As you probably know by now, I’m a huge fan of whisky and whisky tastings in general. By sampling a range of whiskies, you will gain so much more insight into the category and the wide variety of flavours available. You might think you know what you like, but these tastings allow you to dive deeper into the world of whisky and will help you to discover new favourites.
The last year and a half has shown us that these tastings can be done within the comfort of your own home. Whether you simply want to sample at your own pace or join in on a tasting through Zoom or social media channels, I believe these home-tasting kits are here to stay.
So, what is Pour & Sip all about?
Pour & Sip is a whisky subscription service created by Master of Malt and Drinks by the Dram. Both teams have a wide knowledge of different whisky categories and they tend to sample their fair share of drams, which is why they wanted to bring us at home a chance to join the flavour adventure as well.
Each 30ml dram is hand-picked by the team, and their monthly tasting packs include five whiskies. They also host live tastings twice a month, which offer more information on each selection and give a better insight into these drams.
How does it work?
The idea of these tasting sets is to offer you a chance to explore more whiskies before you choose to invest in a full-size bottle. What is great about Pour & Sip is that you will receive discounts on full bottles and get access to previous tasting boxes. Also, you can earn reward points to spend on the full bottles at the Member Store or save money on future tasting sets.
Each tasting pack contains five carefully selected 30ml drams of whisky and tasting notes. When you first sign up, you will also receive two Glencairn glasses and a how-to-taste whisky guide to get you well prepared for the tasting experience.
The cost of each box is £29.95, and you can choose to receive a pack monthly or every two months. The set will be delivered the first week of the month and the payment will be taken on the 27th of the previous month. You can pause or cancel your subscription without any hidden fees. Just make sure you cancel before the next payment is due.
An example tasting set
Just to give you an idea what to expect, I have sampled the May tasting set (it’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it…). Last month, the theme was Islay, and the pack showcased the versatility of the island’s many whisky styles. I consider myself very lucky to have had the pleasure of sampling these back-to-back as Island whiskies are often my favourites. It also gave me a chance to prepare for my upcoming trip to the island.
Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2012
Bruichladdich’s Islay Barley series showcases the terroir in whisky. This dram was the 2012 vintage made using unpeated barley. Three-quarters of the whisky was aged in first-fill American whiskey casks and the remainder in ex-French wine casks.
Bunnahabhain Stiúireadair
That’s a mouthful to pronounce – ‘boo-na-harv-en stew-rahdur’! It pays homage to the dramatic and rugged coastline where the distillery is located. This is a savoury coastal whisky, aged in both first- and second-fill ex-sherry casks. Bunnahabhain was the first ever whisky distillery I visited quite some years ago.
Aerolite Lyndsay 10-year-old – The Character of Islay Whisky Company
This is a mystery dram as it comes from an undisclosed distillery. The whisky is aged in ex-bourbon barrels and sherry quarter casks, which, due to their small size, have a bigger influence on the spirit.
Lagavulin 2005 (bottled 2020) PX Finish
After a lengthy oak maturation, this spirit was finished in ex-Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. It’s a peaty, meaty and bold dram.
A fun fact: Lagavulin used to be an agent for Laphroaig and they used Laphroaig’s whisky to blend with their own grain whisky.
Laphroaig 10-year-old Sherry Oak Finish
This Laphroaig expression launched in April. It was matured in both ex-bourbon and refill ex-Oloroso sherry casks, followed by a finish in European oak ex-Oloroso sherry casks of between 12 and 18 months. The smokiness, saltiness and sweetness are in beautiful harmony in this dram.
Gift memberships
Pour & Sip subscription makes a great gift for any whisky lover in your life. You can choose from two-, three- and six-month gift subscriptions and it will include all the same bells and whistles as the regular option mentioned above. The service will be cancelled automatically once the subscription ends so you don’t have to worry about any secret fees or rolling contracts, although the recipient will be able to extend their subscription afterwards if they want to keep sampling.
The gift will be delivered as a digital gift card, which the lucky receiver can then redeem online at their convenience (the card never expires!). You can choose exactly when the gift card will be delivered to their inbox.
Father’s Day Special
As Father’s Day (20th June) is getting closer, Pour & Sip is giving away special Father’s Day tasting sets! When you order a three- or six-month subscription for Dad in June, you will also receive a gift box you can give him on the day together with a digital (or printable) gift card.
Father’s Day gift includes:
- A digital gift card to redeem a Pour & Sip subscription, paid upfront.
- Welcome Pack with two Glencairn glasses and how-to-taste whisky guide (delivered once the gift has been redeemed)
- A free Father’s Day tasting set to gift on Father’s Day (3- and 6-month subscriptions only)
- Five 30ml samples each month with tasting notes
- Access to twice-monthly live tastings
- Exclusive discounts on full bottles
- Pour & Sip Rewards programme to earn points to save money on orders from the Member Store!
- Free delivery (always!)
Have you tried any whisky tasting sets during the pandemic?
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Master of Malt, but as always, all photos and opinions are my own. Some of the links used are affiliate links. If you buy through the links, I may receive a commission for the sale. This has no effect on the price for you.
