Whiskey Clubs

"I would not join any club that would have someone like me for a member." - Groucho Marx                

Hello all, this should be the last week before returning to the standard Friday weekend callout in this spot, but today I'm going to highlight a few different clubs that are run to help promote distilleries. If anyone knows of any I missed, please add them in the comments and I will try and get a complete list put together. Reviews of what I have received follow after the jump, but here is the quick list.

Bourbon

Four Roses - Mellow Moments Online Sign-up form
Maker's Mark - Ambassador Sign-up form
Woodford Reserve - Stables Sign-up form
Wild Turkey - Rare Breed Society - Go to the website, then click on Rare Breed Society
Heavens Hill Bardstown Bourbon Society - No Online Sign-up without Secret Code?

Scotch

Laphroig - Friends of Laphroig
Johnny Walker - Striding Man Society
Talkisker (Diagio) - Friend of The Classic Malts

Now for the reviews...

Up first, one of the better clubs I belong to is Maker's Mark Ambassadors program. Sign-up for the club is online and has a very nice offering of perks: Your name on a barrel, discounts to the Maker's Mark Mile horse race and every year since we have been members, Michelle and I have received some sort of gift around the holidays. We were also able to go a few weeks ago and buy a special bottle from the batch that contained the bourbon from our barrels. The welcome package included a passport to be stamped when attending various sponsored events, business cards with my name and member number and address labels.

Woodford Reserve Stables takes the approach of all members joining together in the development of the race horses owned by Woodford. Names are suggested and voted on when new foals are born. The whiskey portion of this involves notification of upcoming distillery events. I did recieve a photo of Distill My Heart, a membership pin along with the welcome letter.

The only other club that has sent me anything so far is the Friend of Laphroig who sent me a welcome package including a nice letter and details on my square foot of land on the Isle of Islay. They also have a nice regular email containing information and updates on the distillery. There is also a community section of the website where you can connect with your "neighbors" who own the land around your plot.

The rest seem to be mostly newsletter based programs with additional access to areas of the website. Some of the content is fun, Johnny Walker has premade toasts for various occasions, but mostly recipies and online store discounts.