Sláinte!

The Irish Whiskey Club Powered by Community

Join from USA, Ireland, Europe. Month to month membership. No contracts. Worldwide shipping.

We built an Irish whiskey club that brings people together around the world via great whiskey experiences, unique whiskey releases and remarkable cask programs.

 

 

The details

How it works

Stories & Sips Whiskey Club is a membership-based club founded and hosted by Barry Chandler where Irish whiskey fans can access educational materials, gain entry to monthly online tasting events, meet-the-makers events, in-person events and be eligible to purchase exclusive club bottlings, shares in cask programs and whiskey tasting with sampler kits.

There is no minimum subscription term and members are under no obligation to purchase bottlings, cask shares or tasting kits, but of course we think it's more fun if you do! Every

Upcoming Club Events

Join fellow Irish whiskey fans from around the world at our exclusive Virtual and In-Person Club Events.

Club Whiskey Bottling with Clonakilty
Clonakilty Distillery
November 5, 2024 10:00 am
November
5
Masterclass: The Art of Brewing
Member Zoom
November 6, 2024 7:00 pm
November
6
Masterclass: The Art of the Blend
Member Zoom
December 4, 2024 7:00 pm
December
4
Masterclass: The Wonders of Wood
Member Zoom
January 8, 2025 7:00 pm
January
8
The Whiskeys

Exclusive Club Bottlings

Members have the opportunity to purchase unique, exclusive bottlings of Irish whiskey multiple times a year. These won’t be available anywhere else and true to everything we’ll do, each club bottling will involve experiences for members at every step along the way.

Through associated distillery and brand events, we'll go behind the scenes of every bottling to get closer to the process, the people and the places associated with each unique release.

What our members say

There is NO BETTER on-line community related to whiskey than this one and at a price that can’t be beaten. If you are an Irish whiskey fan and you are not part of this community, you are truly missing out. - Brian Redden
Stories & Sips is far and away the best Irish whiskey club there is. The camaraderie and Craic are unparalleled. Nowhere else can you Meet the Makers and make new friends like you can in this Club. From Ahascragh to Waterford, the access, exploration and explanations are unbeatable. - Gregg Anderson
Best club I've been involved with the people have been great and Barry Chandler and Steve Smathers will answer any questions in record time and the limited edition whiskeys can't be beaten. - Martin Hilliard
I've gone places, met people, learned things, shared ideas, laughed, enjoyed and tasted countless interesting and hard-to-impossible to find whiskey far, far beyond my very fair membership fees. - Rick Green
I started hanging out with the S&S crowd during Covid when we all needed some kind of outlet. In some respect, this group has turned into a family. I've learned a ton about whiskey in general, and had some great cráic along the way. Best group, hands down! - Chris Conner
If you're passionate about whiskey and enjoy the art of storytelling, joining Stories and Sips Whiskey Club is a must. - Scott Dishong
Stories and Sips Whiskey Club is a fantastic community of like-minded whiskey enthusiasts and there is no better ambassador than our own Barry Chandler. What he has built from the ground up is nothing short of phenomenal. Cheers to Barry and all my friends at S&S! - Bill Monteith
The Casks

Club Cask Programs

As a club member you will have the opportunity to participate in club cask programs multiple times a year. We'll purchase casks from interesting distilleries in Ireland and maybe even a few with deep Irish connections elsewhere that you as members can buy shares of.

Maybe you just want one or two bottles at the end of a cask’s maturation period or maybe you want a few more than that. Either way you’ll get to be part of experiences throughout the cask’s maturation whether that’s the ability to visit the distillery, take a tour and see the cask, take part in online events during its maturation or hear from the distiller who’ll share its progress.

Each group cask opportunity will bring different experiences and opportunities for members to come together for a bit of craic.

The Tasters

Quarterly Tasting Events

Each quarter you will have the option to purchase a tasting pack of three unique Irish whiskeys (3 x 50ml samples) that will be shipped straight to your door in time for an exclusive tasting event with the maker of the whiskeys. Your Tasting Pack may include whiskeys from different distilleries or they may be different expressions from the same company – we’ll work with distilleries to source exclusive samples as well as those already in the market so you have a chance to try new whiskeys before investing in a full bottle.

Meet

Meet The Makers

Each month as a member you’ll be invited to join a private “Meet the Makers” event online. This is a chance to turn on your video and open your microphone and ask questions of those who make the whiskey you enjoy. We’ll invite interesting people doing interesting things at distilleries and brands of all sizes and it’s a chance to hear up close about the finer details of the whiskey making process and perhaps even get advance word of an upcoming release or project. These will be small, initimate, personal events to help you get closer to the people of Irish whiskey. Don’t get too close though, you might frighten them.

Save

25% off Shipping with Irish Whiskey Auctions

Irish Whiskey Auctions is the leading platform globally for Irish whiskey, offering near-monthly auctions with the widest range of historical, rare and contemporary Irish whiskeys anywhere. With worldwide shipping available, Irish Whiskey Auctions can ensure your auction wins are delivered to you safely and securely wherever you are. Members of Stories & Sips Whiskey Club can avail of 25% off the cost of shipping in every auction with many members recouping their Club membership fee each month in savings on auction shipping.

Save

11% off all Irish Spirits at IrishMalts.com

IrishMalts has established itself as the leading online store for Irish whiskeys and spirits. With global shipping, the latest releases and exclusive releases of their own, IrishMalts has become an essential tool in the whiskey fan's kit! Members of Stories & Sips Whiskey Club can avail of 11% saving sin the retail price of everything sold via IrishMalts, allowing members to recoup their Club subscription cost with the purchase of a bottle or two.

Save

Discounts on Irish Whiskey Experiences

Irish Whiskey Experiences is the leading provider in exclusive, behind the scenes Irish whiskey experiences and tours with experiences that range from an afternoon to 7 days in length. Creators of the world-famous Whiskey Bus tour and the world's first ever Irish Whiskey Cruise, Irish Whiskey Experiences enjoys incredible repeat-business with whisky fans keen to avail of the unique access to the people and places of Irish whiskey. Stories & Sips Club members can enjoy a discount on EVERY experience offered.

Learn

The Stillhouse

As a member you’ll get access to new behind-the-scenes distillery videos, articles, interviews and features each month that help advance your whiskey knowledge and even plan your trip to Ireland. This will all live in a members area on our website we’re calling The Stillhouse. Want more info on a certain topic or whiskey? As a member you’ll get to decide what we feature and compile. We’ll start off small and the goal is for us to grow and grow with entertaining, engaging content to deepen your knowledge and interest in Irish whiskey.

Listen

History of Irish Whiskey Podcast

As a member you have exclusive access to seven gloriously nerdy episodes tracking the evolution of Irish whiskey from the 1300s to the present day with renowned Irish whiskey historian, Fionnán O'Connor.

Each of the episodes covers a specific period in the evolution of what became Irish whiskey. With almost 5 hours of insightful commentary, discussion and anecdotes to listen to over the full season as well as show notes and a full transcript of each episode if you prefer to read rather than listen, we hope you’ll have all the tools you need to dive deep into the gloriously colorful history of Ireland’s favorite spirit.

All this for just $20 a month

Join from USA, Ireland, Europe. Month to month membership. No contracts. Worldwide shipping.

Frequently asked questions

 

The Club operates on a subscription-based membership basis and costs $20/month. There is no minimum subscription term and you are free to cancel at any time. If you join from Ireland/Europe, your credit card statement will show the amount in Euros based on the exchange rate each month (approximately Eur 18.50 give or take). 

Your monthly membership fee entitles you to the following:

Invite to Monthly “Meet-the-Makers” Private Event

Full Access to The Stillhouse – with new monthly videos, interviews, educational features  and articles

Full Access to Quarterly Tasting Events with Irish Whiskey Makers & Brand Owners*

Opportunity to purchase each Exclusive Club Bottling (multiple per year)*

Opportunity to participate in each Group Cask Program 

Access to in-person meetups (when held)

Partner Discounts & Exclusive Club Offers 

 

You have the option (but are not obligated) to purchase exclusive Club Bottlings, shares in Club Cask Programs or Whiskey Tasting Packs for our Quarterly Tasting Events. These will incur a separate and fully transparent charge. 

 

The following items are not included in your membership fee and are an optional extra purchase should you decide to buy:

  • Exclusive Club Whiskey Bottlings
  • Shares in our Club Cask Programs
  • Shipping charges for our Whiskey Tasting Packs for our Quarterly Tasting Events (see separate FAQ for more info on this one)

Each Quarterly Tasting Event will have an allocated number of Tasting Kits. This number will vary depending on the whiskey and distillery but we will endeavor to have as many packs available as are requested. 

These packs will be brought you at cost price meaning they are not marked up or priced for profit. The costs will depend on the variable freight and shipping costs. Currently FedEx charges $20 minimum for legally compliant shipment of even a single miniature bottle of whiskey within the United States. Each of our  Tasting Packs so far have cost in the region of $25 in the US and around Eur 9.95 in Ireland.

No, not at all. Perhaps you already have these bottles on hand or you'd like to sit in and learn without the whiskeys. As a member you can join all Tasting Events, with or without the whiskeys. 

We work with a licensed alcohol retailer in Ireland who currently ships to Ireland, Europe and globally including all states in the United States. 

We'd love to have you as a member of the Club, no matter where you live. Our virtual events are typically hosted at 7pm Eastern United States time (midnight Irish time) but if that's too late, we always have a recording available the next day to watch anytime. 

We won't know the exact price until we finalize shipping and freight costs, angels share, etc for each release. We expect most bottlings to be under $100 though we may also have much lower and much higher options for those who wish to participate. Most important to us is that we bring you unique, extraordinary whiskeys as cost-effectively as possible. 

In an effort to bring down the cost of Cask Program participation, the Club will purchase entire whiskey casks from distilleries and divide up the cask into a number of shares. The number of shares will vary depending on the size of the cask. Each share will be redeemable (post-maturation) for one bottle of the mature cask. In some cases the price paid for a share will include all charges and fees up to the point of handing you your bottle(s). In other cases, there may be separate shipping/bottling charges. This will ALWAYS be made extremely clear PRIOR to the sale of Cask shares. We will be fully transparent and share all available information at all times. 

1 share of one Cask Program might cost you $40 while another might cost you $80. Again, we'll make all this clear prior to the opening of each Cask Program.  

We know that not everything is a fit for everyone so if you join and you decide it's not for you in the first month of joining and you haven't ordered any whiskeys or tasting kits in this time, simply shoot us an email and we'll cancel your membership and return the monthly fee you paid. We'd never expect you to pay for something you weren't happy with. 

Great, we love questions. Send them to us on our contact page and we'll get you a speedy answer. If it's a good enough question we might even add it to our list of FAQs here! Imagine the the thrill...