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Starlight Distillery 10-Year Reserve Bourbon Whiskey Review

Can a decade of patience and estate-grown grains produce the finest bourbon Starlight has ever made? We taste the limited 10-Year Reserve to find out.

OVERALL RATING

8
$250
  • Charles Steele is an attorney and whiskey enthusiast with a penchant for the peculiar.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Starlight Distillery has announced the release of its 10-Year Reserve Bourbon, a limited-edition cask-strength expression produced entirely from grains grown on the Huber family estate in Southern Indiana. Approximately 2,000 bottles will be available starting June 20, 2026, at the distillery, in select markets, and online.

The release represents one of the most prestigious offerings in the distillery’s history. The ten-barrel blend was drawn from some of the oldest bourbon resting in Starlight’s rickhouses, featuring both three-grain and four-grain mash bills built on heirloom corn and Indiana rye.

Each barrel was sweet mash fermented and double pot distilled on Vendome copper stills. The liquid was entered at low proof and aged for a full decade. Barrels initially matured in the distillery’s original warehouse before being transferred to Warehouse #2, West Side, described as the warmest pocket of the rickhouses. The bourbon was bottled at cask strength at 114.2 proof.

Hand-selected by the Huber family—Ted, Blake, and Christian—each barrel was bottled only upon reaching what the family deemed absolute maturity.

“Every barrel reflects ten years of stewardship, patience and belief in the process,” said Christian Huber, seventh-generation distiller. “Every decision was made with one goal: to create the finest bourbon Starlight Distillery could possibly produce.” “It’s not simply a 10-year bourbon, but a statement of legacy for our family,” Huber added.
Appearance:
Dark clear tawny in color with thin fast legs which do not linger. Tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.
Nose:
Medium coffee with hints of nutty toffee. Red fruits are present along iwth a light tobacco and vanilla.
Palate:
Oily mouthfeel with a medium profile throughout. Tasting notes reveal bakers chocolate, plums, charrred oak, baking spices and a warm rye. Towards the back palate we explore more butter and cream textures with the sip.
Finish:
More of the darker notes are present. Complex bakers spices with a warm undercurrent of vanilla and malts.
Comments:
I do not have a vast experience with Starlight distilling. I am familiar with them generally, but this is part of my first foray into their products. Overall I think this is a nice 10-year bourbon with strong earth tones more traditional of aged bourbons. There is a nice balacne with enough sweetness to dig into without hurting the overal profile. Moments of the taste aren’t as complete as others but it doesn’t distract from the dram too heavily.

Overall I think this is a nice whiskey with a bright spots the average enthusiast will really appreciate.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Charles Steele

Charles Steele, a Portland-based attorney, is a native of the Pacific Northwest. His legal background provides him with an analytical approach to understanding whiskey and other aged spirits. Primarily a legal writer, freelancing for The Whiskey Wash offers Charles a unique opportunity to showcase his versatility as a writer. Although his preference lies with whiskey and whiskey-based cocktails, he has a profound appreciation for all unique and unconventional liquors, from Malört to Ojen - if it's peculiar, he's intrigued.

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