Rating Whiskey
What makes a good whiskey? The definitive answer to that question is, it depends.
What the Experts Say
Whiskey experts with years of experience in evaluating whiskeys from around the world have developed sophisticated scoring systems for a whiskey's nose, taste, finish and balance. Notably, Englishman Jim Murray annually publishes his amazing Whiskey Bible with ratings and tasting notes for more than 2,675 Scottish malts and blends, 235 American whiskeys, some Canadian, Japanese, European and other whiskeys. Oh yes, and about 160 Irish whiskeys.
Murray's 10-level, 0-100 rating system ranges from "diabolical" and "nasty" at the bottom to "brilliant," "superstar" and "better than anything I've ever tasted" at the top. It's worth noting that six of the 10 levels go from a "usually drinkable" score of 70-74, to the "better than anything" peak of 98-100. There are four levels in the 90s. The message to me is that there are many good, very good and excellent Irish whiskeys out there and certainly at least worth a try, or two, or twelve, from time to time.
Murray's tell-it-like-it-is tasting notes reflect his impressive 30+ year career as an award-winning whiskey writer (now that's a profession) and whiskey consultant. He combines an insider's knowledge with PhD-level senses that can pick out subtleties of color, aroma and taste. To give you an idea, here's an excerpt from his notes on Jameson 12-year-old which he scores at 88 (very good to excellent):
He uses terms such as "pot still" with which you may not be familiar (but which we'll soon cover). I'm awed by his degree of knowledge and read his notes like I read a new language -- picking up pieces of it but still not fully comprehending. But it's interesting to try to relate his descriptions to my own experiences and those of my fellow drinkers because it helps me learn and expand my palate and functional tasting vocabulary. Some of the experience of whiskey drinking is just hard to describe. So any words that help you get a handle on it are useful. That's part of the fun.
Assertive, With Hints of Toenail and Ashtray
Murray's tasting notes are interesting, and thought- and curiosity-provoking. And in large part they are easy to understand. But I've seen other tasting notes that leave me wondering what in God's name the writer was drinking and thinking. Not unlike the stereotypical, pretentious-sounding rhetoric from some wine tastings that unintentionally amuses more than it informs, I've seen serious descriptions of whiskeys that have hints of "saddle leather" or "tobacco." Now I'm sure those writers truly felt that way. I mean, it's pretty subjective and who the hell am I to question? But, um, really. At minimum, outside of the smoking horse-riding crowd (and probably not many of them as it's hard to use a lighter at anything above a trot), such wording is distracting and maybe even off-putting. Not a great way to recruit a new whiskey drinker.
What We Say
In an earlier entry I referred to myself jokingly as an Irish whiskey "connoisseur." But even in jest I think that's a bit generous with my whiskey tasting acumen. "Enthusiast" is probably a better term. I like whiskey, I like learning more about it, I like sharing good drink and, of course, I like the craic. Along those lines, my brothers and sisters have developed a very, very unofficial triage/rating system to help the unfamiliar make some sense of the dozens of unfamiliar bottles staring at them from liquor store shelves. How do you know where to begin? More specifically, how do you make Irish whiskey more accessible to folks who don't want to waste good dollars on something potentially disappointing?
After trying more than a couple of dozen Irish whiskeys available in the States, we each sorted them into one of three categories:
1) A Fine Drink: A special drink for special occasions. Usually more expensive but well worth the money.
2) An Everyday Tipple: Something you can sip after work, before dinner, with friends, whenever. Varying degrees of complexity and cost but generally well under $50 a bottle.
3) Good For Coffee: Not bad by itself but if you have others or better to choose from you probably will.
The conclusion of a 2008 whiskey tasting with my brothers and sisters and many of the 47 first cousins on my father's side
Now, these categories are simplistic, overly broad and subject to any number of exceptions and modifications. Other than that, they work great, or at least well enough as a way to introduce people to the range of good Irish whiskeys available. It's really just intended to make it OK for people to find out what they like and to open the door to try more. We try to find the equivalent of a "gateway whiskey," or one that opens folks up to the possibilities for learning more and enjoying good liquor in general and Irish whiskey in particular. The relatively uncomplicated smoothness of one whiskey which would be uninspiring to an experienced whiskey drinker might be the perfect introduction to someone who professes not to like the stuff. I've seen it. It works.
We'll cover more of the descriptive language later because it does provide a standard vocabulary for comparing experiences between whiskeys and drinkers.
What the Experts Say
Whiskey experts with years of experience in evaluating whiskeys from around the world have developed sophisticated scoring systems for a whiskey's nose, taste, finish and balance. Notably, Englishman Jim Murray annually publishes his amazing Whiskey Bible with ratings and tasting notes for more than 2,675 Scottish malts and blends, 235 American whiskeys, some Canadian, Japanese, European and other whiskeys. Oh yes, and about 160 Irish whiskeys.
Murray's 10-level, 0-100 rating system ranges from "diabolical" and "nasty" at the bottom to "brilliant," "superstar" and "better than anything I've ever tasted" at the top. It's worth noting that six of the 10 levels go from a "usually drinkable" score of 70-74, to the "better than anything" peak of 98-100. There are four levels in the 90s. The message to me is that there are many good, very good and excellent Irish whiskeys out there and certainly at least worth a try, or two, or twelve, from time to time.
Murray's tell-it-like-it-is tasting notes reflect his impressive 30+ year career as an award-winning whiskey writer (now that's a profession) and whiskey consultant. He combines an insider's knowledge with PhD-level senses that can pick out subtleties of color, aroma and taste. To give you an idea, here's an excerpt from his notes on Jameson 12-year-old which he scores at 88 (very good to excellent):
Nose: dusty, dry, soft grain.
Taste: Superb delivery of mouth-watering malt and grape, the pot still, though about, is harder to locate, making for a softer middle.
Finish: gentle vanillas and muscovado sugar. [Ed. note: muscavado is a type of dark brown sugar]
Balance: a softer more grainy animal than it recently was with both the pot still and sherry in retreat. Beautiful, but not quite so uncompromisingly Irish.
Taste: Superb delivery of mouth-watering malt and grape, the pot still, though about, is harder to locate, making for a softer middle.
Finish: gentle vanillas and muscovado sugar. [Ed. note: muscavado is a type of dark brown sugar]
Balance: a softer more grainy animal than it recently was with both the pot still and sherry in retreat. Beautiful, but not quite so uncompromisingly Irish.
He uses terms such as "pot still" with which you may not be familiar (but which we'll soon cover). I'm awed by his degree of knowledge and read his notes like I read a new language -- picking up pieces of it but still not fully comprehending. But it's interesting to try to relate his descriptions to my own experiences and those of my fellow drinkers because it helps me learn and expand my palate and functional tasting vocabulary. Some of the experience of whiskey drinking is just hard to describe. So any words that help you get a handle on it are useful. That's part of the fun.
Assertive, With Hints of Toenail and Ashtray
Murray's tasting notes are interesting, and thought- and curiosity-provoking. And in large part they are easy to understand. But I've seen other tasting notes that leave me wondering what in God's name the writer was drinking and thinking. Not unlike the stereotypical, pretentious-sounding rhetoric from some wine tastings that unintentionally amuses more than it informs, I've seen serious descriptions of whiskeys that have hints of "saddle leather" or "tobacco." Now I'm sure those writers truly felt that way. I mean, it's pretty subjective and who the hell am I to question? But, um, really. At minimum, outside of the smoking horse-riding crowd (and probably not many of them as it's hard to use a lighter at anything above a trot), such wording is distracting and maybe even off-putting. Not a great way to recruit a new whiskey drinker.
What We Say
In an earlier entry I referred to myself jokingly as an Irish whiskey "connoisseur." But even in jest I think that's a bit generous with my whiskey tasting acumen. "Enthusiast" is probably a better term. I like whiskey, I like learning more about it, I like sharing good drink and, of course, I like the craic. Along those lines, my brothers and sisters have developed a very, very unofficial triage/rating system to help the unfamiliar make some sense of the dozens of unfamiliar bottles staring at them from liquor store shelves. How do you know where to begin? More specifically, how do you make Irish whiskey more accessible to folks who don't want to waste good dollars on something potentially disappointing?
After trying more than a couple of dozen Irish whiskeys available in the States, we each sorted them into one of three categories:
1) A Fine Drink: A special drink for special occasions. Usually more expensive but well worth the money.
2) An Everyday Tipple: Something you can sip after work, before dinner, with friends, whenever. Varying degrees of complexity and cost but generally well under $50 a bottle.
3) Good For Coffee: Not bad by itself but if you have others or better to choose from you probably will.
The conclusion of a 2008 whiskey tasting with my brothers and sisters and many of the 47 first cousins on my father's side
Now, these categories are simplistic, overly broad and subject to any number of exceptions and modifications. Other than that, they work great, or at least well enough as a way to introduce people to the range of good Irish whiskeys available. It's really just intended to make it OK for people to find out what they like and to open the door to try more. We try to find the equivalent of a "gateway whiskey," or one that opens folks up to the possibilities for learning more and enjoying good liquor in general and Irish whiskey in particular. The relatively uncomplicated smoothness of one whiskey which would be uninspiring to an experienced whiskey drinker might be the perfect introduction to someone who professes not to like the stuff. I've seen it. It works.
We'll cover more of the descriptive language later because it does provide a standard vocabulary for comparing experiences between whiskeys and drinkers.
Hey, Rich!
Well the tasting is now history and was quite a success. The final line-up consisted of Red Breast, Blackbush, Brennan's, Kilbeggans, Collins blend as well as Collins Single Malt, John Powers, TD 12 year old, Tyrconnel, and Knappogue. Participants contributed the TD12 and Collins single malt. In fact I allowed for a trade, giving up the unquestionable star of the tasting for the Collins single. Oh, and the star of the show? Hands down it was the Irishman, which I will be replacing post haste with the single malt version.
As for the food, I did make corned beef for sandwiches, accompanied by fried cabbage. The cabbage was almost a bit overwhelming to the pallet, but due to the fact that it was such a tasty and unusual dish to everyone in attendance, it just added to the excitement of the entire event. While we awaited arrival of the final few, tasting began, not in earnest, but it began nonetheless. About an hour in, we decided to get the feeding out of the way so that we could clear the table and get to the business at hand. In preparation, I had gone to tastings.com and printed out reviews of each of the bottles as well as a listing of all the other brands reviewed by the site. I also found the Whiskey Lover's Tasting Diary on line, printed it up and had it on the table for perusal. It was quite informative to the participants.
There were 18 people in attendance, and I would guess that nearly all of them tried each label. There were only two visitors with any prior knowledge of Irish whiskeys, so the most heard question was, "Which do you recommend?". Answer to which was to always pour a bit of Red Breast, which was the only Pure Pot, thereby being the one with the biggest opening kick, then followed by The Irishman, which brought comments like, "Wow, what a difference between the two! And, may I have just a bit more, please?" Like I said, The Irishman was the champ early on.
The tasting in earnest lasted about an hour. After that, as you suggested, each participant found the 2 or 3 he or she liked and concentrated on savoring their individual favorites for the final hour.
By the way, I don't believe I've ever seen anything here about the Connemara label. I picked up 3 mini-bottles of the label, one of each variety, from ebay. Have you ever tasted any of these? The peat is enough to knock you out. I had the Cask strength and the 12 year old on the table as well. Everyone smelled it, but, few were willing to try it. That one seems to be destined for the next tasting---and there WILL be other (many other) tastings. I'm thinking that for the next, I will move up a level to the $50+ bottles. Natural progression, so to speak....
....except, I will skip to the peak of the progression at Valentine's Day when my lady friend has agreed to go halves with me on the pinnacle of Irish whiskey, a Middleton Very Rare. Life is good, eh?
Barry
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Barry: I loved reading your account! From the selections of the whiskeys, the food, the arrival of guests, your attention to the details (nice touch with the tasting notes) and the reactions of the tasters, it sounds like a great night! Don't you just love seeing and hearing the reactions of folks as they go through the whiskeys? Damn it's fun. Yes, the whiskey is the focal point. But in the end it's all about the craic -- the good talk, the good drink, the good food and the good people. What a great way to spend an evening. And finally, the outcome! -- V-day with the Midleton! Yes, life is very good. Can't wait to hear about the next one.
Sláinte,
Rich
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Hey, Rich---
Hope you're healthy and back to quaffing the water of life with some regularity! Am now in ownership of the pinnacle, Midleton. Feel like a kid at Christmas. The trade-off was a gift of Chanel Mademoiselle perfume, but, I'm thinking I gain on that as well, ya think? Cracked it open as soon as I got it into the house. All I can say is 'Superb'!
Have a cousin in the Navy stationed in Europe. I emailed him a list of Irish whiskeys to look for overseas that are not readily available in the states. He'll be home end of March. Can't wait to see what he finds.
By the way, going to Mardi Gras next week. New Orleans has a rum distillery tour available. Do you do rum? If so, any you might recommend I bring home with me?
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Barry: A bottle for Chanel for a bottle of Midleton? Damn, you're good, man. Pure feckin' genius, I say
How was Mardi Gras? I haven't done a lot of rum, just the usual Bacardis plus Barcardi Select and Bacardi Anejo. I have some others but I usually only drink it in the summer over rocks more out of habit than anything else. I know a woman whose family owns/owned the Mount Gay distillery in Barbados and she says that they don't ship the good stuff to the U.S., only the "Eclipse" version which is not especially great. I guess I'd try to look for some other Mount Gay bottlings only because I've heard good things about them.
Slan,
Rich
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