Reviewed by
Evelyn
Flaviar are an interesting company who have created their own online community of connoisseurs of fine spirits. They source the very best spirits from around the world and they have amassed an impressive variety, ranging from bourbons, whiskies, rums, brandies, and gins etc, with new bottles being added on a regular basis. From the Flaviar website, you can create your very own bespoke home bar and explore a whole world of craft spirits that you didn’t even know existed.
Flaviar is also like a members only club – once you’re a member, you’ll have exclusive access to a whole host of benefits including:-
- Access to the member’s exclusive vault
- The option to purchase rare, vintage and exclusive drams in full bottles and sample sizes
- Free shipping on all bottles and tasting boxes
- A complimentary tasting box delivered straight to your door every quarter.
You can also rate and review spirits and tasting boxes that you try, and the whole Flaviar concept has a really cool old-school, pre-prohibition vibe to it.
When you sign up as a member (which you can do for yourself or give as a gift to someone else), the first box that you’ll receive is a Welcome Box.
The Flaviar Welcome Boxes are shipped from Slovakia (if I remember correctly!), and it took around a week to arrive via courier to the UK. Inside the package was a cool display box which contained three Scottish Single Malt Scotch Whiskies in 45ml tasting/sample sized bottles, and there was a Flaviar branded black coaster included in the lid.
I don’t think there’s an option to choose a different welcome box as there appears to be only one available on the website at the moment, so if you’re not a fan of whisky, this may not be the right subscription box for you. However, you can choose the tasting boxes later on which feature a range of themed or mixed spirits.
To accompany the whiskies, I found some tasting notes and information which linked to some interesting articles on the Flaviar website about how to taste spirits and how to organise a tasting with your friends. My housemates were MORE than happy to help me to taste these! For all of these whiskies below, I tried them simply on their own mixed with a little water to fully appreciate the flavour of them.
Glenkinchie 12-year-old Whisky – 43%
Glenkinchie is a Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Lowland Scotland with a 43% alcohol content. This particular whisky has been aged for 12 years and has a pale, yellow golden colour to it. When you open the bottle, you get a sweet barley scent with some citrusy notes. It was handy to have a visual guide to the tasting notes and this really helped me to stop and think more about what I was tasting. Glenkinchie is a lovely and smooth whisky with notes of Honey, Lemon Zest, Oak and Green Apple, with citrussy and grassy undertones. I’m sure whisky connoisseurs will hate me for saying this, but I imagine this one would be amazing in a cocktail! 
Dalwhinnie 15-year-old Whisky – 43%
This Single Malt Scotch Dawhinnie Whisky is made in the coldest and highest distillery in Scotland, and it’s been aged for 15 years, with a 43% alcohol content. It’s the same pale yellow golden colour as the Glenkinchie, yet has a more complex flavour which may come from the fact that it’s been aged for a longer period of time. This one smells more citrusy and has a really nice smooth appeal to it. Tasting notes include Honey, Vanilla, Caramel and Apple Peel, and when you first taste it, it seems quite sweet for a whisky, but then develops into a more traditional flavour with lots of warmth and smokiness. This one was particularly popular and my personal favourite of the three. 
Lagavulin 16-year-old Whisky – 43%
The last whisky in the Welcome Box comes from Lagavulin distillery on the Isle of Islay in Scotland, which is home to miles of peat bog which explains the strong peaty flavour of this whisky. Lagavulin is a 16-year-old Single Malt Scotch Whisky with a much darker, deep amber gold colour than the previous two. When you open the bottle, you get a strong peat scent with some more subtle fruity notes. I have to admit that I didn’t immediately like the taste of this one – it’s much drier and a lot more smoky than I was expecting, but after a few sips, I began to warm to it. I could taste that classic barley malt whisky flavour, but it was harder to detect the more subtle notes of Vanilla.
