Flaviar: Whisky Samples At Your Door

You know that much, if not all, of the whisky that I drink for A Wardrobe of Whisky comes from samples. You can’t imagine how hard is to get decent whiskies here in the south of Spain, well.. you can easily get great whiskies like Chivas Regal 12 years old or the all-mighty Johnnie Walker Black Label ( Oh God, Take my live! ). So as you can see most of my experience comes from samples which it is a great way of tasting new malts for a fraction of the price.

It is always good news to welcome a new samples bottler, Flaviar, on the arena. But what Flaviar does different from the rest of players?

Flaviar features a monthly subscription service where you get a pack of five samples with enough whisky for three persons to taste it. The idea of Flaviar is to be an exploration tool, helping beginners in discovering the world of spirits, while for the more experienced spirits lovers it’s a great way of discovering new drinks and keeping their spirit shelves updated without wrong purchases. If I had had such chance when I started drinking whisky… I have now a full wardrobe full of vile whiskies that I don’t dare drink ( yes, you know who am I talking about! )

As well as the pack of five 5ml samples you get also some “experts” insights as well as tasting instructions ( quite useful really for newcomers ) and fun trivia games. One thing quite fun is the fact that each pack is theme like “Schnaps of the Alps”, “There were pirates” or “Whisky’s Big in Japan” and they came in a precious little black box.
Each of the samples is labelled with the spirit inside and its strength ( note to Flaviar: Blind tastings are usually more fun, just an idea ).

My pack was called “Highlanders: There can be only one” and features five Highlands whiskies, some of them tasted some years ago in this blog. So let’s taste the whisky.

Glengoyne 12 years old

“Lovely Glengoyne, soft, delicate, just whisky”

89

70cl / 43% / Distillery Bottling - A 12yo Highlander from Glengoyne, famed for their unpeated single malt. Glengoyne is always very pure in style, allowing their high-quality, easy-drinking whisky to shine in its natural state.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (89): more than average. honey, barley, vanilla, spices, green apples.

Palate (90): powerful, oily. honey, barley, vanilla, citrus, pepper, floral.

Finish (88): longer than average. honey, wood, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Glengoyne 12 Year Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky with 89 points over 100.

Buy this bottle at

Save money when you buy Single Malt Whisky online. Check for the best prices from best online shops below:

• Buy on Master of Malt for £38.44
• Buy on The Whisky Exchange for £38.55

Glen Garioch Founders Reserve

“Not bad Glen Garioch, not bad at all...a bit on the sherry side but nothing like a monster”

88

Founders reserve is the new offering from Glen Garioch (pronounced Glen Geerie)

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (88): more than average. honey, spices, citrus, peaches, cinnamon.

Palate (88): smooth, oily. honey, spices, citrus, barley, fruits, peaches, cinnamon.

Finish (88): longer than average. honey, spices, wood.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Glen Garioch Founders Reserve Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky with 88 points over 100.

Buy this bottle at

Save money when you buy Single Malt Whisky online. Check for the best prices from best online shops below:

• Buy on The Whisky Exchange for £32.95
• Buy on Master of Malt for £36.43

Dalmore Vintage 2000

“I have had better Dalmore whiskies but this one is quite loyal to the distillery style and it isn't that much influenced by the sherry”

88

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (88): more than average. honey, spices, fruits, citrus, chocolate.

Palate (88): powerful, oily. honey, citrus, wood, cocoa, spices, oranges.

Finish (87): longer than average. honey, wood, cocoa.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Dalmore Vintage 2000 with 88 points over 100.

Old Pulteney 2000 Flotilla

“Nose on this Old Pulteney isn't as good as its taste but still it is a quite nice Old Pulteney whisky with its peat and its salt”

88

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (87): more than average. peat, citrus, spices, honey, vanilla, wood.

Palate (89): powerful, oily. peat, honey, citrus, wood, vanilla, salt.

Finish (89): longer than average. salt, honey, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Old Pulteney 2000 Flotilla with 88 points over 100.

Glenmorangie The Astar

“AStar is an interesting Glenmorangie whisky bottled at cask strength with a powerful wood profile”

90

The Astar bottling from Glenmorangie is a second incarnation of the much-loved Artisan cask bottling from several years ago. A massive dram, with huge spices - a drop of water is the sensible option.

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (89): average. honey, spices, citrus, floral, nutmeg, pears, wood.

Palate (90): powerful, oily. honey, wood, citrus, spices, pears, pepper.

Finish (90): longer than average. honey, wood, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Glenmorangie The AStar with 90 points over 100.

Buy this bottle at

Save money when you buy Single Malt Whisky online. Check for the best prices from best online shops below:

• Buy on The Whisky Exchange for £199.00

Miguel says…

Flaviar is a fantastic idea for tasting whiskies on a closed budget and increase your knowledge about Single Malt Whisky & other spirits. In fact there two of the five whiskies I had no clue what they even existed… So a big thumbs up for Flaviar and its service.

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