If you ever hung around with skaters in the ’90s, then the name Tony Hawk is not a new one. Known by the nickname Birdman, Hawk is arguably one of the most influential skaters of all time and a pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding. He was also the first skater to land a 900 spin.
Hawk’s skating career took him all across the world. But it was in Japan via the trusty hotel mini-bars, that he discovered his love of whiskey.
Known as a man famous for tackling the ‘never-been-done-before,’ Hawk has a reputation for knowing a thing or two about adventure. “I never want to stop exploring,” he says. And that goes for spirit tasting too.
And this is where the skater’s connection with Flaviar started. He bought himself a Flaviar membership a couple of years ago and is still going strong. He jokes that he has probably spent more time, effort and money into acquiring good whiskey than he has spent collecting vintage skateboards.
So it’s not surprising that Flaviars ability to allow members to discover new delicious drams to taste, and expand their horizons for less, as well as offering exclusive access to rare bottles was appealing.
‘‘I’ve been a Flaviar member for over two years now and it has helped me discover new spirits I didn’t even know existed. Before, I would just try whiskies at random, usually more mainstream brands, but Flaviar accelerated that exploration by giving me access and information on much more interesting labels.”
Jugoslav Petkovic, CEO and co-founder of Flaviar made the point that while the brand doesn’t often work with celebrities or influencers, in Hawk, they had first and foremost found a happy customer who just happened to be a well-recognized figure.
“It’s such a real, authentic way to showcase our offering through talking to someone who’s enjoyed it for so long,” Petkovic said. “We believe Tony’s personal journey of spirits discovery through Flaviar will resonate,” Petkovic said.
As part of his first campaign with Flaviar, Hawk filmed a special interview explaining what he personally loves about his membership. Filmed at his home in Southern California, Hawk focuses on his own exploration of fine spirits and elaborates on why Flaviar is the perfect Father’s Day gift.
“Our members are enjoying their whisky journey – trying new drams together and sharing good bottles they find – it’s both a personal and a social experience for them,” Petkovic continued.
Speaking to the things he loves most about Flaviar, Hawk cited The Flaviar Vault and the Tasting Boxes: “My favourite aspect of my Flaviar membership is The Vault, because it gives me access to rare and vintage whiskies. Their collection is very impressive, and the options are plentiful.
“I also like the Tasting Boxes, because it gives you samples of incredible spirits, so that you’re not committing to a whole bottle. It allows you to compare all the flavours and choose your palate. And it’s unbiased; there are no labels on the tasting boxes, so you get a clean slate.
“I don’t know if it’s popular, expensive, which distillery made it, or how it’s rated,” Hawk continued, “I just wanna know if it tastes good. As I find the ones I like, I read about them in the information packets that come with the tasting boxes. That’s the exciting part for me: the discovery.”
For those looking to share a tasting experience with their Dad or partner, sign up for a three-month membership to taste and learn together — maybe ‘Dad’ will share the bottle of WhistlePig PiggyBack that comes with his first spirits delivery, if you’re lucky.
Flaviar’s Tasting Boxes come with guided tasting videos Unboxing Flavor to help level up members’ spirits knowledge. “I like them because they give you a perspective in more layman terms,” Hawk continued. “I don’t claim to be an expert on the whole process or to know every flavour profile. So when you watch the unboxing, they break it down for you, and you don’t have to be an expert to understand it.”
For more information on Flaviar, go to flaviar.com
