Fortis, coming from the Latin meaning ‘bold’ or ‘brave’, brings the intensity. It’s one of the highest proof bottlings we’ve ever done, deftly balanced by our signature Starward smoothness. With the toasty oak and vanilla flavour from American Oak, and the juicy red wine profile from the shiraz and cabernet wine barrels, the boldness of Fortis beckons.
Fortis starts and ends with local Australian ingredients and expert Melbourne craftsmanship. We make the single malt with Australian malted barley and brewers’ yeast for a flavour-forward character.
We only age Fortis in American Oak barrels to give our whisky a richer taste and toasty oak and vanilla character. We sourced most of these barrels from Barossa Valley wineries, where they once held powerful shiraz and cabernets. We char some of these barrels for complexity. Most we leave fresh, to lend Fortis the intense red wine flavour profile that soaked into the barrel staves.
For this stronger ABV whisky, we don’t chill filter. That means the whisky you pour into your glass closely represents the whisky that comes directly from the barrel.
