Starlight Distillery is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2026 with the release of a 20-Year Reserve Brandy and a 10-Year Reserve Bourbon. Both limited spirits will be available on-site only at the Huber family-owned distillery in Borden, Indiana, beginning August 1.
The Reserve Brandy carries a 2005 vintage that was distilled and barreled on September 23, 2005. Its story begins during that year’s harvest, when the remnants of Hurricane Katrina dropped 5.2 inches of rain on Starlight’s vineyards over three days.
The team picked and processed fruit on six of the seven days before the storm hit. In the two weeks after the storm, the team sorted fruit by hand to separate affected clusters from those that ripened cleanly.
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READ THE STORYThe brandy was made from a blend of Villard, Seyval, Vidal, Chardonel, and other estate-grown cool-climate grapes.
It aged first in a new 60-gallon medium toast French oak Allier cask from 2005 to 2018. The liquid was then transferred into 60-gallon French Limousin oak, second-use, from 2018 until it was pulled on June 10, 2026. The release yields 150 bottles, bottled at 86.3 proof after nearly 21 years in barrel.
The 10-Year Single Barrel Bourbon was made from estate-grown non-GMO grains from the family farm. The land has been in the Huber family for more than 184 years and across seven generations.
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Built on a three-grain sweet mash bill, the bourbon underwent a seven-day fermentation before double pot distillation. It entered the barrel at 110 proof, aging in Canton cooperage barrels with a char level of #3–4, made from staves air-dried for two years with charred heads. The barrels rested on the southeast side of Warehouse 2, a position known for warmth and temperature swings. That position pushed the proof up during maturation.
The bourbon is bottled unfiltered at cask strength, 120.4 proof, with a yield of 100 bottles.
Starlight recently earned top honors at the 2026 ASCOT Awards. Its Bottled in Bond Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey and Mizunara Reserve both received Double Platinum, an accolade awarded only to spirits that receive unanimous top marks from the judging panel.
