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Mark Twain had a way with words on the most important topics—life, death, and bourbon.
Twain is said to have stated, “If I cannot drink bourbon and smoke cigars in Heaven then I shall not go."
While Twain defines bourbon as heavenly, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau defines it as made in the United States, with a corn mash bill of at least 51 percent, and being aged in new charred oak barrels. It must not exceed 80% alcohol by volume during production and must not exceed 62.5% alcohol during aging.
Bourbon's defined qualities often lead to a sweeter flavor profile than other whiskeys along with notes of vanilla, caramel, and oak. They have also led a myriad of new craft distilleries to experiment with their own recipes, which makes it a worthy spirit to explore via subscription services. The best monthly bourbon clubs balance surprising revelations with value and education. Here is a look at the best bourbon of the month clubs.
Best Bourbon of the Month Clubs of 2022
- Best Overall: Mash&Grape Mash Box
- Best Variety: Flaviar
- Best Trendsetter: Taster’s Club
- Best Newcomer: Pour More
Best Overall : Mash&Grape Mash Box
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Mash and Grape MashBox
Why You Should Try It: Mash&Grape focuses on providing its customers with top-quality products, including bourbons from lesser-known distilleries.
Key Specs
Price: $69/month
Estimated Shipping Time: 1-5 days
Availability: 39 states
Access to the in-house marketplace
Exclusive bottle offers
National retailer network
Relationships with brands
Does not ship to every state
A spin through the type of bourbons Mash&Grape assembles for its monthly subscriptions ($69 per month) reveals a lot of quality producers (think Old Scout, Kings County, and Kentucky Owl) and range (bottled-in-bond to peated).
The original idea with MashBox was straightforward: Take the curated experience of Mash&Grape’s spirits and wine market and put it on autopilot. Or, as founder and CEO Adi Pal puts it, ”Our customers like what they see and trust us to send them something awesome every month, and that feels great.”
Pal and his team hunt for top products (rather than bargains) and approach the maker with the chance to appear before a desirable and engaged buyer. The search is aided by the fact that dozens of brands—many of them new bourbon—seek Mash&Grape’s e-commerce services (under Barcart), giving Mash a jump on scouting.
“We know we have good taste and we back it up—we’re betting on ourselves and our selection,” Pal says. “It’s premium bourbon and you get a deal.”
Members receive finds worth remembering, access to Mash’s retail marketplace, and discounts on extremely allocated spirits from partner distilleries that simply aren’t made in enough quantity to be found elsewhere. Barrell Bourbon, for example, is now an established ally after Mash&Grape discovered it—and before Barrell Bourbon earned a windfall in awards.
“These days we’re seeing more bourbon brands, but more brands of better quality,” Pal says.
Best Variety : Flaviar
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Flaviar
Why You Should Try It: There’s a great feel to the whole program and it checks all the boxes including some many might not think of, such as a taster sampling and notes about each delivery.
Key Specs
Starting Price: $159
Estimated Shipping Time: 4 to 14 days
Availability: 25 states
Exciting curation
As many as eight free products every year
Members get free shipping on qualified orders
Live tasting events
It can be hard to know which bottles to order
Not a monthly delivery
The appeal with this annual club (starting at $159 per year) is manifold. For one, shipments can include your choice of desirable 750-milliliter bottles in addition to a “tasting box” with three dram-sized 50-milliliter samples grouped around a theme and paired with lively tasting notes, a coaster, and helpful tasting guides.
Sign up for the standard ($159) membership to receive two free bottles, the Premium ($279) membership for four bottles, or the All-Access membership for a quarterly delivery of products. Your order will also arrive with a copy of the "Flaviar Times" magazine, which is both well designed and rich in content. Monthly access to Flaviar's Vault offers opportunities to acquire rarities like WhistlePig The Boss Hog VII. A strong roster of auxiliary elements—including tasting and blending events (live and online) and VIP distillery tours—are appealing factors too. Meanwhile, Flaviar’s online “Boozefeed” provides a worthy range of additional content, whether that’s a video exploring Winston Churchill’s favorite drinks or a rundown of rye cocktail recipes.
Members select a bottle from a gallery of spirits (including a wealth of non-bourbons); while having control over the options is inviting, it can be hard to choose from the heretofore-unknown bottles. But the number of rich and revelatory options is undeniable—and something CEO and co-Founder Grisa Soba takes pride in.
“The fact is consumers tend to stick with their go-to drink if ordering through regular online retail channels, which tend to inevitably favor the big boys, and this is why platforms like Flaviar are so important to smaller producers,” he says. “Discovery and a diversity of flavor [are] a fundamental part of what we’re all about.”
Best Trendsetter : Taster’s Club
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Taster’s Club
Why You Should Try It: Taster’s is a textbook example of what one would want in a monthly club: interesting bourbons, one price ($84, including shipping), frequency variability, and thorough educational materials.
Key Specs
Price: $69/month
Estimated Shipping Time: Varies
Availability: 45 states
Surprising selections
Members' bottle shop
Streamlined gifting
Shipping included
Sporadic responsiveness
Basic overall options
Taster’s Club takes pride in its atypical selections ranging from Washington, D.C. (Buckshee Bourbon), Iowa (Cedar Ridge), to the heart of Kentucky Bourbon Country (Bardstown Bourbon Company). “We like surprising our members with new, interesting bottles so you can try something new, expand your [palate], and maybe even discover a new favorite,” according to the company's website. Members gain entry into the house Bottle Shop, and gift-givers are enthusiastic about how the club caters to them with personalized certificates and more.
Each bottle comes with details on flavor profiles and tasting notes associated with your order. However, if you are wanting more details on the subject they offer additional online resources with helpful down-to-earth information. All told, it’s a simple, straightforward, no-frills club that focuses on gift-giving with options like the three-bottle gift pack.
Best Newcomer : Pour More
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Pour More
Why You Should Try It: The Pour More team prioritizes exploration and education with poise.
Key Specs
Starting Price: $49
Estimated Shipping Time: 10 days
Availability: 46 states
Impressive variety
Wide distribution
Attentive customer service
Add-on options for gift-givers
High-end "enthusiast" tier was discounted
Pour More co-owner Scott Cohen was well familiar with the experience of seeking something interesting at the liquor store but not knowing what to get amidst the plethora of options. “What’s most fun for us is customer feedback telling us they’re loving the variety and the education, and liked it a lot more than the overwhelming feeling of looking at a whole wall of liquor,” he says.
Subscriptions fit into two tiers (Intro and Explorer, $49 and $79), with some rare bourbons once circulated with the high-end enthusiast category sprinkled in whiskey club shipments. Cohen and company work with small producers and their distribution partners to spotlight distillers like Cooperstown Bourbon and Rabbit Hole Dareringer. Bottles come monthly or bi-monthly with plans ranging from three to 12 months, accompanied by brand background and a recipe, with optional gifts (Whiskey balls and Corkcicle glasses) and one-off offerings from partner producers.
Final Verdict
It’s hard to go wrong with any of these clubs. Each is savvy when it comes to the most important elements: convenience, intriguing selections, and education. That said, Mash&Grape and Flaviar go above and beyond in terms of vision, voice, and discoveries. Mash&Grape is doing nothing less than changing the monthly club game thanks to its myriad relationships with emerging brands, which translates to impressive new finds that come bundled with a lot of tasty intel. Flaviar, meanwhile, is flat-out fun: The packaging and presentation with its three-dram setup is a mini tasting party before you even get to the bottle.
Compare the Best Bourbon of the Month Clubs
Company | Category | Samples per Shipment | Cost |
---|---|---|---|
Mash&Grape Best Overall | Craft | One | $69/month |
Flaviar Best Variety | Craft | Four | $159/year |
Taster's Club Best Trendsetter | General | One | $69/month |
Pour More Best Newcomer | Craft | One | $49-$79/month |
FAQs
What Is Bourbon?
By law, bourbon must be distilled in the United States, consist of at least 51 percent corn, and be aged in barrels made of new charred oak. The liquid needs to be distilled to no more than 160 proof and stored in the barrel at a maximum of 125 proof. While the mash must be more than half corn, other grains can also be used; a typical mash might consist of 80 percent corn, 10 of a flavoring grain, and 10 malted barley. Rye and wheat are popular flavoring grains.
The belief that bourbon must be made in Kentucky persists, and while Bardstown is the world’s Bourbon Capital and arguably makes the best on the planet, bourbon can be produced anywhere in the U.S. Mystery around its name also endures and has been tied to Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, but both of those were named for European royalty, The House of Bourbon.
What Does a Bourbon of the Month Club Include?
Typically, clubs include a bottle of bourbon mailed at regular intervals with tasting notes and background. Schedules and duration vary.
How Much Does a Bourbon of the Month Club Cost?
Clubs start around $50 a month and generally don’t exceed $90 a month.
Methodology
We researched several clubs and spoke to industry experts about what they offer to select our favorites. We considered the diversity of offerings, curating philosophies, cost (and value), frequency, accompanying literature, and growth of membership. Education was also important and is a strength of each, including Pour More, which we chose for best newcomers because of its focus on teaching consumers about bourbon. Flaviar’s club definitely provides the most variety and has a smart thing going with its slick tasting bundle of three spirits, and given its overall style. But in the end, the sheer amount of product research and revelations that Mash&Grape delivers won us over.