Flaviar Spirits Subscription Box Review & Coupon – “Whiskies of the Universe”

Flaviar brings the selection-of-the-month concept to the world of fine spirits.  The concept is great for spirits, since the best out there can be quite expensive — a big investment for an item that cannot be truly understood without tasting for yourself.  The Flaviar sample gives you the chance to sample before shelling out for a full size, or if you and your buddies want to go in on a full-size subscription, you are assured your selections will be prescreened for noteworthiness and drinking pleasure.

Their Whiskies of the Universe sampler box features five selections from the U.S., U.K., Europe, and Asia.   If you are looking for something a little different, no worries.  Every month you can skip or swap out the pack for a different selection.  The spirits are varied, so if you only drink the clear stuff, you can still find some great collections.

Within the shipping box is a handsome interior box, within which are nestled your five new guilty pleasures.

The kit is well-designed.  Not only is it like a hybrid of opening a watch box and playing with a test-tube stand, but it keeps your bottles from rolling all over and lets you admire them while contemplating the complexity of the featured liquors.

Included are some hints on conducting an effective tasting, as well as some key info on the samples, including flavors to watch for.

Although the foldout pamphlet is a little odd, it packs a lot of information in – here’s a sampling of the note introducing the pack.

To boldly taste what we haven’t tasted before. 

“Course heading, Captain?” asked the starship officer.

The Captain looked straight ahead and replied: “New Horizons, to boldly taste what we haven’t tasted before. Second Whisky bottle to the right, please.”

Starship officer: ”Yes, Sir. Here you go, Sir. Cheers!”

Several quadrillion nano-seconds ago only a handful of countries produced Whisk(e)y. As time passed, civilizations of the World evolved and a spark of ingenious creativity hit them – instead of just drinking it, they started to make their own version of Whisk(e)y. This revelation reverberated and changed the Face of the Earth: Whisk(e)y became a booming affair from the subcontinent of India all the way up to Scandinavia, each nation innovating expressions of every tinge and palate and so re-shaping the perception of what Whisk(e)y is and could be.

From grain and malt experimentation to the choice of local and imported casks for ageing each of this Whiskies is a planet for itself. Get off the planet of your everyday tipple and take a chance in the deep space discovering Whiskies of the Universe.

”Drink better, and prosper.” – Spock

You can click through to read each of them if you’d like.  They are really difficult to get a decent photo of, due to the extreme height, but the info is spot-on.  Good tasting notes and enough background on the distillery to give you a sense of place.

Our five samples — it’s great to have a whisky sampler that sets foot outside Scotland (though many a great sampler could be constructed from Scottish product only):

• Sheep Dip:  The Scottish selection distilled and blended (from 16 single malts, aged 8-20 years) by a former Glenmorangie exec.  Golden in color, the nose is very sweet, and it presents almost like a spiced rum.  The body is very light with some sherry tones, and the finish is a honeyed vanilla with some smokiness.
• Spirit of Hven Seven Stars No.2 Merak Single Malt Whisky:  A Swedish offering from the smallest pot still distillery in the world.   Golden, the nose and first bite are very smoky (not dark, but leading into a creamy body, like a smoked gouda, but slightly oily rather than fatty).  Black pepper, ginger and red apple predominate, with a lingering cherry finish.
• Amrut Indian Single Malt: A pale gold, this Indian whisky has a green banana nose, a licorice and buttery caramel body, and a subtle cardamom finish.
• Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Madeira Cask Finish:  Also pale gold, this ultra smooth and highly-rated Irish whisky (98 rating) has a spicy and sweet sherry flavor at the start.  Lingering apple and malt draw to a long close.
• Smooth Ambler Old Scout 7 YO Rye:  This dark 7 year old is the American offering, a flavorful rye.  It displays a good deal of sweetness for a rye, but has an intense rye flavor.  Very bold from the outset with lots of cinnamon fire throughout, this rye has a great biscotti and coffee body and tail.

The notes include some interesting background on the distilleries and the unique balance of ingredients chosen for each whisky.  The tasting notes go beyond my above big picture observations, tracing the whole “Flavour Spiral” of the liquor and the eight  to ten flavor notes and impressions to which you are treated with each potable.

Held against the light, the mellow bronze color is apparent.  Remarkably similar color amongst the varieties, despite varying compositions.

To purchase everything on its own and do a home tasting would be around $394, so this is a pretty budget-friendly way to sample new items.  Admittedly, you’d have a lot more liquor if you sought these out on your own, but Flaviar is a lot easier and eliminates the need for a second mortgage.  This pack is a great sampler of the world of Whisky, reaching beyond the confines of Scotland to the world at large — I wouldn’t even know t0 cast my net so wide if constructing my own sampling.   Flaviar is a really great way to get a sense of direction for half the price of a single fifth of liquor of the quality.

Visit Flaviar to subscribe or find out more! You will receive your first tasting pack for $24.99 when you use this link.