An Australian single malt matured in red wine barrels — the kind of whisky that only makes sense where it's made. Starward pulls everything it needs from within a day's drive of its Port Melbourne distillery, grain and barrels alike, filling casks that came from the Yarra Valley, the Barossa and Margaret River. Melbourne's famous "four seasons in one day" weather does the rest: the constant temperature swings push the barrels to contract and expand faster than they would in a cooler cellar, so the spirit pulls flavour from the wood at speed. Founder David Vitale set out to make a whisky that could only be Australian, and staffed the place with ex-brewers and winemakers, which tells you where the thinking comes from. For anyone who finds classic Scotch a little austere, this is the friendlier, fruit-driven end of the malt world — and it holds its own against bottles with a lot more prestige attached.