Butterscotch | Cherry cola | Vegetative | Grass | Light anise | Fresh oak

Rye grain | Rye bread | Orange marmalade | Dehydrated stone fruit

Rye spice | Rye grain | Malt | Allspice | Raisin | Light cinnamon | Burnt caramel | Gentle oak

Starlight Distillery is located on the grounds of the Huber estate. Housing Huber’s Orchard & Winery, the family began farming back in 1843 when their ancestors settled in Starlight, Indiana, from Baden-Baden, Germany. Now in its 8th generation, with operations handled by Ted Huber and his sons, Christian and Blake, the Huber estate produces a variety of crops, grown alongside the onsite distillery, which produces an assortment of brandies and whiskeys. They began distilling whiskey in 2013, and all of their products are distilled onsite.

Starting this year, Ted’s wife, Dana Huber, who has had a more behind-the-scenes role guiding the distillery's growth and evolution, is stepping into the distilling and blending side of the business. Her first expressions are a pair of Bottled in Bond releases, one bourbon and one rye. For the Starlight Bottled in Bond Rye, she is blending two rye mashbills, which helps it stand out from the company’s previous rye releases.

Dana Huber succeeded in making her Bottled in Bond Rye blend less straightforward than some of the company’s previous rye releases. It doesn’t go hard in any direction. It’s not overly sweet, fruity, or spicy. Instead, it features a bit of everything: rye grain, orange marmalade, dehydrated stone fruit, malt, raisin, and burnt caramel, to name the notes that stand out the most.

This lack of focus comes with some faults, as it doesn’t do any one thing particularly well, but it does its best to keep the sip continually interesting. It doesn’t taste young; it's just lacking body. Combine this with a grassy scent in its aroma, a rye-grain-forward taste, and some may mistake it for young. Starlight is proud of their history and doesn’t shy away from their estate-grown grains and resulting taste. Dana’s blend skews more light than not, and is approachable throughout. Those looking for a slight detour from the many carbon-copy ryes on the market will enjoy what Dana is trying to accomplish with her Bottled in Bond Rye blend.