Rating System:

• 96–100; An absolutely stellar whisky. Easily a contender for best whisky I’ve ever had.
• 90–95; A great whisky. One of the best whiskies I’ve had. Higher end of this spectrum approaches legend status.
• 80–89; This is a solid, strong whisky. Something is missing that prevents it from being great, but this is still a bottle I’d like to have. Anything at or above this point deserves a spot on my home bar. Higher end of this spectrum approaches “great whisky” territory.
• 70–79; This is a good whisky. Anything in this range and above is something I would consider having on my home bar. Something I could easily sip on every day and something I can enjoy simply for what it is. Does not blow me away, but is still enjoyable.
• 60–69; I’ve had better whiskies. I wouldn’t turn this down if someone offered me a dram, but I also wouldn’t go out of my way to grab a dram.
• 50–59; Not all that good. Again, might not turn it down, but would certainly not go out of my way to grab a dram or find. Would not recommend.
• 50 and below; Not worth the time.

Breakdown of Score:

Tasting Experience (Each category out of 10 possible points, then totaled/weighted 50%): 43/50 points 

• Nose (out of 10 possible points) 10
• Palate (out of 10 possible points) 9
• Finish (out of 10 possible points) 7
• Balance, or how well the flavors work together (out of 10 possible points) 8
• Complexity, or number of notes/distribution amongst them (out of 10 possible points) 9

Tasting Experience Weighted Score of 43

Bottle Aesthetics (Out of 10 possible points, weighted 20%): 9/10 points

Bottle Aesthetics Weighted Score of 18

The Craft (Out of 10 possible points, weighted 20%): 9/10 points

The Craft Weighted Score of 18

Uniqueness (Out of 10 possible points, weighted 5%): 10/10 points

Uniqueness Weighted Score of 5 

Intangibles (Out of 10 possible points, weighted 5%): 7/10 points

Uniqueness Weighted Score of 3.5

Total Score = 87.5

Explanation of Scoring Criteria:

There are five total categories that amount to what I value in a whisk(e)y, and each category is weighted accordingly to what I value the most. The breakdown is as follows:

• The Tasting Experience category is weighted 50%. 50 possible points are spread evenly across five sub-categories. These sub-categories are nose; palate; finish; balance; and complexity. The rest of the categories allow a possible of 10 points each, respectively, but have varying weights.
• The Bottle Aesthetics category is weighted 20%. In this section I factor in the visuals of the just the bottle, because bottles aren’t always sold with or presented on bar shelves with their accompanying boxes.
• The Craft category is also weighted 20%. This section takes into account the process of making the whisk(e)y and the type(s) of maturation that was/were used.
• The Uniqueness category is weighted at 5%. This category takes into account anything about the dram that stands out, such as whether it’s the first release of its kind or a rare limited edition – things of that nature.
• The Intangibles category is also weighted at 5%. This category is meant to reflect some miscellaneous categories – such as, but not limited to, the versatility of a whisk(e)y and whether or not it’s easy to find – and encompass the things you can’t always see coming – such as the significance of a whisk(e)y to me personally and anytime a dram evokes a feeling of nostalgia (which truly is a thing, at least for me!).

The weighted scores are then added together to total the final score.

Images courtesy of Whisk(e)y & Whatnot.

Whisk(e)y & Whatnot
🇯🇵 whisky lover/scotch adventurer

Read his column on 88 Bamboo here!