Flaviar Whiskey Creation Calendar 2024, Examined & Reviewed

The Creation calendar is now not for youths. A bundle of a complete month’s price of little treats is interesting to anyone, and there may be actually an astonishing number of foods and drinks Creation calendars on the market, stuffed with all the things from high-end goodies to fancy jams to cheese to caviar.

A lot of these are decidedly for grownups, with drinks Creation calendars that provide samples of wine, beer, and spirits of every kind. One of the vital in style yearly comes from Flaviar. Not solely does the bundle embrace samples of spirits you have most likely by no means heard of earlier than, however it additionally contains a enjoyable design that makes it an much more fascinating reward for the whiskey-lover in your life — even when that whiskey-lover is your self. It is no marvel that the Flaviar Whiskey Creation calendar sells out yearly.

I used to be fortunate sufficient to get an early preview of the 2024 Lodge Flaviar version, and this is what I believed.

Why I Love the Flaviar Whiskey Creation Calendar

The massive factor that separates the Flaviar calendar from different whiskey Creation calendars is its deal with small manufacturers. You will not discover any Jack Daniel’s, Jim Beam, or Johnnie Walker right here. Many of the samples are from independents, and even probably the most devoted of whiskey geeks might be not conversant in all of them. I do not wish to spoil all of the surprises, however my favorites of the bunch embrace Starward Nova, an Australian single malt aged in wine barrels for tons of red-fruit taste, and Milam & Greene, a mix of bourbons from Texas, Kentucky, and Tennessee that brings spice and floral notes.

The packaging makes issues a bit extra enjoyable, too. This yr’s hotel-themed calendar is available in a steamer trunk–fashion field, and the included tasting booklet is a “visitor itinerary” that places every day’s whiskey in a distinct space of the fictional Lodge Flaviar, from its ski slopes to its tennis courts. Extra virtually, there’s additionally a set of tasting notes for every whiskey with a paragraph about the way it’s made and aged, plus area so that you can write down your notes. Your “lodge keycard” unlocks a free Flaviar Black membership for a yr’s price of reductions on full bottle purchases, too, together with all 24 whiskies within the calendar, different member-only choices, and an array of spirits of every kind. There’s even slightly do-not-disturb hanger to placed on the door of your whiskey-tasting room. None of that is essentially something you will wish to maintain onto after the vacations, however it makes the expertise extra enjoyable.

The samples within the Flaviar calendar are a superb measurement, at 50 milliliters (slightly over an oz and a half). That is a full pour for one individual, or for 2 to separate and have a pleasant substantial style. You additionally get two Glencairn glasses (our favourite glasses for whiskey tasting), that are the appropriate measurement for nosing and sipping neat, with slightly water, or with a small ice dice. These are all pretty high-end spirits meant to be loved by themselves, however cocktail followers who wish to splurge would most likely like all of them in an quaint or Manhattan.

The Caveats

I am an enormous fan of Scotch, particularly the smoky peated single malts from Islay, and what dissatisfied me most about this yr’s calendar is that it does not embrace even a single one. It is a international tour for positive, with Irish, German, Japanese, and Australian whiskies included, however the 2024 Flaviar Creation calendar avoids Scotland fully. It is closely centered on American whiskies, with 14 bourbons plus a handful of American ryes and single malts.

It is a choose for the extra adventurous whiskey lover who is aware of a bit concerning the spirit and what they like. However even an professional will seemingly discover a number of whiskies in right here they’ve by no means tried earlier than.

When it comes to value, the Flaviar calendar shouldn’t be a steal, however it’s a cost-efficient solution to attempt numerous various things directly. For $250 (plus delivery), you wind up with 1,200 milliliters in whole, the equal of a couple of bottle and a half of whiskey. However, you are getting pours of two dozen pretty uncommon spirits for underneath $12 apiece, lower than you’d pay at your native whiskey bar — should you might even discover all of them there.

How It Compares

Flaviar’s Creation calendar is under no circumstances the one boozy choice on the market; we have rounded up 10 favourite whiskey Creation calendars, and that does not start to catalog all the probabilities. The place it stands out is in its stability of value and choice: Cheaper calendars are likely to have a reasonably pedestrian assortment of whiskies, whereas ones with ultra-aged, extra-rare spirits value astronomical quantities of cash. It helps as nicely that Flaviar’s vials maintain 50 milliliters every, almost twice as a lot as many rivals’ 30-milliliter samples.

One other good factor concerning the Flaviar calendar is delivery, which is commonly a supply of frustration due to America’s patchwork of liquor legal guidelines throughout states and counties. The location can ship to all however 9 states, and delivery prices $19.59 regardless of the place your calendar goes. Shopping for spirits on-line typically results in some sticker shock once you get to the delivery choices web page, however that is not the case right here.

The Verdict

The Flaviar Whiskey Creation Calendar is a beneficiant reward for the whiskey lover in your life, whether or not that individual is you or another person. It is nearly the one solution to get sample-sized tastes of smaller-production and harder-to-find whiskies, and it is all in a enjoyable, well-made bundle created particularly for vacation gifting.

Extra Drink Creation Calendars

Our Experience

Meals & Wine senior author Jason Horn has a grasp’s diploma in journalism, a culinary training, and almost 20 years of expertise masking meals and drinks. He is a former editor at Liquor.com and former spirits columnist for Playboy, and his favourite whisk(e)y is Caol Ila, which sadly shouldn’t be included within the Flaviar calendar.