Navigating The World’s Whiskies With Flaviar Subscription Services

It’s the gift giving season, and nerdy niche subscription services are all the rage these days. There are pajama clubs, chocolate tasting boxes, hot sauce subscriptions, cookie dough clubs… If you can name it, someone is probably cramming it in a box and shipping it out quarterly. 

One of the subscription services that caught my eye a couple years ago is Flaviar. Their mission statement says the company was founded to help people try new and better spirits, more often. That’s booze nerd talk. As with all fandoms, there are many buy-in and commitment levels. 

There are whisky experts who can tell you what wood the maturing casks are made from, and what region the barley, water, and yeast originate from just by taking in the intoxicating aroma that wafts from the opening of a Glencairn glass. And then there are folks who like certain whiskies because they like the taste of burnt fire logs and could really care less why it tastes that way.  

Since the time I came of legal drinking age, I have always been a Scotch man, which is a little odd since I grew up smack dab in the middle of wine country in Northern California. Scotch has five recognized regions (six if you include Islands), and each has their own distinct flavor profile and characteristics.

The deep smoky flavor many people associate with Scotch typically comes from the Islay region, whereas Speyside whiskies are on fruity and spicy side. Every region has their signature, and every region has diehard Scotch nerds that will tell you theirs is the ‘true’ flavor profile, and the rest is absolutely rank. 

Point being, I’m a Scotch nerd. When I started up with Flaviar, I made it my mission to learn more about other types of whisky. I have actively avoided their Scotch offerings to further this goal. Every three months, I choose a tasting box that contains three different 1.5 oz. tasting vials of (non-Scotch) whisky and one full sized bottle from a pretty decently sized list of available spirits.

To date, I’ve tried The Craft Side of Bourbon tasting box with Jefferson’s Small Batch Bourbon, Asia & Oceana Vol. 2 with Hand Barrel White Marble Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Bourbon Trinity with Pursue Bourbon, New World Single Malt with Smooth Ambler Contradiction Bourbon, Liquid Gold Vol. 2 with Garrison Brothers Boot Flask, and Secret Flavors of Japan with Stauning Kaos. There were a couple in there that I wasn’t a huge fan of, but over the last couple years, I have learned that good whisky comes from all over the globe. 

Flaviar subscription plans start at $200 for two deliveries that each include one bottle and one tasting box. Their most popular package is $300 for three deliveries, and then there’s a four delivery option that rings up for $400. A few times during the year, these go on sale, saving subscribers between $10 and $80 on the plans. 

At that price point, the Flaviar service isn’t just for getting loaded. You could easily score cheaper liquor at your local grocery store. What you’re paying for here is the ability to sample several different spirits without having to leave your home, and some of the bottles these samples are poured from cost upward of $100. That’s money thrown away if you don’t end up enjoying the hooch you end up with. 

There is one thing that I’m really not a huge fan of, and that’s shipping. Liquor delivery is tricky business. The USPS will not allow shipment of “intoxicating liquors” above 0.5% alcohol under almost any circumstance. UPS, FedEx, and private courier services are bound by Federal laws that date back to Prohibition, and they also have to adhere to the laws of both the shipping and destination states, adding several levels of complication. 

Because of this, some areas don’t have a lot of great shipping options. As with my most recent shipment (the California Dreamin’ box and Wyoming Whiskey Double Cask), problems do arise.

Where I live, a person over the age of 21 must be present to accept the delivery. That seems easy enough, except… the local courier service doesn’t call ahead and doesn’t give predictable advance notice. Yesterday, I got an email in the morning saying that my booze would be delivered the same day. No delivery window. No advance call or text saying they were 30 minutes out (both of which I opted into on the company’s website). They showed up a little after ten, and I was at the orthodontist with my middle child. I actually would have been home on a normal day, since I work out of my living room, but most people don’t.

Calling the courier, I was unable to schedule a delivery window or find out when the next delivery attempt would be. “Some time in the next couple days” was as close as I could get to nailing it down. I finally ended up making arrangements to drive to the shipping depot that’s 30 minutes from my house to pick it up today. I got my firewater, but it cost me more than an hour on the phone yesterday and an hour driving today.

If I worked out of an office building, I’d probably have my deliveries sent there, but alas, there is no manned reception kiosk at my home office.

Despite the shipping thing, I still find Flaviar’s services worthwhile. Scotch is still my favorite spirit, specifically Glendronach Parliament 21, but now I’ll take a mid-level bourbon on a random Tuesday. That’s progress.

If you’re looking for a holiday gift for the whisky nerd in your life, Flaviar’s packages and current discounts can be found at this link. I should maybe point out that they also carry tequila, gin, and all manner of other spirits. So far, it’s just the whiskies that I’m interested in, though.