celebrating

15 YEARS

of whisky making

For 15 years, Starward has taken our Melbourne-made whisky to the world. Take a look back on some of our milestones and discover how we have evolved from a curious idea, to the Most Awarded Distillery of the Year.

It all started in Essendon fields, where this building (formally a QANTAS aircraft hangar) was converted to become Starward's first, ever distillery. This is where our founder, Dave Vitale started this distillery with only one barrel of whisky. Over time, we grew to house many more barrels at this location. Many of which, still remain foundational to the whiskies that we produce today.
It all started in Essendon fields, where this building (formally a QANTAS aircraft hangar) was converted to become Starward's first, ever distillery. This is where our founder, Dave Vitale started this distillery with only one barrel of whisky. Over time, we grew to house many more barrels at this location. Many of which, still remain foundational to the whiskies that we produce today.
There really was a lot on the line… but not only did our gamble pay off, but it brought to life the versatile, approachable, food friendly whisky we had been searching for.

Let's turn back time

2007

Growing up as a proud Melburnian, Dave was constantly surrounded by a melting pot of  cultures and cuisines. He was inspired to create a refined and accessible  whisky, that could be brought to the dinner table and be shared amongst  friends and loved ones. He held an ambition to reach for the stars and keep moving forward. This was the beginning of Starward.

2009

Production officially commenced at our first location in Essendon Fields. This is where our founder, Dave Vitale took a gamble and started this distillery with only one barrel of whisky.

2013

Solera is released (originally under the name as 'Starward'), which marks Starward's  first ever whisky. Solera takes a cue from traditional whisky making, and went on to win multiple awards.

2016

As our ambitions grew, so did our need for space. This saw us move from our first distillery Essendon Fields to our current location in Port Melbourne.

2014

After making our mark with a 'traditional' Starward whisky, we knew that apera barrels were not a sustainable option for us to take our whisky to the world. So, it was time to explore our options. We looked inwards to see what was was possible using local barrels.

2015

This gamble didn't only work, but it led to the food friendly whisky we had been longing for. We leaned into local red wine barrels from Australia's famous wine regions to mature our new world whisky. From here, Nova was born, which quickly became popular for it's bold and juicy notes of ripe red fruits and berries.

2018

2018 was the year that our highly sought after, Two-Fold hit the market. For Starward, Two-Fold represented the utmost aproachability and versatility. Whether it's mixed in a spritz or sipped next to a backyard BBQ, Two-Fold truly shines when it's shared and enjoyed.

2019

We started taking our Melbourne-made whisky to the world. This year marked our official launch into the U.S.A and we also continued to build our brand globally by expanding our footprint in European markets, through our Left-Field whisky.

2020

Starward becomes the fastest growing Australian whisky distillery. We upgraded our home in Port Melbourne, to optimise production and double our annual production capacity. We also enhanced sustainability through engineering and equipment (to use less water, power and gas).

2021

We wanted to bring the magic of everyone's favourite bars into their own homes with our Bottled Cocktail range. Ready to splash, sip and savour, our Bottled Cocktails are our New World take on some cocktail classics.

2022

We celebrate our milestone 15th anniversary, alongside being awarded as the Most Awarded Distillery of the Year at 2022 The San Francisco World Spirits Competition, as well as the TASTEMASTER at the 2022 World Whisky Masters. We continue to look to new horizons and take our humble Melbourne whisky to the world.

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Vitalis - Our 15th Birthday Release

This special release is to celebrate our 15th Anniversary. Vitalis is a single malt whisky which represents Starward’s journey to date and how we look forward to new horizons. Named after our founder, David Vitale and his familial name (which translates to ‘life’ in Latin), Vitalis marks 15 years since David’s bold endeavour to start a Melbourne distillery and mature whisky in Australian red wine barrels.

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Starward Whisky / New World Whisky Distillery Pty Ltd supports the responsible service of alcohol. Under the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998 it is an offence a) To supply alcohol to a person under the age of 18 years (Penalty exceeds $17,000) B) For a person under the age of 18 years to purchase or receive liquor. (Penalty exceeds $700) Liquor License number 36160141