned to be a brand distillery with the idea forming in the mid-'90s. As the story goes, they were inspired by their ancestors, who once distilled fine brandies in this area in the early 1800s. On December 7th, 2004, they released their first brandy.

Starlight has since transitioned into whiskey, distilled in Huber's 80-gallon copper pot still from Germany and then transferred to 53 gallon charred, American White Oak barrels. While their whiskeys tend to be on the younger side, don't let the age fool you. This is some of the best single barrel sub-5-year-old whiskey we've tasted.

Outside their excellent straight bourbons, the distillery was one of the first to experiment with finishing barrels and continues to innovate in that space today. They use a wide variety of finishing barrels, and each adds a unique characteristic to the liquid inside it. We visited the distillery in the summer of 2021 to select straight bourbon (which we did). We were on the way out when we decided to try a few finished barrels serendipitously, and this Portuguese port finished barrel was just too good to pass up. The best way to describe it is that it drinks in layers. When you think you picked up a tasting note, another appears. You don't typically get that with whiskey, and we were sold. 

The barrel was bottled at 105.8 Proof, making for a great neat sipper. You could sip it by itself or use it as an aperitif after a hearty meal. Here is what you can look forward to:

• Nose: caramel, licorice, fleur de sel, figs, pecans, pumpkin pie
• Palate: star anise, cinnamon, licorice
• Finish: unsweetened cacao powder and dried orange peel

This is the second in a duo of Starlight selections we made in 2021 and launched simultaneously in 2022. The sticker's Bob Ross theme was a winner of a contest we ran and was suggested by one of our members (for which said member received a free bottle!). We think it turned out great - let us know what you think of it!

The charity both Starlight selections will support is Norton's Children Hospital Foundation. It is the philanthropic arm for Norton Children’s pediatric facilities and services. The foundation raises funds exclusively for Norton Children’s Hospital, Kentucky’s only full-service, the free-standing hospital created “Just for Kids”; Norton Children’s Medical Center; and pediatric services at Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital to support programs, equipment, new technologies, clinical research, child advocacy and health education for patients, families, medical staff and the community.