Product Review: Designer Dram Experience Kit

Disclosure: I was given this product in exchange for this post. All opinions here are my own.

Imagine if you could make your own personalized bottle of whiskey in the comfort of your home. Well, thanks to Designer Dram, you can!

With the Experience Kit, consumers will be mailed a set of whiskey samples and instructions. After concocting the perfect blend, users will then submit the measurements and get mailed a full size bottle of their creation, complete with a custom label and ABV of choice.

I had the opportunity to try the Designer Dram Experience with my boyfriend (hint: fun date idea) and can attest that it was top notch.

The packaging

First, I would be remiss to discuss the Designer Dram Experience Kit and not mention the gorgeous packaging. Enclosed in a navy blue box with an elegant gold trim are five 50 ml glass whiskey samples designed to look like mini barrels. There is also a copita for tasting as well as graduated cylinder for measuring. Additionally, a booklet is included with a description of each sample’s palate, aroma, mouthweight, and mashbill (percentages of barley, rye, wheat, or corn used). I was beyond impressed with the contents and the luxury the box exuded.

Below: my thoughts on each whiskey sample.

Pure Bourbon

The Pure Bourbon is a good intro bourbon. Although I prefer mine with a more smoky bite, it makes a great base for mixing your own bespoke whiskey, or could be for those who want to venture into bourbon, but have not.

Rye Bourbon

The Rye Bourbon had a better, more distinct nose to me than the pure varietal. Taste wise, there was a nice spice at the end.

Wheated

The nose on the Wheated flavor was faint and a bit hard to detect. Taste was a different story – the vanilla undertones were too sweet for our liking.

Barley Rye

The Barley Rye was smooth and enjoyable, albeit not as spicy as the other rye. Nonetheless, it’s very enjoyable by itself or in a blend.

Pure Rye

The aroma for the Pure rye was not as strong as the Rye varietal, but was more distinctive than Wheated and Barley. To us, this tasted sweet all around and wasn’t a good match for our custom whisky.

Our blend

After sampling each one, it was time for us to measure each whiskey. With its mild flavor, the Rye Bourbon was our choice for a base (Note: You want at least 60% of your base whiskey as a measurement). We mixed in the Barley Rye, yet felt the blend didn’t have enough flavor, or, as I like to say, “oomph”. We then added in the Pure Bourbon, which brought us closer to our goal whiskey. After tweaking the measurements a bit, we had the perfect formula: The result is a smooth start that ends in a spicy finish. It’s well rounded with a kick, and perfect for us to drink on special occasions, such as birthdays or our anniversary.

This Valentine’s Day, order the Experience Kit for a fun date night. This also makes for a fun wedding gift as the bottle can be customized with a special calendar date, the name of the place you met, monogram, initials, a logo and more.

The Experience Kit currently retails at $279. Visit https://designerdram.com/.