The 5 Best Whiskey Subscriptions of 2020

Flaviar: Best Overall

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Flaviar is perhaps the most widely known and regarded name in spirits subscriptions, and for good reason––this is the whiskey-focused club that has it all, from your choice of a top-shelf bottle each quarter to personalized tasters, plus a breadth of information and insight around your selection.

Inside the quarterly tasting box you’ll find three, 1.5-ounce échantillon vials (respective to your selected spirit category) along with the accompanying materials, and between shipments, you can enjoy member perks like virtual events, access to exclusive and rare bottlings, educational experiences, and more. Both members and non-members can order full bottles from the online shop, though the former enjoy free shipping.

You can try Flaviar out for one quarter, which comes out to about $32 monthly, or you can go for the whole year and snag a discount (this equals about $25 per month). When joining, you’ll be prompted to choose your favorite spirit categories and brands, after which you’ll select your "desert island drink," and that’s about it for the legwork.

Then, you’ll then be taken to the checkout page, where you’ll pay upfront for your membership (shipping is included). Flaviar is one of the few spirits delivery services that caters to both U.S. and international members, so that’s a big plus if you’re hoping to order from outside the country or send a gift overseas. Members can also cancel at any time sans penalty.

Scotch Malt Whisky Society: Best for Scotch Lovers

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Calling all Scotch nerds: With more than 30,000 members, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society is the ultimate membership experience for aficionados and experts alike. Founded in Scotland in 1983, these guys are sharing their personal findings from the motherland with the world through online and in-person tasting events, bottles, and more.

This club is generally much more education-driven than it is product-heavy, as the tasting element is not quite as automated as it can be with other services. If you select just the membership option (sans bottle), it’s roughly $99 annually, but you can bundle it with one of the featured exclusive bottles for a generously discounted price. If you do want to receive a curated bottle every month, there is a "Bottle of the Month" feature, but you’ll have to call the team to find out more and set it up.

Either way, you’ll never be bored—Scotch Malt Whisky Society releases anywhere from 20 to 30 different single cask whiskeys each month, and you’ll have access to buy anything you’d like or talk shop with the vast network of members and experts. There are no shipping fees associated with the membership itself, as it’s all delivered virtually.

But if you’re ordering bottles (which you can only do as a member, otherwise you can taste at a participating bar), you’ll have to pay shipping and tax based on your location. Currently, Scotch Malt Whisky Society memberships are set to automatically renew at about $70 annually and cancellations are penalty-free.

Mash&Grape’s Mashbox Club: Best Monthly

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Online spirits shop Mash&Grape makes it fun and easy to discover spirits from around the world on a monthly basis. On the whiskey front, it has three different subscription options covering Bourbon, Scotch, and a broader mix of world whiskeys (including the aforementioned).

The Scotch membership costs roughly $79 each month, while the other two are about $69 monthly; you can choose from finite formats ranging from three months to a year, which can either be prepaid or charged monthly. Or, you can opt for the "ongoing" option, which has no end date until you decide to cancel (this is billed monthly). From there, the Mash&Grape team will select a fun, full-sized bottle from its roster of craft distillers and send it out to you along with detailed tasting notes and the story behind the spirit.

Mash&Grape’s subscription boxes are shipped around the 15th of any given month, and if you’re interested in gifting any one of these memberships, you can do so by selecting the gift option during the club selection process (you can even send a customizable postcard to your recipient). And, should you wish to pad your curated monthly deliveries with some choices of your own, you can always browse the shop tab to explore all spirits and wines, pick up some barware, and more.

Caskers: Best Top-Shelf

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Online spirits and cocktail shop Caskers positions its subscriptions as "your personal whiskey concierge" (though technically speaking, so are all of these services).

The site’s club page offers a choice of two different subscriptions: The American Whiskey Club, which clocks in at approximately $147 per quarter, and The World of Whiskey Club (around $167 per quarter). Naturally, the former includes domestic whiskeys, while the latter’s broader focus is on a more international experience (think Japanese whisky, single malt and blended Scotch, Irish whiskey, and the like).

Both clubs deliver two full-sized bottles of premium whiskey to members every three months, and with them a custom tasting card, instructions for proper tasting, and more. Each bottle is selected by the experts behind Caskers, who take special care not to repeat any bottles—you can also expect to see a healthy balance between cult favorites, timeless classics, and craft gems.

On top of the deliveries, members also enjoy VIP access to the website’s new bottles, rare finds, and other special offerings before non-members. If you wish to opt out of any shipment, you can do so without penalty; it’s also easy to gift either membership for a six-month period or a full year.

And last but not least, there is a separate Concierge feature that provides personal support to members in finding rare and hard-to-find bottles across various spirit categories (not just whiskey), and Caskers can also help with sourcing private casks and bottlings (price varies). Just note that Caskers is only able to ship to select states across the country.