We’re beyond excited to bring you our very first single-barrel store pick from Starlight Distillery! Earlier this year (2025), Charles and I set off on a road trip through Ohio and Indiana to visit some of our favorite hidden-gem distilleries, along with a few up-and-coming brands. Starlight has been a standout for us ever since we opened the shop four years ago. We’d talked about doing a store pick with them for a while, but we knew we had to experience the farm in person to make the right choice. Just under an hour from the Louisville airport, across the border into Indiana, the bold red warehouses with the Starlight logo are impossible to miss as you wind your way up through the farm to the distillery.
We spent the afternoon barrel tasting with Andrew Jerdonek, Starlight’s Director of Spirits and Single Barrels. From the moment we met him, we knew we were in for a fun and insightful day. He had already pulled a few rye barrels he thought we’d enjoy, and after sampling the first few, we quickly aligned on the direction we wanted to explore. That path led us into another warehouse in search of a mystery Madeira and Armagnac-finished rye we were curious to try. But throughout the process, there was one barrel we kept returning to: a Fall Harvest Honey Barrel Finished Rye. Neither Charles nor I wanted to admit it at first, since honey finishes aren’t usually our go-to, but this one stood out. Even after tasting the elusive Armagnac cask, we kept circling back. It ultimately came down to two finalists, and the honey barrel was the clear winner. It struck the perfect balance: not too sweet, with just the right amount of rye spice.
All in all, we tasted over nine single barrels to land on this pick. We even sampled a Winter Harvest Honey Finished Rye for comparison. It was incredible to experience the difference—winter honey was much sweeter and more confectionary, while our fall pick delivered an earthier, fruit-forward profile. The bees had been pollinating right there on the farm during the fall, likely buzzing around pumpkins and apples, and that essence came through in the whiskey. Andrew even sent us a sample of the exact honey used in the barrel! Stop by the shop to taste both the whiskey and the honey while it lasts.
STARLIGHT RYE FINISHED IN A HONEY BARREL FIRST FILL STORE PICK
Bottle Count – 132 bottles
ABV – 57.25% ABV
Mashbill – 90% rye, 10% malted barley
Age – ~4YRS
Holly’s Tasting Notes: You’ll want to smell this whiskey for days. It has warm lemon-lime custard, root beer, dashing rye, and earth spice. The palate is really bright with lychee, sticky oranges, and herbal sweetness on the back palate. The rye really starts to show in the middle palate, with honey filtered throughout. The finish has a nice blue-raz green apple candy quality to it.
Charles’ Tasting Notes: Coming soon!
