Jim Murray's 2017 World Whisky of the Year

[Deleted User]

Well, it's official. Jim Murray has published his Whisky of the Year. I honestly expected something more controversial than Booker's Rye 13 Year Old. (I was thinking he might pick some obscure whisky from a non-traditional whisky country.) This rye has gotten excellent reviews, but, unfortunately, its list price was $300 (it has been selling for more than twice that on the secondary market), so I won't be trying it any time soon.

    

bedlamborn

What criterias is he using when choosing winners? His own taste or something else?

Slàinte_Mhath

bedlamborn said:

What criterias is he using when choosing winners? His own taste or something else?

Obviously, yes. To be honest, I have never paid much attention to Jim Murray's ratings. They are his personal opinion and I have serious doubts that he is as 'independent' from the industry as he probably claims he is. He was somehow associated with Ardbeg and rated their whiskies 'surprisingly' high.

So called 'expert ratings' are always a tricky thing. I respect Michael Jackson's opinion certainly more than Murray's - but even with Jackson, I wonder how whisky like Cragganmore got a 90/100 score! In the end it all boils down to personal taste.

I tend to check avarage ratings on distiller, proof66 and whisky.com - if they are all in the same range, you get a pretty good idea on a whiskies quality - especially if some hundred or even thousand people have voted.

One additional comment on the SF Spirit Competition: I was told that the official reviewers have to rate 150-200 whiskies in 2.5 days. Hence, many of them only nose the spirit and eventually take a little sip. Then the spirit is rated. No surprise that peated whiskies tend to get many awards.

What I was going to say: Make your own opinion!

Slàinte!

Tastethedram

@SlàinteMhath\

I heard that Jim Murray tends to push forward new whiskies to give some countries and distilleries a chance. For instance Kavalan I thought was terrible whisky. And Crown Royal really ? He should not be putting anything else forward.