Distillates are simply a vehicle for friendship and for stories. I’ll write more here some day about why we are bothering to write these reviews. For now… ratings.
A 100 point system, where the lowest average rating is 80 and the highest average rating is 92, is just a 10 point scale in disguise. Looking at you Whiskybase. So to keep it simple, I’m using the following. This is pretty much cribbed from a guy on Serious Brandy who cribbed it from somewhere, who probably stole it from Malt who probably borrowed it from your mom. Nothing is original.
Rating System
10 – Transformative
9 – Stash as Many as You Can Afford. Tell No One. My Precious…
8 – Bank a Backup at the Right Price. Tell Everyone you Meet.
7 – Buy One & Recommend it to Your Friends.
6 – Solid – Super Glad I Drank It
5 – Total Acceptable
4 – Not Vocally Complaining (Too Much)
3 – Wish I Was Drinking Something Else
2 – Nothing Nice to Say
1 – Pour it Out
What is really important is the baseline. A score of five is a perfectly acceptable pour, drunk neat, to enjoy without any mixer. This isn’t gradeschool where anything below a B- is enough to disappoint my parent and cause stress constipation.
Scores are subjective. Recently Brian scored an Aurensan Armagnac a 7 and I gave it a 4. Because I don’t actually want to suck on rotten eggs and he has a secret thing for smelly feet and doesn’t mind Sulfur. So, in summary, don’t trust Brian. And DEFINITELY don’t trust Ryan. He just thinks everything tastes like bananas. It’s easy to remember. Their names rhyme.