Starward Nova – 70cl

If your idea of whisky is still a stuffy old gent by a fireplace, Starward is here to mess with that completely. This is a single malt from Australia, and the distillery does something genuinely clever: they mature the whole thing in Australian red wine barrels. The wine cask influence soaks right into the spirit and gives Nova a character you simply won't find in your usual Scotch, all without any of the pretension.

Expect a glass full of ripe red fruit, a touch of brown sugar, spice, and a soft, rounded finish that makes it dangerously easy to drink. Melbourne's all over the place weather actually helps here, pushing the whisky in and out of the wood faster and packing a lot of flavour into a relatively young spirit. It's rich and approachable in equal measure.

This is the bottle to hand someone who reckons they don't like whisky, because it tends to change minds fast. Lovely neat, even better with a few drops of water to open it up, and it makes a seriously good old fashioned if you fancy showing off. A proper modern classic and a great shout for anyone wanting to branch out beyond the usual suspects.