Starlight Distillery Carl T Huber’s Double Oaked Bourbon Whiskey

A little background

Starlight distillery is located in Starlight, Indiana which is about 20 minutes north of Louisville, KY. All of their offerings are made using the sweet mash technique, and all of the barrels they use are air dried for a minimum of 2 years with some air dried up to 4 years. The distillery prides itself on being family owned and truly providing a farm to bottle experience. All of the whiskey is Starlight distillate distilled and aged on the property. Starlight Distillery Carl T. Huber’s Double Oaked Bourbon Whiskey is 96 proof, made in small batches, costs around $60, and is comprised of two mashbills that can be further broken down since the distillery used 4 varieties of corn. The 1st mash bill is 60% corn, 20% rye, and 20% malted barley while the 2nd mashbill is 51% corn, 20% rye, 20% malted barley, and and 9% wheat. After being aged for 4 years in its original barrel it is aged for an additional 8 months in an unused Seguin Moreau Vanilla Toast barrel. The history of the distillery is very unique and runs 8 generations deep. The current distilling is conducted by Ted and his sons Christian and Blake who are two of the up and coming stars of the industry in my opinion. The distillery is also unique in that it sits on the same property as Huber Winery which is also owned by the family and offers activities for adults and children alike.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Dark Amber

Nose

The nose has notes of vanilla and corn that are apparent right off the bat. This is accompanied by notes of apple, pear, and rye spice.

Palate

The whiskey is a medium viscosity and hits the mid-palate with notes of vanilla, cinnamon, fresh fruit, corn, and floral undertones. The palate is light and refreshing with a low to medium viscosity.

Finish

This is a short to medium length finish where the vanilla, corn, cinnamon, and rye spice from the palate carry through.

In closing

Carl T Huber’s Double Oaked Bourbon Whiskey would be great to sip on a hot summer day but at the $60 price point could be more of a special occasion pour. I enjoy that the bourbon carries an age statement of a minimum of 4 years, and that the bottle has a lot of transparency. Future iterations of this release are only going to be better as the product continues to age and gain complexity as the distillery matures into its sweet spot of 7 to 9 year product. Be on the lookout for the single barrel, barrel proof picks of this offering as the distillery has a developing single barrel program. This is not your typical Indiana distillery but instead a distillery that is right there in the conversation with distilleries like Peerless, New Riff, and MGP. Be on the lookout for this up and coming distillery!