For Christmas Dan knew he wanted to get Dad a bottle of fantastic, well-aged spirit delivered to his door every month; something you wouldn’t find in the local supermarket. It had to be special and unique.
After researching the market and finding no other company in the UK that offered this service, the subscription-based Summerton Whisky Club featuring craft aged-spirits was born.
Based in Hertfordshire, this fantastic value-for-money subscription is delivered every two months at a cost of £300 for the year and you can cancel the subscription at any time. Members enjoy immediate access to the Summertown Whisky Club shop too – featuring exclusive bottles and discounts, all hand-picked by Dan.
A thriving online community
Whisky lovers can broaden their knowledge and enjoyment through participating in the growing community too. Featuring regular virtual sipping sessions with highly esteemed distillery owners, distillery tours and exclusive member events there’s a lot to enjoy throughout the year.
“Whisky is best when it’s shared and we’re lucky to have a fantastic community at all stages of their whisky journeys, who support one another too. Many have made friendships online during lockdowns and have now continued them in person -it’s a great Club for bringing people together.” Daniel Humphrey, founder
Each membership helps to support distillers and craft producers. Participants include Denmark’s Stauning Distillery, the Cotswolds Distillery, Australia’s Starward, Ireland’s Boann and Connacht Distillers, with Scotland’s Wolfburn, Fettercairn, Deanston and The Glasgow Distillery too.
Expansion plans
For Dan, 2024 will be the year the Summerton Whisky Club returns to the EU. Pre-Brexit the Summerton Club was a Pan-European whisky club, with members across the continent.
In 2020 Dan run Europe’s first ever online whisky festival, with 1,000 attendees across Europe receiving a festival tasting pack in advance to join in the day’s activities.
Dan comments, “Now that the UK business is going from strength-to-strength and in a great place, I can look to expand across the continent again. Another project I’m looking forward to in 2024, is the launch of our single cask offering. Over the last couple of years, I’ve been purchasing casks and improving my contacts, to start offering exclusive single cask bottlings for Members to enjoy. It’s going to be a fantastic offering and year ahead.”
Environmental innovation
Dan is particularly pleased to see that some drinks subscriptions are leading the way for environmental innovation, particularly within the whisky industry. Being early adopters of cardboard packaging to replace plastic – his own Summerton Whisky Club, and the use of recycled materials in sample bottles by the Whisky Pioneer, which are now being used by enthusiasts to share their favourite expressions with friends.
“It might not be all, but those that are innovating in this area are proving the concepts for larger industry players to copy over time – it’s truly an exciting time to be at the forefront of this industry.”
