Whisky Subscription: Pour & Sip

Pour & Sip is the name of a new whisky tasting subscription club from Master Of Malt. Using the 30ml bottles from Drinks by the Dram packs they'll send out 5 samples for you to try at home.

Let's see what it's all about!

Master of Malt are owned by Atom Brands and have been in the whisky game since 1985. They own brands such as That Boutique Whisky Company, Drinks by The Dram, Character of Islay amongst others. Pour & Sip was launched in August.

So what's it all about?

Master of Malt say:

"Each month, customers receive a selection of five different 30ml measures, curated by Pour & Sip’s expert buyers and writers.

Pour & Sip is unique in its philosophy. The founding team recognises that whisky can be intimidating, and has worked to develop a club that is welcoming for all [over legal drinking age]. Whisky is for anyone who enjoys flavour experiences, regardless of gender, ethnicity, background, or anything else. And so is Pour & Sip.

New customers receive a welcome pack containing a pair of tasting glasses, a how to taste whisky card, detailed tasting notes, plus the first five 30ml whisky samples. 

Members are encouraged to join twice-monthly online tastings hosted by the expert team, giving them the opportunity to explore each taster in detail, ask questions, and generally immerse themselves in all things whisky. They can also enjoy bespoke blog content, and will even receive access to exclusive discounts on full-price bottles at Master of Malt. 

Pour & Sip boxes ship monthly, with members at complete control of their subscription. Deliveries can be paused and resumed at any time at no cost, and set two- and three-month gift options are also available."

I was kindly send the Welcome Box to review. As you can see a lovely package containing five 30ml whisky samples and two surprisingly unbranded Glencairns - you'd think they'd have their logo all over them - maybe this was a pre-production version?

When you sign up, you have 2 options: pay £29.95 either monthly or bi-monthly, for this you'll receive:

• The Welcome Pack with two Glencairn glasses and a how-to taste whisky guide.
• In the first week of each month (or two months) you’ll receive a box of five 30ml tasting bottles of whisky, delivered to your door, with matching tasting cards. 
• Access to twice-monthly live tastings, distillery tours, booze news and be part of a growing Pour & Sip whisky community online.
• Exclusive prices and limited offers on full-sized bottles of the samples you've received.

You can Pause or Cancel your subscription at any time.

So what do I think?

Samples are a great way to try different drams before you decide to fork out for a whole bottle and subscription clubs are a great way to try different drams that you yourself may not have thought about trying. So this seems like a sure fire winner to me!

There are a number of different subscription clubs in the market and they usually cost around £30 - so what's different with Pour & Sip? Being part of Atom, with their Drinks by the Dram brand, means they've been doing this for a while - they know what they are doing - their wax dipped sample bottles are recognised all over the world! 

They say their selections are curated by "expert buyers and writers", well with experts like Kristy Sherry, Dave Worthington, Giovana Petry and Sam Simmons part of the company I'm sure the selections will be great.

Although the club is probably aimed at new whisky drinkers or those with limited experience it's always good to get a surprise box of drams through the post to try - even if you've tried some of them before it's always good to refresh your taste bud memories! I'm well on my way to 1200 different whiskies tried and 2 of these were new to me.

They include a useful tasting card with simple instructions on how to try your drams - useful for novices.

And tasting notes for each of the drams you receive.

For reference here's what September's Box contained, a well crafted selection of Scottish and World whiskies:

Legent Bourbon : Legent (pronounced ‘lee-gent’) is a true showcase of when East meets West, an awesome collaboration between Jim Beam master distiller Fred Noe and House of Suntory chief blender Shinji Fukuyo. It’s still a bourbon, but with a twist. It’s made with one of Noe’s recipes and was initially aged in charred virgin white oak. Then, portions are finished in Californian red wine casks and sherry casks, before being blended by Fukuyo. The cask influence is delicate, with jammy fruits making their way through the classic bourbon character.

Teeling Brabazon Bottling Series 3 : An Irish single malt from 

Dublin’s Teeling here! This is the third release in the distillery’s Brabazon Series, a collection of single malts focusing on fortified wine cask maturation. This one is 14 years old and treated to a finishing period in Pedro Ximénez casks from Jerez in Spain, sourced from a winery that specialises in the grape. Heaps of chocolate, fig and baking spice to be found here.  

Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old : If you thought Islay was all about peat smoke, Bunnahabhain is here to change that! A well-loved core expression from the Islay distillery, Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old was first launched in 1979. Both bourbon and sherry casks are to thank for this single malt’s nutty, fruity flavours, with a dash of coastal influence in there too.

Mackmyra Grönt Te : Another example of intriguing casks for you here, this is a Swedish whisky with some Japanese influence from Mackmyra. Grönt Te (which translates as ‘green tea’) was made in collaboration with Japanese tea specialists Yuko Ono Sthlm, and the single malt was finished in casks that were seasoned with a blend of Oloroso sherry and... green tea leaves! The cask makes for a fresh and subtly herbal expression. 

Balvenie 14 Year Old - The Week of Peat : Another subversive Scotch whisky here. While Speyside isn’t usually known for peated whiskies, this Balvenie 14 Year Old was released for The Week of Peat Series. It was back in 2002 that the distillery first experimented with drying its barley with peat for the first time when it had a week’s gap in the production schedule, which then inspired this bottling series! It’s all Speyside honey and vanilla balanced by waves of peat smoke in this one.

You can watch the live tasting here: