Bourbon Whiskey, 'Sakura Reserve'

• Small batch Sakura-cask finished bourbon produced by Starlight Distillery in Starlight, Indiana
• Blend of mash bills including a 3-grain mash bill of 60% corn, 20% rye, 20% malted barley (the greater portion of the blend) and a 4-grain mash bill of 51% corn, 20% rye, 20% malted barley, 9% wheat
• Produced using estate-grown, non-GMO corn, rye, and wheat; the malted barley is locally sourced
• Closed-top, sweet mash fermented in stainless steel for 7 days
• Twice distilled in a Vendome brass and copper pot still
• Prior to finishing, aged for a minimum of 8 years in charred new American oak barrels from ISC, Canton, Kelvin, and ZAK cooperages
• Finished for 4.5–7 months in 60-gallon new and second-fill Sakura casks with a medium toast from Ariake Sangyo in Tsuno, Japan
• A blend of 4 barrels
• Opens delightfully with fresh, pretty notes of cherry, dewy rose petal, vanilla, and cereal grain, followed by an echo of barrel. The palate balances a round candied cherry note with brown sugar and the expressive lift of cask strength proof, leading to a pleasantly dry finish that subtly emphasizes grain and charred barrel.
• Non-chill filtered; bottled at a cask strength of 59% ABV (ABV may vary batch to batch)

Having distinguished themselves—both via industry accolades and a devoted fan following—for their whiskey-finishing prowess, the Starlight team turns their focus to the highly prized ornamental cherry tree, the Sakura. Ethereally scented and notoriously resistant to cooperage, these trees are richly symbolic in Japanese culture, and their dramatic 2-week flowering period is celebrated for being thrillingly beautiful but also drastically finite. By pairing the beguiling spectrum of floral, red fruit and baking spice notes of a Sakura cask with a fully mature, dual mash bill bourbon, Starlight elevates their whiskey while reaffirming its identity, a dazzling balancing act worthy of one of America’s most innovative craft distillers.