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Taster’s Club Subscription Box Review – May 2016

Lindsey Morse
ByLindsey MorseJun 5, 2016 | 4 comments

TastersClub-May-2016-Box

Taster's Club Whiskey of the Month Club
1 overall rating
1 Ratings | 1 Reviews

Taster's Club is a subscription that sends a new bottle of “must have” liquor to your door every month.

TastersClub-May-2016-Unwrapping

When you sign up for a subscription, you decide what kind of alcohol you’d like to receive. The following clubs are available: Whisky, Bourbon, Scotch, Scotch Pro, Rum, Tequila, and Tequila Pro. This is a review of the Scotch Club.

TastersClub-May-2016-ScotchBox

Taster's Club subscriptions are accompanied by their “Whisky 101” course material, so you can learn more about what you’re drinking.

My Subscription Addiction pays for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

TastersClub-May-2016-Scotch

The Subscription Box: Taster's Club

The Cost: $79 per month + shipping for the Scotch Club (Shipping to DC was an additional $15.) Note that the price differs between clubs.

The Products: A different bottle of liquor every month. (My shipments feature Scotch because I joined the “Scotch Club.”)

A note about shipping: Taster's Club does not list the US states to which they ship on their website. Most alcohol subscription companies are unable to ship to all 50 states due to alcohol shipping restrictions, so I’m uncertain whether Taster's Club is able to ship nationwide or not.

Find other boozy boxes in the Alcohol Subscription Box Directory and make sure to add Taster's Club to your subscription list or wishlist!

TastersClub-May-2016-101

According to the Taster's Club website, “each bottle is accompanied by our own ‘Whisky 101’ content.” I didn’t receive anything in my box apart from the Scotch, though.

TastersClub-May-2016-Certificate

I did, however, receive an electronic “Scotch Appreciator Certificate” via email when I signed up for the subscription.

TastersClub-May-2016-Booklet

The whisky itself came with a small brochure, which is nice. It’s always helpful to receive information about the contents of a subscription box.

TastersClub-May-2016-Booklet2

This month’s Scotch pick is Bunnahabhain. (My husband is Scottish, so I had to look to him for pronunciation help with this one. Apparently, it’s pronounced like “bu-na-ha-venn.”)

TastersClub-May-2016-Distillery

The Bunnahabhain distillery is located on Islay, an island famous for its Scotch production.

TastersClub-May-2016-Islay

The hubby and I took a trip to Islay a few years ago, but we didn’t make it to the Bunnahabhain distillery. If anyone is ever in that neck of the woods, I can’t recommend visiting Islay enough. It’s a stunning, uncrowded island with excellent hospitality and fantastic Scotch!

TastersClub-May-2016-Bottle

Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch- MSRP $59.99 (on sale for $54.99)

Islay whiskies are known for their smoky, peaty flavors, but this whisky is surprisingly mild.

TastersClub-May-2016-Label

From Bunnahabhain: “The nose offering a fresh and aromatic experience with a subtle whiff of smoke floating through the air. The taste starts with a light fruit and nut appeal that leads to a spectacular malty sweetness, finishing into a beautifully rich full-bodied, lingering experience.”

TastersClub-May-2016-BackLabel

I’m a big fan of this Scotch. The touch of smoke is pleasant without being overpowering, and I think this is definitely a people pleaser. (Not like some of my favorite ultra-peaty whiskies that taste almost medicinal.)

Verdict: I’ve been in the market for a Scotch subscription for awhile, so I had extremely high hopes for Taster's Club. Unfortunately, I’m not sure what to make of it quite yet. On one hand, I think this month’s Scotch selection is excellent. On the other hand, though, I’m concerned about the overall value and lack of supplemental materials. For me, a big part of a subscription like this is the educational content, and the “Whisky 101” materials seem to have been left out of my box. Without additional materials, this is really just a bottle of Scotch in a box, and I don’t think it’s appropriate to pay nearly double retail just to have someone pick out a bottle for me. I’m hoping that this box is just a fluke- that next month’s value will improve and that the supplemental materials will be included. If not, I don’t think I can justify the subscription.

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"The Taster’s Club Team have worked hard to curate a list of 'must have', whiskeys, focusing on fabulous Scotch Whiskeys and Bourbons. Each month, you can expect a new 750ml bottle of fantastic whiskey at your door that you wont forget. Part of what makes our clubs great is the surprise of getting a... read more.
Lindsey Morse
Lindsey Morse
Lindsey is a professional baker, cold brew coffee addict, and rosé aficionado who loves writing about food and wine. When she’s not sharing her love of subscription boxes with the world, you’ll find her in the podcasting studio, perfecting her cake decorating techniques, or cursing her way through the New York Times daily crossword puzzle.

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4 comments

I emailed customer service from their website asking them why the value of their shipments were significantly less than the cost of the alcohol and this is what the founder of the company wrote back:

As you correctly noted, the bottles in our membership package can often be procured for a bit less than the membership price. There are a few reasons for this, one of which is that our prices include shipping (which for alcohol can be up to $20) and also we are competing with the big retailers who do far more volume than us.

We try to augment this price differential with high quality customer service and written, original content that accompanies each bottle so members can learn about what they’re drinking and appreciate it at a higher level

So, to be clear, Taster’s Club shouldn’t be seen as a discount buying club, but it’s a lot of fun for someone who wants to get awesome bottles they might not otherwise have access to and learn all about them.

I emailed back saying the shipping wasn’t included in the membership price and he replied back saying that he meant the final $95 included shipping so his main point about shipping costing $20 I don’t feel justifies the cost versus what you receive. I really wanted to like this box and get it for my husband but paying $95 and getting a $60 bottle isn’t worth it no matter how much tasting information came along with it. #pass

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I think I’ll wait for future reviews of this box before joining. I love the idea of this and think it would make a great gift for my husband. But the value needs to improve significantly, and consistently, before I will join.

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Lindsay

I bought my bf a 3 month sub to tasters club for his bday and his first shipment was a $40 bourbon so it really concerned me about the cost since we have easily accessible alcohol shopping here in ca. However the following month he got a scotch worth over $100 and his last month was a $250 whiskey (!!!) that sells for $50 a shot in some restaurants! He was so impressed he has continued his subscription and we see how it varies in value each month but I think in the end it more than averages out. Great customer service too- every time there has been an error on their end they have sent bonus bottles. I recommend this as a gift for the whiskey enthusiasts- and like all subs my bf enjoys the surprise in the mail each month

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Lindsey

That’s really good to hear, Lindsay! I’m now really excited to see what’ll be in the next shipment!

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