David Vitale, founder of Starward Whisky

On a beautiful March evening in 2019, I was walking through Lincoln Park, Chicago. I was on the phone with my fiancé, now wife. I could hear the train approaching from the distance, so I had to talk fast. I told her, I think I just got a job offer by a guy from Australia. She was naturally a bit confused, yet so was I. I’d just met this Australian gentleman a couple hours prior. All I knew about him was that he owned a whisky distillery, just moved to America, and had a good taste for craft beer. I knew more about passengers I sat next to on a two-hour flight, than I did about this character from across the world.

As I passed under the brown line tracks, the train was rattlingly and roaring, piercing through my ears. I could hardly hear my wife, but she told me to trust your instincts.

Our quick chat ended, and I my mind flooded with curiosity. I was very interested to learn more about single malt produced from this distillery. Most importantly, I needed to know why this stranger believed I was the right fit to represent his company.

My curiosity guided my instincts. So, the next day I called Dave Vitale, the founder of Starward Whisky. Calling Dave was the best professional decision I ever made. A few days later I became the first US employee of Starward. For the following five-plus years, Dave entrusted me to step into a high stakes game of poker. I held his cards as he casually stepped to the side. I bet with his chips and to gambled on the future of his distillery in America. He never looked over my shoulder, just coached and guided me from the sideline.

We both traversed the United States for years by planes, trains and Zoom calls. We brought the good word of Australian whisky to bars, retailers, whisky clubs, really to anyone who had a mouth and an empty Glencairn. Dave was based in Seattle area, and I was obviously in Chicago, consequently, most of our communication was over phone and text. Occasionally though, we’d meet up in New York, Tennessee, or Texas, and those were the best work trips. These trips gave me the opportunity to hear the origin stories of the distillery straight from the passionate founder. We’d share our love for whisky over drams from brands we both admired. And, by 1am with a slice of greasy pizza, the whisky chatter would stop, and our personal lives would become topic of conversation. Every time Dave asks you, “How are you, mate?” He truly cares about your wellbeing and is interested in your story. Dave never stopped asking about my story. Quickly over the years, the employer/employee relationship faded. Dave was more of a brother than a boss. That’s why earlier this summer, while sitting in my hotel room in New Orleans, I had to make the toughest professional decision of my life.

Dave was back in Melbourne; it was midday there. I’d just left the city’s best whiskey bar, Barrel Proof, wrapped in the comfort of hundreds of smiles beaming from whisky and cocktails. I just finished hosting a successful Tales cocktail party. Now, I sat in the silence of my hotel room, nervous to call Dave. I anxiously pressed dial, it started to ring…

“The dragon guards the treasure.” The months leading up to this phone call, I became complacent at Starward. “The route, the journey to the gold is always more dangerous. Accept accountability.” Certainly, for years, I strived to be the voice inside of the whiskey haunts, in front of the bourbon bros and single malt snobs, educating/spreading the word of Starward. Yet, recently, I wasn’t wandering as much. “Scavenger the path, meet the danger…” I wondered more and more if the journey that began in Lincoln Park all those years ago was over. Dave hired because of my passion for whiskey, for my drive to learn and my ability to apply that knowledge into application. He saw something in me during a period of my life when I had much doubt about myself and my career. However, he instinctively recognized my hunger and my best qualities. He needed someone who would travel the circuitous route to build the brand he started on passion and irrational belief. He wanted Australian whisky to be on every back bar in America, and I could no longer dedicate my whole being to that pursuit. “Slay the dragon and find your reward.”

Dave answered. It was the time to say goodbye to Starward.

I’ll always hold the honor of representing Starward in the US in my heart; that is the reward.

Love you, brother.

Slay the dragon quote by Jordan B. Peterson

Nova