Our whisky gift subscriptions - voted the best by The Independent 2021

Raise a glass to us!

Last month, Whisky Tasting Company was voted as the ‘Best Whisky Gift Subscription’ by The Independent 2021 – and we’re absolutely delighted! We’ve come a long way since our whisky subscription was launched in 2010 and we’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved.

To celebrate our success – and mark this year’s Independent Retailers Day – we thought it would be nice to share some background information about our story, and explore how our “beautifully presented and thoughtfully put together” whisky sets have become so popular.

So why not sit back, pour yourself a tipple, and learn a little bit more about us?

 

Whisky Tasting Company is a very small family-run business, with whisky in its blood. Colin (the co-founder) is, in fact, the nephew of one of Glenmorangie’s famous ‘Sixteen Men of Tain’ – the skilled craftsmen who work at the distillery and are responsible for making it the global brand it is today.

Inspired by his uncle, and with a genuine, deep-rooted appreciation for the ‘water of life’, Colin had an idea to create his own whisky-based enterprise. One that would supply whisky lovers up and down the country, with carefully curated sets of delicious artisan whiskies.

 

In 2010, we became the first company to create sets, mixing and matching single malts and grains from different producers. We also became the first to launch a whisky gift subscription in the UK – which could be ordered via mail order or online and delivered to your home address.

 Our products were (and still are!) completely unique. Something that had never been seen before on the market. Many people believed it was too ‘niche’ an idea and simply wouldn’t work. But how wrong could they be?

We discussed the idea with some of the best independent distilleries, bottlers and blenders in the country – including Arran, Glencadam, Tomintoul, Penderyn, Bruichladdich, Douglas Laing, and Compass Box Whisky – and reached a very important agreement. Kindly, these whisky giants allowed us to decant their spirits into 30ml bottles – and we were given permission to show their distillery names, logos and trademarks on our barley-coloured labels.

Our first bottling unit opened later in 2010 in Glasgow. And shortly after, the very first personalised whisky tasting set was born – featuring five delicious whiskies, tasting cards and a whisky tasting mat.

We’re proud to say, we’ve picked up a few awards and accolades along the way.

In 2014, we received the Small Business Sunday (SBS) award from Dragon’s Den star, Theo Paphitis. Theo described us as a “Tiny business with HUGE potential! Unique permissions, amazing gifts and fab testimonials”. Since then, we’ve been invited to many SBS winners’ events, giving us a fantastic opportunity to network and grow the business further.

We also received ‘Star Idea’ from Lord Digby Jones – who served as Director General of the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) and Minister of State for Trade and Investment. And of course, were recently named in The Independent’s line-up of ‘best whisky subscriptions’ in the UK.

People were sceptical at first. But to this day, our company is going strong and our whisky tasting sets and gift subscriptions continue to grow in popularity.

We now bottle whisky from most of Scotland’s distilleries, sourcing products through independent bottlers such as Hunter Laing, Douglas Laing and Angus Dundee. We even have distilleries contacting us directly, asking if we’d like to feature their whiskies in our sets. It’s a true honour and means all our customers, old and new, can look forward to a continuous supply of whisky tasting sets – with fresh, delicious drams to sample each time.

So, why not see what all the fuss is about?

Browse our full online collection. Treat yourself! Or perhaps give a special gift that keeps on giving, with one of 9 or 12-month whisky subscriptions. We guarantee you won’t be disappointed. And as a small independent business, we appreciate all your support.

If you have any questions about our whisky tasting sets, or how they’re made, you’re welcome to contact us any time. Either give us a call on 01743 247220 or send an enquiry via our online contact form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. We’re a friendly team of two and we’re always happy to help.