Head to head · unusually close flavour match
The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask vs Starward Nova
No flavour axis separates them, so the difference on record is disclosure: The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask states 12 years, Starward Nova states no age.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask | Starward Nova | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | World whisky |
| Origin | Speyside, Scotland | Victoria, Australia |
| Age | 12 years | No age statement |
| Strength | 40% ABV | 41% ABV |
| Cask | Ex-bourbon American oak, Oloroso sherry-seasoned American oak | Australian red wine barrel |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £72 | £55 |
| Per 10cl | £10 | £7.86 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £257 | £192 |
| Chill-filtered | Not stated | Not stated |
What separates them
Different countries: The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask from Speyside, Scotland, Starward Nova from Victoria, Australia.
The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask is a single malt, Starward Nova a world whisky.
The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask states 12 years; Starward Nova states none.
Cask as each producer describes it: The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask in ex-bourbon american oak and oloroso sherry-seasoned american oak, Starward Nova in australian red wine barrel.
Neither states chill filtration.
The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask: specifications not yet producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask is £17 dearer a bottle than Starward Nova.
Strength keeps that ordering: £192 a litre of pure alcohol for Starward Nova against £257.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask is 29th cheapest and Starward Nova 26th cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask | Starward Nova |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 0 | 0 |
| Sweet | 7 | 6 |
| Fruity | 6 | 8 |
| Spicy | 4 | 5 |
| Woody | 5 | 5 |
| Sherried | 7 | 6 |
| Cereal | 4 | 5 |
| Oily | 6 | 7 |
No axis reaches the 3-point gap we call meaningful. Widest is fruity, 6 against 8.
Identical on peaty and woody.
Each bottle in its own right
The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask
Butterscotch, orange and a dry oak finish. Polished and very easy to like.
Full record →Starward Nova
Red berries and chocolate from full red-wine-cask maturation. Unlike anything Scottish.
Fully matured in red wine barrels, not finished in them — and Starward sources the barrels 'within hours of being emptied', wet-filling new spirit while residual wine is still present. Grape varieties are not disclosed.
Full record →No overlap in what we list them for: The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask for gift and introduction to sherry cask, Starward Nova for something different and wine drinkers.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask and Starward Nova: themacallan.com, starward.com.au. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.