Sometimes it’s best to stand on the shoulders of giants. Sometimes it’s better to blaze your own trail. I’ve read a lot of blogs, books and reviews about the drink and one of the biggest problems I have is how we all communicate the value of the experience we had.
Many people imitate the 100 point system pioneered by Robert Parker. Some folks choose 5 star systems or 10 stars… or 5 stars with half-star increments. Some choose 20 points or 50. Then again, there are many that choose not to use ratings at all. I think most systems are too specific, though a lack of any rating at all leaves me to the perilous task of reading between the lines and I don’t always like having to do that.
I’m a fan for the obvious as much as I am for the accurate, still, I would argue that for as much value as a rating has it has just as many flaws. It’s a necessary evil in the end, so here’s what I came up with. Four categories. Neat and professional, without a lot of room for misunderstanding.
Highly Recommend: These are ones that I not only enjoy, I enjoy them on a deeply spiritual level. I crave them.
Recommended: These are what I consider top of their class. There are better, but there’s no sense in being a snob about it.
Try it: If you asked me to help you buy a bottle, these ones might not come up, but that’s not to say you shouldn’t try them.
Risky: Let’s face it… it happens. I would recommend you skip these ones, unless you’re painfully curious like me.
I’ve gone and updated all my old reviews and must say I’m much happier with the results. I hope you find it as useful! Thanks for reading!
