We love Scotch. In fact, for most of the Dram Team, a good bottle of Scotch was behind us getting into whisky in the first place. But we've never been shy to admit that sometimes, we fancy something just a little bit different. With some amazing distilleries all over the world now producing award-winning drams, there are many options for a whisky fan to explore the world of whisky. In fact, we've made a Worldwide Whisky tasting box pretty much every year since we started.

We love creating exciting whisky tasting boxes to help people navigate the complex and fascinating world of whisky. And we love showcasing the spirit of those distilleries around the world that are giving traditional Scotches a run for their money. So, our April special edition box of the month features six very special drams from all over the world (except Scotland!). Here's a peak at our 2021 Worldwide Whiskies tasting set.

Worldwide Whiskies, our special edition April 2021 box

Mackmyra, Intelligens

The world's first whisky designed with the help of artificial intelligence? That piques our interest! For this release, Mackmyra used smart software to analyse their existing recipes, sales data, and consumer taste preferences, generating a huge number of new recipes predicted to be popular and of high quality. We love the pioneering spirit of this Swedish distillery, and we've featured some of their whiskies before. But never one like this. How did the AI do? Only a taste will tell!

Tasting notes:

Toffee and creamy vanilla, fine oloroso tones and fruit with citrus, pear & apples. Herbal notes of aniseed, ginger and white pepper and a light tone of toasted oak casks. Vanilla with fine oak notes, fruits with citrus & pear, herbal spices with slight tobacco leaves and a very small hint of smoke. Finish: fruity and oaky, slightly salty and with a dryish end.

Penderyn, Portwood

Here at the Dram Team we're big fans of port-finished whisky. After an initial Bourbon cask maturation, the influence of the port finish combines wonderfully with Penderyn's signature fruity, floral spirit style to give a wonderfully soft yet rich dram. This is our second featured whisky from these Welsh whisky legends, and it's completely different thanks to the use of the Port casks. It's drams like these that help put Wales firmly on the world whisky map!

Tasting notes:

Aromas of rich dried fruits with dark chocolate and cranberries; a hint of toasty oak mingles with a baked nutty dryness. A creamy richness with some honey and spiced notes emerging on the palate. Rich wood, chocolate & dry fruits on the finish.

The Lakes Distillery, The ONE Moscatel Wine Cask Finished

The Lakes One Moscatel is a recent addition to the "The One" range, this marks the fourth time we've featured this series from the Lakes Distillery, and so far they've been big hits. The original Moscatel wine is made with grapes using the Soleo process – sun-drying before pressing. This reduces water content and bumps relative sugar levels, altering the viscosity, flavour and aroma of the grape juice, giving rise to fresh and floral characters in the wine cask (and subsequently, the whisky!).

We also recently reviewed this whisky as part of our Best Whisky Under £50 review series - read what we thought.

Tasting notes:

Fragrant jasmine with honeyed fruits and undertones of sweet wood smoke. Delicate and uplifting citrus with notes of vanilla and Manuka honey. Creamy, smooth and lingering finish.

Stateside, Aged 11 Years by Heroes and Heretics

Heroes & Heretics is an up-and-coming small independent bottling, from a small-but-perfectly-formed range of compelling releases. They specialise in the sort of liquid it otherwise isn't easy to get your hands on - in this case, a well-aged bourbon! We're huge bourbon fans (American whiskey made with at least 51% corn and aged in virgin oak casks), and this 9-year-old Stateside is a stunner.

Tasting notes:

The comforting aroma of freshly cut hay and dried apricots fills your nose. The glorious taste of peaches in syrup and buttered corn with a dash of dark chocolate and red chilli delight on the tongue. A wonderfully long finish of apple pie and sponge cake.

Paul John, Nirvana

Paul John is one of the first international whiskies we ever featured, way back in September 2016 in our second ever box. We're still huge fans of their range, of which Nirvana is a relatively new member - it was released last year exclusively to Amazon, and is a great affordable everyday sipper. Signature Paul John fruitness and a hit of sherry awaits.

Tasting notes:

An attractive honeycombed bourbon with luscious fruitcake, with a light whiff of enticing caramel pudding. A delightful soft honey with a slight salt-edged barley; an excellent mouthfeel with honeycomb sweetness. Immensely long finish, and richly flavoured with dissolving honey, barley, and succulent vanilla.

Teeling, 18 Year Old Renaissance Series No. 2

While Scotches with an 18 year age statement are a relatively common thing, the same is definitely not true of Irish whiskies. This single malt from the family-owned Teeling distillery was bottled in celebration of their ongoing "whiskey renaissance" in Dublin's Liberties area, and is finished in Australian Shiraz casks after an initial maturation in ex-Bourbon barrels. We think this whisky is a perfect example of world whisky giving Scotch a run for its money!

Tasting notes:

Red fruits, sour cherries, red currants, hard candy. An intruiging palate of strawberry, peach, ripe bananas, and soft spice. On the finish: sherbet, toast, roasted peppers.

How to get your Worldwide Whiskies box

Come on a tour around the world with us - from the comfort of your own home! You can grab your box here. Don't forget to pack your Glencairn!

Our tasting club members save £5 every month off the normal box price. Even more reason to join the club today and start exploring more great whisky more often.

We also write regular emails to our members, which is the best way to stay informed on upcoming subscription boxes, plus loads of other must-read whisky info. You can get on the list by signing up here.