Some of the early iconic American whiskies were in fact ryes out of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. Kinsey Whiskey was a well-known brand from the the late 19th Century that, despite surviving Prohibition, finally went by the wayside in the 1970s. That was, at least, until the Millstone Spirits Group built the New Liberty Distillery, which offers three iconic brands of whiskey: New Liberty, Maryland Heritage Series and a revived Kinsey in 2015. There are now several Kinsey offerings available, some of which are distilled at New Liberty and others sourced from elsewhere. The Kinsey Zinfandel Cask Finish is what the brand calls “American Whiskey” – supposedly 99% corn and 1% barley that is 10 years old – sourced from Indiana (the label says “blended and bottled by Kinsey”) and finished for 15 months in ex-Zinfandel casks from Chateau Montelena in California.
Starward Nova
Starward distillery was founded in 2007 by David Vitale. Producing whiskies from the outset, Starward received investment from spirits conglomerate Diageo in 2015 via their Distilled Ventures program, which allowed the distillery to expand their facilities. Starward Nova is the brand’s signature offering, featuring malted barley fermented with brewer’s yeast. It then goes into a variety of casks from Australian wineries, namely shiraz, cabernet and pinot noir from the Yarra and Barossa vallies, where it remains for the entire maturation of approximately two years. Starward asserts the aging process is accelerated due to the area’s volatile climate.