Score Guide

Guide to How We Review Whiskies and Spirits

Our reviews take into account taste and price, with a heavy weight on taste over price. Note that we also try to keep “7” for a “good” whisky, which on first blush would appear harsher than many other reviewers (80-ish being a “good” whisky). Furthermore, we try to keep to a score of “5” meaning an average whisky – and there are actually quite a number of good whiskies out there, so the bar is high for “average”.

In general, our rating system goes as follows:

10 – Manna from Heaven. Buy a bottle… and buy a spare!

9 – Near-perfect. Purchase for sure.

8 – Excellent. Remarkably above average. Purchase.

7 – Good whisky. Some distinguishing qualities that separate it from the herd.

6 – Interesting. Purchase if I’m drunk.

5 – Average. Not exceptional in a good way or a bad way. Would only order a dram of this at an understocked bar, and at a discount.

4 – Not for me.

3 – Why would you make this? :(.

I hope we’ll never have to venture down to a 1 or a 2.

Also – we almost-always write our reviews before we “do our research” and see what others think. This is to provide as unbiased of an opinion as possible!