Welcome to Drams of Whisky! This is a personal archive of my whisky journey – all photos, reviews, and website design are of my own.
About Me
As we, the whisky enthusiasts, travel from dram to dram, we have the amazing opportunity to meet like-minded people at various stages along their own whisky journey. I have come to appreciate this. We are always learning from each other and I have enjoyed seeing through the different lenses of my peers. It is you who are always leading me to seek out and try new flavours… it is you who are giving me sound advice… and it is you who I always look forward to sharing a glass with.
This website was born just over 2 years ago when I became a fully committed appreciator of all things whisky. I have enjoyed the maintenance of this place I call ‘Drams of Whisky’ where I try to post detailed reviews of all the bottles from my fluctuating collection. I am very fortunate to have such an extensive library of whisky – roughly the size where storage becomes an issue – and I enjoy sharing it. While I might not be able to pour you the same liquid resting in the Glencairn beside me, I hope that you are entertained by the text and descriptions that I can share instead.
Please reach out over social channels (
Instagram,
Twitter, or
classic Email) if you would like to strike up a conversation about whisk(e)y!
Slàinte!
Rylan Maschak
June 2020
About the Ratings
Ratings, ratings, ratings… This is a difficult subject when it comes to whisky reviews. Why? It is completely subjective and completely influenced by the individual and their habits. However, it still remains a convenient way to try and put a layer of objectivity on top where you can say “this whisky is better than this whisky and I like this whisky the most.”
My ratings are broken down by the components of Nose, Taste, Finish, and Overall Balance. Each component is scaled from a mark out of 5 to a mark out of 25, and then summed together – a total out of 100. The ratings are not intended to show how perfect or imperfect any whisky is, but rather these ratings are meant to reflect how much I enjoy the taste and would recommend it to you. I admit that cost or value must have an influence, though I try to leave that out of the score and only discuss it in my comments.
90+: Fantastic whisky; highly recommended.
My favourite whiskies – I might have more than one bottle if the price is right and the supply is limited! The higher values in this range will reflect a stronger balance and consistency between components.
85-89: Great whisky; recommended.
Whiskies that tick the flavour boxes and you'll likely hear about these from me. An easy decision to order at a bar/restaurant and one to consider buying a bottle of.
80-84: Very good whisky; recommended, but still consider trying before you buy. Most of these whiskies I was really happy to have the opportunity to taste, but, apart from a dram here and there, I don’t think I would buy a bottle.
75-79: Good whisky; consider trying before you buy.
These are whiskies that I did enjoy drinking, but likely would reach for another bottle or select something different to order.
65-74: Average; consider trying before you buy, but not recommended.
There is nothing that stood out about this whisky and I might be inclined to mix it with soda or in a cocktail, instead of trying to enjoy its own flavours.
50-64: Bad; not recommended.
I didn’t like this and would sooner pass on another opportunity and order a beer instead than have it again… but never say never.
And I’ve never
recorded a whisky rating or score lower than 50 – and any that have hovered around that mark might only reflect the circumstance (or perhaps even drinking vessel) that I tasted it in.