This review now redirects to my newer review, which covers Flaviar’s current subscription model.
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This review now redirects to my newer review, which covers Flaviar’s current subscription model.
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Anyone who has left this service a good review is fooled by smoke and mirrors.
This service is all pretty packaging and no substance. My introductory order took 6 weeks to arrive and Flaviar had GROSSLY mis-represented the quantity of whiskey I was getting.
The tasting packs are 45ml each for 3 “bottles”. Even if a full bottle of each of these whiskies averages $80 (which I know for a fact some of them are significantly lower than that), 135 ml is worth $16 tops. Not $60.
On top of all of that, it took SIX WEEKS for this crappy product to arrive.
Save time. Save money. Find a good liquor store with a knowledgeable staff and get your recommendations that way. It would be a better value than this crappy service by literally a factor of 5.
Hi Jody,
Thanks for the comment. I too have noticed the long shipping times, which I believe is explained by their service originating in Europe (it’s not legal to bottle and resell alcohol from inside the United States). I have a similar problem with a popular clothing brand in Canada – my orders take several weeks to arrive.
I’m curious how you think Flaviar misrepresented the quantity of whisky? I thought it was pretty clear that the service was for three 45ml samples in each box.
Lastly, I wish I could find a good liquor store that offered tastings of whisky. I would definitely not find it necessary to order whisky samples from Europe (Flaviar AND Master of Malt), but alas I have not found such a thing. While I do trust the recommendations of the staff at my favorite liquor store (K&L Wines in northern California), nothing beats tasting before buying full bottles. Whisky appreciation is a very subjective thing, and I’ve had recommendation made to me that I very much disliked (and I’ve made recommendations here on the blog and met with conflicting opinions in the comments). In an ideal world, I would taste every single whisky before purchasing a full bottle.
I suggest looking into Master of Malt’s Drinks by the Dram program (which is not a subscription service) if you don’t find Flaviar to your liking. Cheers!
Jody,
I agree Jody, it is all smoke and mirrors. $60 for basically 3 unknown drinks of whiskey, that arrive once every three months. I say take your money, and just go to a whiskey bar, do a bit of research, and pick one that you think will be pretty good, and order it.
Cheers,
Nathan.
The problem I’ve had with Flaviar is there awful customer service. I ordered an expensive bottle of whisky and they sent me a cheap bottle of gin. I brought t to their attention and they just ignore my emails.
Seems that I’ve lost my money- learn from my bad experience- buyer beware!!
Thanks for the warning, Danny! I haven’t yet had to deal with their customer service, but I’ll keep that in mind.
Hi Danny,
I asked my contact at Flaviar about your case to see if there was anything I could do to help. Although they rightly wouldn’t give me any specifics about your support case, it did sound like your order was to a country they do not ship to, and my contact indicated that Flaviar issued appropriate refunds. Sorry that you had a bad experience with Flaviar, and thanks for reading. Cheers!
I have been in contact with Flaviar and the told me straight up that the service was offered in Mississippi, Mississippi is also not one of the listed states they don’t ship to under their FAQ, have they gotten around our shipping laws here or have I been misled?
It’s highly unlikely that they have gotten around any shipping laws. Most likely, the rep you spoke to was ignorant of US laws. If they said they don’t ship there in the FAQ, I would assume they cannot. You could try another rep to try to get confirmation.
FLAVIAR is not a Spirits Box subscription service. It’s an online community of sorts and not a subscription service. You pay their subscription fees for the chance to buy small tasting boxes at questionable market prices and to be allowed to purchase from their online shop. The packaging and accompanying materials that are included with purchases are very well made and expertly/humorously written (they have someone there who’s adept in prose), and they seem to be knowledgeable and capable in the world of tasting and spirits. If you’d like to subscribe to an online resource, and accompanying community and exclusive shop, then this is for you. If you’re looking for a monthly drinks box, like I was, then this isn’t it. Sadly, Flaviar’s “marketing” is ambiguous and vague (maybe on purpose) on this state-of-affairs, thereby snagging unsuspecting monthly-box subscribers like myself.
So, I agree Flaviar’s marketing is vague and they don’t explain their service very well, but it IS a subscription service for tasting boxes, they’re just quarterly, not monthly. You also “get” access to buy other boxes and full bottles if you wish. They’ve changed their subscription model several times, so the above post may be out of date. I’ll work on updating it asap.