With a growing number of microdistilleries and an expanding number of offerings from large corporate entities, [1] a number of institutions have arisen to provide professional evaluations of individual spirits. These entities, while recognizing that individual palates are unique and a great deal of subjectivity enters into any assessment, generally use expert panels and blind tastings within a given category to create meaningful and objective ratings.
Most tastings striving for objective results follow a similar format: [ [2]]
- Experts typically begin by assessing a given spirit based upon its "appearance" and "nose"--that is, its aroma. It will often be held up to light in clear glass to examine its color and "legs" while sniffing for other flavor "notes."
- Second, experts will taste the spirit and let it wash over the palate (tongue) searching for more "notes" or flavors and often comment about different foods or scents that it evokes.
- Third, experts will swallow (or, more often, spit) and examine the taste sensations for a "second life" or aftertaste, again searching for more flavor notes. [ [3]
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition was founded in 2000 by Anthony Dias Blue and Carol Siebert, both directors of the International Wine Competition. The competition assesses hundreds of entrants annually with panels of expert judges selected each year from restaurants and professional services across the United States. Not all entries are given awards (these were not judged of sufficient quality to warrant a rating) but most receive either a bronze, silver, or gold medal from the tasting panel. Those entrants that are given a unanimous gold medal by the panel are given the distinction of a "double-gold" medal. Additionally, each main category of spirits is given a "best in show" designation. [4]
The Beverage Tasting Institute is based in Chicago, IL and founded in 1981 with its initial focus on wine but later branching into the world of spirits and beer. They use a dedicated tasting laboratory in order to create consistent results and minimize external distractions. Each periodic tasting is conducted at the same time of day under identical conditions. The panelists are selecting from the professional world of restuarants and publications under the leadership of director Jerald O'Kennard. Not all spirits are given a rating. Those of sufficient merit are awarded a point score between 80 and 100.
- 80-84: Recommended
- 85-89: Highly Recommended
- 90-95: Exceptional
- 96-100: Superlative
Wine Enthusiasts publishes a magazine and other media to promote the appreciation of both wines and spirits. It is headquartered in New York and founded in 1979. Currently, spirits reviews are provided by F. Paul Pacult, who does tastings in a controlled environment. Results are given a point score.
- 80-84: Average
- 85-89: Very Good / Recommended
- 90-95: Superb / Highly Recommended
- 96-100: Classic / Highest Recommendation
Proof66 does not offer its own reviews, but instead acts as an aggregator of professional ratings including the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the Beverage Tasting Institute, and Wine Enthusiasts. It also incorporates user reviews into its aggregate score. All available ratings are combined and the resulting "aggregate score" is scaled between 0 - 1,000 points.
The primary driver of a liquor's Proof66 aggregate score is the best rating it has ever received from any of the three rating agencies. Because older scores are deemed to be less reliable, points are deducted when a liquor's best score comes from a relatively distant rating competition. The resulting best score is thus said to be age-adjusted. The scoring algorithm then attempts to make adjustments to (a) mitigate the effects of "grade inflation" for the various rating agencies and (b) reward spirits that have been reviewed frequently and by multiple rating agencies. The final component of a liquor's overall score involves user ratings. The relative weight given to user ratings (scores from the "Rabble") is low relative to the professional rating agencies' scores, but is allowed to grow with numbers of user submissions.
Proof66 indicates that its aggregate scores are updated daily to incorporate the most recent competitive results and the newest reviews from the "Rabble." [5]
Anthony Dias Blue offers, founder of the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and winner of the James Beard award [6], offers his own set of personal reviews known as "Blue Reviews." He offers scores based upon an 80 - 100 point scale. [7]
Spirits Review is a personal review site authored by Chris Carlsson, a self-described "ardent spirit" who has been studying tasting and evalution of spirits all his life and participates in a variety of tastings. Carlsson is based in Rochester, NY and launched the website in 2005. Spirits Review rankings are based upon 1 to 10 martini olive rating scale.
- 1 olive: "not fit for fuel in my car"
- 2 olives: "coolant"
- 3 olives: "bottom shelf"
- 4 olives: "drinkable"
- 5 olives: "average"
- 6 olives: "decent"
- 7 olives: "recommended"
- 8 olives: "highly recommended"
- 9 olives: "classic"
- 10 olives: "moksha"
- Los Angeles International Wine and Sprits Competition [8] - this competition was initially for wine only and founded in 1939. In 2007, it began receiving entries for spirits. Awards are provided for gold, silver, and bronze medals. In 2009, there were 199 entries with 179 awarded medals.
- New York Spirits Awards [9] - this competition uses judges drawn from the retail world, including bar owners, sommeliers, and "mixologists" among others. They use a scoring system based upon a point system between 80 and 100 points. The event was first held in 2009.
- Agave Spirits Challenge [10] - a competition designed to feature tequilas and other agave-based spirits (mezcal, sotol, etc.). Their first--and so far only--competitive results are from 2008.
- ^ [ http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/28/entrepreneurial_spirits/
- ^ See, for example, http://www.agave.net/information/event_judges.html
- ^ Blue, Anthony Dias, "The Complete Book of Spirits: A Guide to Their History, Production, and Enjoyment," First Edition, 2004.
- ^ See http://www.sfspiritscomp.com/
- ^ See http://www.proof66.com/faq.asp#scoring
- ^ http://www.jbfawards.com
- ^ See, for example, http://www.robertstemmlerwinery.com/trade_media/PDFs/review_sheets/03nugentRV.pdf
- ^ http://www.lawinecomp.com/wine2009/home.htm
- ^ http://www.nyspiritsawards.com
- ^ http://www.agave.net
With a growing number of microdistilleries and an expanding number of offerings from large corporate entities, [1] a number of institutions have arisen to provide professional evaluations of individual spirits. These entities, while recognizing that individual palates are unique and a great deal of subjectivity enters into any assessment, generally use expert panels and blind tastings within a given category to create meaningful and objective ratings.
Most tastings striving for objective results follow a similar format: [ [2]]
- Experts typically begin by assessing a given spirit based upon its "appearance" and "nose"--that is, its aroma. It will often be held up to light in clear glass to examine its color and "legs" while sniffing for other flavor "notes."
- Second, experts will taste the spirit and let it wash over the palate (tongue) searching for more "notes" or flavors and often comment about different foods or scents that it evokes.
- Third, experts will swallow (or, more often, spit) and examine the taste sensations for a "second life" or aftertaste, again searching for more flavor notes. [ [3]
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition was founded in 2000 by Anthony Dias Blue and Carol Siebert, both directors of the International Wine Competition. The competition assesses hundreds of entrants annually with panels of expert judges selected each year from restaurants and professional services across the United States. Not all entries are given awards (these were not judged of sufficient quality to warrant a rating) but most receive either a bronze, silver, or gold medal from the tasting panel. Those entrants that are given a unanimous gold medal by the panel are given the distinction of a "double-gold" medal. Additionally, each main category of spirits is given a "best in show" designation. [4]
The Beverage Tasting Institute is based in Chicago, IL and founded in 1981 with its initial focus on wine but later branching into the world of spirits and beer. They use a dedicated tasting laboratory in order to create consistent results and minimize external distractions. Each periodic tasting is conducted at the same time of day under identical conditions. The panelists are selecting from the professional world of restuarants and publications under the leadership of director Jerald O'Kennard. Not all spirits are given a rating. Those of sufficient merit are awarded a point score between 80 and 100.
- 80-84: Recommended
- 85-89: Highly Recommended
- 90-95: Exceptional
- 96-100: Superlative
Wine Enthusiasts publishes a magazine and other media to promote the appreciation of both wines and spirits. It is headquartered in New York and founded in 1979. Currently, spirits reviews are provided by F. Paul Pacult, who does tastings in a controlled environment. Results are given a point score.
- 80-84: Average
- 85-89: Very Good / Recommended
- 90-95: Superb / Highly Recommended
- 96-100: Classic / Highest Recommendation
Proof66 does not offer its own reviews, but instead acts as an aggregator of professional ratings including the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the Beverage Tasting Institute, and Wine Enthusiasts. It also incorporates user reviews into its aggregate score. All available ratings are combined and the resulting "aggregate score" is scaled between 0 - 1,000 points.
The primary driver of a liquor's Proof66 aggregate score is the best rating it has ever received from any of the three rating agencies. Because older scores are deemed to be less reliable, points are deducted when a liquor's best score comes from a relatively distant rating competition. The resulting best score is thus said to be age-adjusted. The scoring algorithm then attempts to make adjustments to (a) mitigate the effects of "grade inflation" for the various rating agencies and (b) reward spirits that have been reviewed frequently and by multiple rating agencies. The final component of a liquor's overall score involves user ratings. The relative weight given to user ratings (scores from the "Rabble") is low relative to the professional rating agencies' scores, but is allowed to grow with numbers of user submissions.
Proof66 indicates that its aggregate scores are updated daily to incorporate the most recent competitive results and the newest reviews from the "Rabble." [5]
Anthony Dias Blue offers, founder of the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and winner of the James Beard award [6], offers his own set of personal reviews known as "Blue Reviews." He offers scores based upon an 80 - 100 point scale. [7]
Spirits Review is a personal review site authored by Chris Carlsson, a self-described "ardent spirit" who has been studying tasting and evalution of spirits all his life and participates in a variety of tastings. Carlsson is based in Rochester, NY and launched the website in 2005. Spirits Review rankings are based upon 1 to 10 martini olive rating scale.
- 1 olive: "not fit for fuel in my car"
- 2 olives: "coolant"
- 3 olives: "bottom shelf"
- 4 olives: "drinkable"
- 5 olives: "average"
- 6 olives: "decent"
- 7 olives: "recommended"
- 8 olives: "highly recommended"
- 9 olives: "classic"
- 10 olives: "moksha"
- Los Angeles International Wine and Sprits Competition [8] - this competition was initially for wine only and founded in 1939. In 2007, it began receiving entries for spirits. Awards are provided for gold, silver, and bronze medals. In 2009, there were 199 entries with 179 awarded medals.
- New York Spirits Awards [9] - this competition uses judges drawn from the retail world, including bar owners, sommeliers, and "mixologists" among others. They use a scoring system based upon a point system between 80 and 100 points. The event was first held in 2009.
- Agave Spirits Challenge [10] - a competition designed to feature tequilas and other agave-based spirits (mezcal, sotol, etc.). Their first--and so far only--competitive results are from 2008.
- ^ [ http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/28/entrepreneurial_spirits/
- ^ See, for example, http://www.agave.net/information/event_judges.html
- ^ Blue, Anthony Dias, "The Complete Book of Spirits: A Guide to Their History, Production, and Enjoyment," First Edition, 2004.
- ^ See http://www.sfspiritscomp.com/
- ^ See http://www.proof66.com/faq.asp#scoring
- ^ http://www.jbfawards.com
- ^ See, for example, http://www.robertstemmlerwinery.com/trade_media/PDFs/review_sheets/03nugentRV.pdf
- ^ http://www.lawinecomp.com/wine2009/home.htm
- ^ http://www.nyspiritsawards.com
- ^ http://www.agave.net