David Vitale, the founder of a Melbourne startup, is earning awards and international market share by changing whisky from a “dad’s drink” to a shared table wine.
However, first sales were difficult as he struggled to launch his Port Melbourne distillery.
In 2009, Mr. Vitale attempted to persuade a “high-net-worth” family friend of “a whisky revival.”
The acquaintance informed Mr. Vitale, “I just don’t understand why anyone would buy your whisky instead of just purchasing Johnnie Walker.”
Six years later, Mr. Vitale secured an agreement with Diageo, the maker of Johnnie Walker, to invest in his whisky brand Starward and assist with its international launch.
“Not only did drinkers believe they wanted to purchase us, but Johnnie Walker believed they should purchase us as well,” explains Mr. Vitale with obvious joy.
In 2019, the father of three relocated with his family to the United States to “lead the Australian whisky movement in the United States.”
Mr. Vitale told Daily Mail Australia, “Perhaps in two years, we’ll sell more in the United States than in Australia.”
Once it occurs, move out of the path since it will hopefully be a steam train.
It is an improbable tale for a 48-year-old who grew up in a large Italian family in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, where wine flowed freely but whisky was opened just once a year.
Mr. Vitale stated, “We gave our accountant a box of whisky for Christmas.”
That was the extent of our household’s whisky purchases.
Mr. Vitale ran a financial e-learning business in the late 1990s, but he spent his free time brewing craft beer.
He made a fatal trip to Tasmania “on a whim.”
Mr. Vitale remarked, “I strolled into a small whisky bar called the Lark Distillery, which is obviously much more famous now.”
“It felt like a bolt of lightning struck me.” The most intriguing aspect of these single malt artisan whiskies for me was that they contained all the characteristics I adored in craft beer.
They discussed provenance, style, and location, and there were so many of them.
Following the sale of his e-business, he spent two years learning the trade of whisky making at a distillery, where he utilized his background in finance and technology to grow operations.
However, he had a much grander vision for a particularly Melbourne brew, which led to his “entrepreneurial brain fart” moment of “I’m going to do this” in June 2007.
The plan was to use wine barrels from neighboring wineries to age his whisky from beginning to end, which is not the norm.
He remarked, “We weren’t sure if it would work, but like with most innovations, you just consider what could go wrong, try to mitigate it, and push the boundaries to see what occurs.”
I decided to bet everything on black and age it in these wine barrels to see what would happen.
What transpired was an unique taste.