Starlight Distillery Indiana Straight Single Barrel Bourbon

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 from pot stills. This bourbon is 110.8 proof, a single barrel (Barrel No. 1429)  selected by Ted Huber who is one of the 3 master distillers, costs around $50, is aged for 5 and 1/2 years, has a mashbill of 51% corn, 20% rye, 20% malted barley, and and 9% wheat, and meets all bottled in bond criteria. This barrel can only be purchased at the distillery. 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

Burnt Brown Sugar 

Nose

The nose is a vanilla bomb that also has notes of toffee, white pepper, rye spice, cinnamon, peach candy, and orange.

Palate

The palate is a medium to high viscosity with big vanilla and rye spice notes. I also pick up some citrus and the orange, peach, and pepper that carry over from the nose.

Finish

This has a long, explosive finish with big notes of rye spice, cinnamon, and vanilla. There is also a touch of citrus present.

In closing

This is a bourbon that is explosive and delivers on many levels, and at a $50 price point is an incredible value. Starlight Single Barrel Bourbon is a bottle I would love to have on my bar! The other exciting thing about this whiskey is that it has a 5 and 1/2 age statement which I really appreciate. Also, be on the lookout for the single barrel, barrel proof picks from this distillery as it has a developing single barrel program that is becoming more prominent and available. This is not your typical Indiana whiskey 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 as this is the best bottle of bourbon that I have tried out of the state of Indiana that wasn’t MGP!