Comments on: My Take On This Whole Ratings Hoo-Hah

By: John

John — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:04:14 +0000

And regarding the detailed ratings… out of 100. I don’t care about them, but I think they are an exercise in spoofery. It’s humanly impossible to accurately score out of 100. You might as well go to a fortune teller or an homeopathy practitioner as take these scores entirely seriously. But they do serve as a guide.

By: John

John — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:57:41 +0000

Hi Tim

I think a lot of what you say is right, but people have a right to say what they think about the book. Personally, I’m a fan of the Whisky Bible, but I know it has its flaws.

And it can be hard to pick up people’s tone from text typed into a browser. Some people are merely commenting.

Just as Jim Murray is entitled to comment, or rant and rave, when he talks about someone else’s work – i.e. the distilleries and the whisky industry – we are entitled to comment about his work.

I do object to some of the personal comments I read on the discussion boards, however.

John

By: Tim F

Tim F — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:32:08 +0000

Thanks for your kind words, everyone! Glad I’m not the only one who’s thinking this way.

I’ve decided that this post will be my last words on the subject of whisky ratings. We’ve been over it all before enough times now and I think that everything that can be said has now been said. The next time this becomes the topic du jour I’m just going to refer m’learned friends back here :).

By: John Hansell

John Hansell — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:35:55 +0000

I always enjoy reading your posts, Tim, and this one is one of your best. In fact, I give it a 97.5! :)

By: Angus

Angus — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:02:22 +0000

Well…I agree with you Tim, good post. I have made rantings about Jim Murray in the past but there is only one thing I’d point out here. Putting aside the ratings debate and his holiness himself for a while, my problem is that I’ve seen so many people getting into whisky carry around a copy of the mans scores and scribles and just buying based on what he’s written. Its a sad and negative thing that people aren’t encouraged to make decisions on their own merits more. Anyway I’m sure it all works out in the end somehow or other, I’m a bit bored by Jim and score debates and all that stuff these days. I agree wit par, time for a dram.

By: Par

Par — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:36:44 +0000

The beast stuck its head up again – I do wholeheartedly agree with the funny comment on “unwitting idiots” or a similar theme, i.e. the mindless, unknowing sheep mentality thingy.

However, if one says to oneself, “do I like or dislike this whisky?” then one is also scoring (albeit in a very crude manner). So we are almost all scoring, in a sense. It’s just the superior and analytical elitist bastards among us who break it down to a level which some people seem to feel offended by…that seems to be a problem. I just can’t get it.

However, I can’t get why on Earth Jim M would go to the stupid lengths of promoting his brand (that’s what it sounds like) every year? He is just loosing credibility from those that has read his writings more than once.

Nuff said, time for a dram!

By: butephoto

butephoto — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:56:26 +0000

Mmm, Lemsip… 93/100

By: Gordon

Gordon — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:42:47 +0000

I think the Sazerac is the only BTAC i haven’t tried , WillieJJ praises it to the hilt but i always look at the prices and pass on it , mind you BT do a pretty good range as it is .

If i was to pick a “Whisky of the Year” i think the front runner at the moment would be a Certain Glenmorangie from the Society , 125.18 “Chocolate Valentine” , a superb Morangie that does as it said on the label and fitted in with question 3…..
As usual i will be doing my awards at the end of the year……

By: Tim F

Tim F — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:08:06 +0000

It’s terrific stuff, Tim. You should check out What Does John Know, he’s just done a comparison of the last few year’s releases of it.

By: Tim Nicholson

Tim Nicholson — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:21:31 +0000

Tim F

Apologies. I’ll freely confess that I’d never even heard of Sazerac until the Bible arrived.

Tim N

By: Tim F

Tim F — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:24:19 +0000

Tim N, Gordon – You’re right, of course, the Supernova did come second in the world, but it’s still highest ranking Scotch of this year, which is what has prompted the normal outcry. I’m blaming this slip on my cold fuzzing up my head :)

Tim N, in the spirit of pickiness, you’ll forgive me pointing out that it’s Sazerac rather than Sazarec (sorry).

By: Spirit of Islay

Spirit of Islay — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:17:15 +0000

Funnily enough Tim N , so did i ! But then again they are saying Top “Scotch Whisky” for the Nova……

By: Gordon

Gordon — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:21:17 +0000

Hi Tim ,
Nice piece , cheered me up while suffering from a dreadful cold (or is it man flu ? :-) ) . I never give a score to any of the whisky i taste , well apart from when Eddie forces one out of me at his Whisky Lounge Tastings and then i don’t take it too serious but i did give Renaissance 9.90 at one , well he did ask and it is nearly the most perfect Ardbeg in my opinion….
I never take anyones ratings serious well apart from when Jim Murray gave my Port Charlotte Bloodtub 96/100 in the 2007 WB (why shouldn’t he , it’s a bloody good whisky and beats any of the distillery bottlings…..Nahnahnahnah…..)and the Malt maniac guys gave it an equally high Score !

Anyway less of my highly superior PC Bottling…..
I think everybody should adapt my way of evaluating whisky , a simple 3 question method…..
1)Do i like it or not ?
2)If i like it do i like it enough to buy a bottle?
3)If it is that good Do i need to buy Multiples ?
Easy Peasy !
Basically it all comes down to personal preference and anyone elses recommendations/notes should be taken with a pinch of salt as one Swedish Whisky forum said about my Ardbeg notes……
Now i think i need some medicine for my cold and it won’t be lemsip , the ABV of it isn’t high enough…..

By: Tweets that mention My Take On This Whole Ratings Hoo-Hah | The Whisky Exchange BLOG -- Topsy.com

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:56:55 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Colin Campbell and Colin Campbell. Colin Campbell said: RT @TWEBlog: My take on the whole whisky ratings hoo-hah: http://tinyurl.com/yd9dtb4 – just tried to comment and it said I’m a spambot ??? [...]

By: C57

C57 — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:06:39 +0000

Nice blog Tim. I agree with almost everything you say.
In fact, scratch the “almost”.

By: Tim Nicholson

Tim Nicholson — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:05:13 +0000

Forgive me being picky, but I thought that JM’s Bible 2010 whisky of the year was a “Sazarec 18yo Fall 2008″. The “Ardbeg Supernova” was only runner-up.