Rating system

[Count Silvio]

Help me create a rating system for my rum/whiskey reviews. I care about the bottle but it is not significant. I care about the aroma but it is not as important as the flavor which matters most. The aftertaste is perhaps a little more important than the aroma. I also take smoothness into consideration but I believe rum/whiskey should still have a bite.

This is what I have considered using:

Presentation: x (5)
Aroma: x (20)
Flavor: x (40)
Aftertaste: x (25)
Smoothness: x (10)
Overall score: xx

What are your opinions and suggestions?

[Scottes]

When I review, I generally consider:

Aroma - I think this is quite important. The aroma hits first, and can be inviting, or not.
Sweetness - Noted, but not considered much in the overall view.
Flavor
Complexity - The amount and strength of the different tastes (if any, I hate boring rums)
Balance - Are the different flavors balanced against each other, or do they clash? Do they nicely move from one flavor to another, or does each one jump out? (IMHO, an example of bad balance is Angostura 1824)
Smoothness - I love smooth rums
Finish - Long, short, spicy, flavors. I think this is your Aftertaste but I find that many of these points are not covered by aftertaste

I have not attempted to place a point scale to each, but in order of importance I would consider them to be:
Flavor
Complexity
Smoothness
Balance
Finish
Aroma
Sweetness

Sweetness is weird to me, in a way. I like sweet rums, and the sweetness can have an effect on my overall consideration, but I try not to judge it in reviews.

[Count Silvio]

I've pretty much included the sweetness, complexity and balance in 'flavor'. Aren't finish and aftertaste the same things?

[Scottes]

I've pretty much included the sweetness, complexity and balance in 'flavor'.

Complexity: I can have a rum with one good flavor, and another rum with a lot of different flavors, good or bad. They're very different things in my opinion, and I am more likely to seek a complex rum rather than a simple one (one with a single predominant taste).

Balance: If a rum has many different flavors, how do they interact with each other? Do they clash with each other? Do they complement each other? Do they roll gently from one flavor to the next, or does each one make itself apparent, one at a time, individually, without regard for the others?

Sweetness: I try not to involve sweetness in my rating, though it certainly has effect on my opinion. I do try to call it out in a review for the readers' benefit. Recommending a sweet rum like Pyrat XO to a Scotch drinker is probably not the right thing to do. Conversely, recommending an aged agricole might not be the best thing to do to someone who likes sweet liqueurs.

In my opinion, these are all data points which help describe the rum better, thus giving the reader a better idea of what their into.

Aren't finish and aftertaste the same things?

We're probably talking about the same thing, but "Aftertaste" - in my opinion - only seems to consider the taste after the swallow. It doesn't imply that it takes into account the length of the finish, it's lingering effects (spicy burn, tingling, etc) or the alcohol burn. The word "Aftertaste" - again in my mind - also has negative connotations.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines Aftertaste as:
1. A taste persisting in the mouth after the substance that caused it is no longer present.
2. A feeling that remains after an event or experience, especially one that was unpleasant.

"Finish" just seems to be a standard term, and takes more data points into account.


One thing that I found helpful was reading reviews of both wines and cognacs. I almost always had to ignore the words they used to describe the tastes. But I found a lot of benefit in how they describe - the process used, the points described.

I don't follow all this to a rule, since my primary goal is to describe the experience of going through the tasting. But I try to remember about these things when I taste, and thus most of it gets into a review. Usually.

[Scottes]

And I also have to admit that considering all these things makes a rating system too complex. Rating 8 or 10 different things on a scale of 1 to 10 is too complex to be helpful, in my opinion. So that's why I really don't use a rating system.

Well, I kinda do in the end, but it's a 4-point system: Excellent, very good, good, poor. Since that's too loose my "Rum Ranking" page contains the recommendation to full read the review before deciding.

[Rum Runner]

Help me create a rating system for my rum/whiskey reviews. I care about the bottle but it is not significant. I care about the aroma but it is not as important as the flavor which matters most. The aftertaste is perhaps a little more important than the aroma. I also take smoothness into consideration but I believe rum/whiskey should still have a bite.

This is what I have considered using:

Presentation: x (5)
Aroma: x (20)
Flavor: x (40)
Aftertaste: x (25)
Smoothness: x (10)
Overall score: xx

What are your opinions and suggestions?

Dear Count. You have opened a wonderful topic here. Our esteemed Mister Scottes has certainly gotten the ball rolling too! If I may, I should like to give ( as briefly as possible) a general overview on critical tasting. Without trying to be immodest, I have(in a past life) been a professional wine judge for over ten years. So I have not just fallen off the parsnip truck! I was tutored by an English Master of Wine who sent me railing into the realm. I have always used Sir Michael Broadbent's MW seminal works on tasting as a benchmark. It works as wonderfully with a bar full of cask conditioned ales as it does with Grand Cru Bordeaux, or a line up of liquors that make no sense. FIRSTLY...TASTE BLIND! Meaning that you have someone pour you a dram in a glass with no expectation of what you have. Broadbent writes"A sight of the label is worth fifty years experience"! To set the basic tenets of critical tasting we shall begin.

Appearance: Colour or Hue,
Depth of colour,
Clarity.
Nose/Aroma: Cleanliness,
Characteristics,
Youth, Age and Maturity,
Depth and Intensity.
Taste: Dry/Sweet,
Body,
Tactile Stimuli,
Flavour,
Balance,
Finish/aftertaste,
Quality, Finesse, Elegence, Breed.
Conclusions: From appearance to taste there should be a natural
revelation, leading to an irrevocable conclusion.
Context...Is important. If judging a flight of Rhum
Agricole,one needs to bring one's accumen of such.
Not one's PREFERENCE. As an example, I much prefer
Bordeaux over California Cabernet Sauvignon, But that
did not stop me from being a competent judge of the
latter.

I remain at your service for further illumination if needed.
Regards

[Count Silvio]

I find myself speechless infront of your expertise.

Scottes you have made excellent points and I've changed my mind on a few things, very informative and helpful post.
RumRunner, a very detailed tasting process. If taken all these phases of tasting into account it seems like a hard task to give a score. How did you present the final score?

P.S. Perhaps as an ex-taster you could comment on my rum reviews and tell me if they are accurate or if I am way in the woods. Surely you have had the pleasure of tasting one of them?

[Scottes]

The "taste blind" rule from Rum Runner is something I need to do more often. And after reading his post, in a different way than I had planned.

I had planned to place 5 bottles in front of my wife and ask her to pour a little of each into numbered glasses, recording which was which but not letting me know. Then I would do a 5-way comparison.

But Rum Runner has made me think that I should - every time - place 5 bottles in front of her and ONE glass, and have her pick one of the 5. Then this would be somewhat blind. And I'd try to pick 5 that I could NOT tell apart - that is, putting a young agricole next to a aged Venezuelan would be no longer be blind.

This is bothersome to my current blogging style. Currently I:
1) Research the rum and try to find some interesting info about it, or the distillery, etc.
2) Taste and take notes.
3) Research some more, google around, read some forums.
4) Taste again and take some notes.
Generally at this point I will have some questions, mainly about particular tastes or smells. My palate is not yet refined enough to identify every single little taste it encounters. (My "taste-memory" sucks, I think.) So I will then:
5) Research some reviews to see if they help me identify some of my questioned points.
Often the other reviews help me identify some tastes or smells that I could not place.
6) Taste yet again, with these reviews in my head.
In order to be fair and honest, I do my best not to let these reviews influence me, which is why I have already written much down. But the reviews may enlighten me, so I may:
7) Adjust my notes to incorporate what I've learned from those other reviews.

Once I detected a particular smell, but I had no idea what it was. But another reviewer mentioned cardamom. I broke out my jar of cardamom, compared it to the rum to see if it was the same. It was similar. If I had kept smelling both I would have been convinced that it was cardamom that I had detected. In this case I was not confident, so I did not adjust my review, but I did chalk up another learning experience.

There are times, though, that a reviewer will mention a smell or taste and I immediately see the light and know that this was that flavor I could not identify, but I could not place it because of my poor taste-memory. In such a case I will change my notes.


Because of this process, true blind tasting would be a hindrance when reviewing a rum for my blog. But I think that I will let my wife randomly pick a rum when I just want to explore a new one. This will still be an education, but it won't hinder my blogging since I will not be doing a review on that rum.


I still have stuff to think about from Rum Runner's post....


(edited for clarity and missing words)

[Rum Runner]

I find myself speechless infront of your expertise.

Scottes you have made excellent points and I've changed my mind on a few things, very informative and helpful post.
RumRunner, a very detailed tasting process. If taken all these phases of tasting into account it seems like a hard task to give a score. How did you present the final score?

P.S. Perhaps as an ex-taster you could comment on my rum reviews and tell me if they are accurate or if I am way in the woods. Surely you have had the pleasure of tasting one of them?

Dear Count. Firstly, I apologize for my horrid spelling and grammar. I have gone back and corrected my most blatant errors. If you find others please feel free to edit this into something legible. If I may I shall address your comments here and then address Mr Scottes in a seperate post as there is much to cover here. To cut to the chase, in all my years of professional judging we have never presented a final numerical score. It has aways been, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and sometimes an "honorable mention". Personally, I would like to do grievous bodily harm to Robert Parker and to the American Public for adopting a numerical score to wine assessment, which has seemingly overflowed into all things potable now. Numbers tell me NOTHING...What is the difference between a Rum scored 98 or 97??? It tells me nothing. A critical assessment as outlined in my previous post delivers something to "chew on" and let's each one discover for themselves where their preference lays. I have no problem with casual reviews. They are interesting and informative. And I think that you (as well as Scottes) have a good grasp of the principles. If you want to raise your own level of critical assessment, then hone your tasting skills, find benchmarks to help establish a "tasting memory", and then Illuminate your finding in WORDS...Not numbers. I hear the beckoning of "she who must be obeyed"...To be continued..Scottes.. I'll get to you tommorow...

Regards,
Rum Runner

[Scottes]

Rum Runner,

Having gone through your post again and again, I feel that I understand it enough to comment.


Thinking about these, I don't understand "clarity" when it comes to rum. I have never seen, and can't really comprehend, a rum with less than perfect clarity. That is, regardless of color (up to a point) they all seem crystal-clear. Some, of course, get too dark to really judge clarity.

Do you happen to have an example of rums that have good and poor clarities? If I have them this will help me understand how to consider clarity in a rum.


Tactile Stimuli - Mouthfeel? This is something I'm trying to get a better grip on. At this point in my (insufficient) experience, I only notice mouthfeel when it's at the extremes. But when I do notice such a rum it wakes me up enough to think about it. But then I forget again because the next 3 or 5 or 10 rums have a middle-of-the-road mouthfeel.

Again, would you happen to know any example rums?


I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "characteristics" since every other item in your list could be a characteristic.


"Youth. Age, and Maturity" - I am definitely learning the difference between an old rum versus a mature one! And beginning to see differences when a young rum is mature. This is a good thing to note.


"Quality, Finesse, Elegence, Breed" - only "finesse" makes sense to me when considering rums. I generally think of the term "refined" though, so I'm not sure that I am exactly understanding you here.


Lastly, could you recommend a good book on how to taste? I think that I would find the book on cognacs or brandies to be more applicable then wine, since I don't like the stuff at all. And I'm of the admittedly predetermined opinion that there are many points of wine tasting that are not applicable to rum. I think that I would better appreciate and thus better understand a book about tasting cognac or brandy.

I've been occasionally searching for a class on cognac tasting, since I enjoy the spirit and think my rum tasting would greatly benefit from such a thing. Any idea of a better way to look for such a thing, because I have not yet found one in Boston. I would expect a city of this size to have such a class somewhere in the area, but I have not had luck in finding one.


Thanks for the notes, and thanks in advance for the notes that I'm sure you will share.

[Rum Runner]

Scottes. I'm glad to hear that my outline has given some food for thought. The concept of "blind" tasting is important to a critical assessment in my opinion. It's also important in the learning process. It helps to train the senses and memory. I understand that it may not be usable in the body of your blog reviews. But employing it in your personal use will improve your tasting abilities and thereby your reviews! I think an exercise that would be fun for you would be to have your wife, or a friend randomly pick two rums you have reviewed previously. Then have them presented to you blind...No hint of what's coming other than you know it's rum and that you have reviewed them before. Perform a careful tasting...Taste...Don't swallow...Spit it out....Take careful notes. Then have the rums revealed and go back to your original reviews and see how your notes compare.


My outline for tasting of course is based on wine assessment, and some adjustment for spirits can be made. However I think most of it works well.
If you happen to tour distillerys and have the good fortune to make it back into the tasting room with the Master Distiller you'll find that he(she) almost never actually tastes the stuff!!! It's all done with the nose! I do not suggest we adopt this, but it's interesting to note.

As for some of the categories you queried. Clarity is not normally a concern in a world of highly rectified and filtered spirits. However I have seen artisanal spirits (such as very old Armagnac) which have been less than "bright". In a blind tasting this can be a clue as to what is before you. Also it begins the disciplined process of critical tasting.

I admit that under Nose/Aroma: Characteristics is overly broad. Here is where you insert what you smell. The congeners carried over from the distillate and the maturation technique employed obviously dictate what is going on here. Choose words carefully. Studies have shown that the human nose can discriminate over 10 thousand aromas. Our vocabulary can only describe a few thousand of them!!!

Tactile stimulii: Smooth, creamy,velvety can be felt in the mouth as well as astringent factors and the burning sensation of alcohol.

Quality, finesse, elegence, breed: I'll drop breed, as this applies mainly to wine. These elements are represented by the completeness and balance of the various components. They can be assessed by the length of time the flavour lingers, by its richness and subtlety and by its aftertaste. A variety of expressive abstract terms can be used to express degrees of these elements. They tend to be subjective and should be chosen with care.

As for reading ...J. A. Brillat Savarin's "The Physiology of Taste" remains an important early work on how and why we taste. Amerine and Winkler of the University of California at Davis produced much in the early '60's on the subject of taste. Understanding the mechanism of how we taste helps us become better tasters. As for tasting methods, I know of no one who has written a protocol for tasting spirits. I'm sure that something must have been produced within the trade, but I have never come across it. I rely on "Michael Broadbent's complete guide to wine tasting". Published by Simon and Schuster. Check http://www.alibris.com for sellers of used copies. While he deals with wine tasting, his methods and techniques are a benchmark (in my opinion) for tasting any liquid and can be adapted to suit your needs.

I hope you and the Count find something useful here. I'll go back to your posts and try to catch whatever I missed in this diatribe.
Regards,
Rum Runner

[Rum Runner]

Scottes. As far as tasting classes or groups, I'm long out of the loop on what's going on in your neck of the woods. I'd check with the better wine/spirit shops. They usually know of tasting groups in and out of the trade. If you have the means you may want to start your own tasting group with a few friends. This can be alot of fun! Choose a suitable venue and start simple with themed blind tastings. Such as "White Spirits". a rum, a vodka, a tequila and a grappa. Have a set-up man obtain the spirits and do the presentation. Do a careful assessment. Can you pick the vodka from the rum? The tequila from the grappa? How about a "Brown Spirits" blind tasting? Rum, brandy, tequila, whiskey. Can you distinguish them all? This can then be broken down into tastings within each spirit. This is the way to expand your knowledge and palate. Over time you will sharpen your tasting memory and establish benchmarks along the way. And have a hell of a good time to boot!
Regards,

[Rum Runner]

Dear Count. I have re-read your rum reviews and find them very enjoyable. If I were to want for anything more it would be to see a bit more attention paid to the appearance of the spirit in the glass and then to a more detailed conclusion on the overall quality assessment. Otherwise a fine job. You are to be commended in my humble opinion.

[Scottes]

Rum Runner,

You mention blind tasting among spirits. I was subjected to a blind tasting trying to identify 10 rums, naming the brand and type. I was most certainly blindfolded the entire time. Of the 10, I clearly identified 3, came very very close to 1, close to another, and messed up the rest.
http://scottesrum.com/category/rambling ... indfolded/

As to tasting among friends, I have actually done a couple rum tastings - running them as a sort of class, walking people through the rums giving them some history and factoids, all with the intent of "training" them to be able to detect the differences. Of course I blogged about them:
http://scottesrum.com/category/rambling ... bargoyles/
http://scottesrum.com/category/rambling ... ha-lounge/

So I'm doing some things right...

As to the blind testing using rums that I have reviewed before... This is exactly what I had planned on doing in order to strengthen my "Top 10" list of favorite rums. Alas, if handed my top 10 blind I really feel that I could identify 6 or 7, so I'm not sure how "blind" this would be. But now that I raised that bar I'm very interested to see if my statement is true. 6 or 7 out of 10 is damned close to perfect, since 8 of 10 means missing 1 really. How will I do...?

And I'm planning other things correctly...


It looks like I've been doing fairly well in how I approach a tasting. Though I do think that I probably have to get better at describing it since I know I often fail to mention points, even though I know I paid attention to them.

And I have to build a better vocabulary. I just hope that I don't get into some of the descriptions that some of the "snootier" wine tasters use. I'd much rather keep it simple - rum reviews for everyone.


I ordered 2 of Michael Broadbent's books. $1.00 for "Complete Guide to WIne Tasting and Cellars" and $9 for "Wine Tasting" which is the "fully revised and updated edition of Michael Broadbent’s award-winning classic." For those prices I can't go wrong.


Thanks again!

[Count Silvio]

This is bothersome to my current blogging style. Currently I:
1) Research the rum and try to find some interesting info about it, or the distillery, etc.
2) Taste and take notes.
3) Research some more, google around, read some forums.
4) Taste again and take some notes.
Generally at this point I will have some questions, mainly about particular tastes or smells. My palate is not yet refined enough to identify every single little taste it encounters. (My "taste-memory" sucks, I think.) So I will then:
5) Research some reviews to see if they help me identify some of my questioned points.
Often the other reviews help me identify some tastes or smells that I could not place.
6) Taste yet again, with these reviews in my head.
In order to be fair and honest, I do my best not to let these reviews influence me, which is why I have already written much down. But the reviews may enlighten me, so I may:
7) Adjust my notes to incorporate what I've learned from those other reviews.

To me your way of researching seems logical and it is good that you do not let other reviews have influence on you. I actually have a similar way of researching a rum except I don't concentrate on finding general information so much.

Once I detected a particular smell, but I had no idea what it was. But another reviewer mentioned cardamom. I broke out my jar of cardamom, compared it to the rum to see if it was the same. It was similar. If I had kept smelling both I would have been convinced that it was cardamom that I had detected. In this case I was not confident, so I did not adjust my review, but I did chalk up another learning experience.

I have used the same tactic when tasting rums. You need to be careful though not to smell too much of the cardamom for example. It might get "stuck" in your nose and then you think you smell it in the rum. I am not sure if this is what you meant or if it was more psychological...

Quite often when I'm tasting it might take a very long time for me to recognize a flavor. I keep tasting and tasting and then all of the sudden it just pops up in my head "Coffee!" This happened when I was doing the review for Pampero.

[Count Silvio]

Dear Count. Firstly, I apologize for my horrid spelling and grammar. I have gone back and corrected my most blatant errors. If you find others please feel free to edit this into something legible.

I find nothing wrong with your grammar and I am not the one to judge it anyway as English is not my first language. If you are refering to the "grammar rule" in my posting guidelines thread I wouldn't worry about it much.

If I may I shall address your comments here and then address Mr Scottes in a seperate post as there is much to cover here.

There is indeed much to cover in these informative posts. This thread has become a real goldmine of excellent tips and information. Big thanks to you and Scottes.

To cut to the chase, in all my years of professional judging we have never presented a final numerical score. It has aways been, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and sometimes an "honorable mention". Personally, I would like to do grievous bodily harm to Robert Parker and to the American Public for adopting a numerical score to wine assessment, which has seemingly overflowed into all things potable now. Numbers tell me NOTHING...What is the difference between a Rum scored 98 or 97??? It tells me nothing. A critical assessment as outlined in my previous post delivers something to "chew on" and let's each one discover for themselves where their preference lye. I have no problem with casual reviews. They are interesting and informative. And I think that you (as well as Scottes) have a good grasp of the principles. If you want to raise your own level of critical assessment, then hone your tasting skills, find benchmarks to help establish a "tasting memory", and then Illuminate your finding in WORDS...Not numbers. I hear the beckoning of "she who must be obeyed"...To be continued..Scottes.. I'll get to you tommorow...

Regards,
Rum Runner

I'm starting to think that perhaps a simple rating system such as the bronze, silver and gold medal rating is better for my site. Not that I mean the reasons behind these medals are simple.

Dear Count. I have re-read your rum reviews and find them very enjoyable. If I were to want for anything more it would be to see a bit more attention paid to the appearance of the spirit in the glass and then to a more detailed conclusion on the overall quality assessment. Otherwise a fine job. You are to be commended in my humble opinion.

In my next review I shall try to concentrate more on the areas you mentioned. I actually haven't written much in the past so I am still struggling with the reviews a bit. Your feedback is appreciated, Rum Runner.

[Scottes]

You need to be careful though not to smell too much of the cardamom for example. It might get "stuck" in your nose and then you think you smell it in the rum. I am not sure if this is what you meant or if it was more psychological...

That is *exactly* what I meant.
Also, it's human nature for people to eventually find what they are looking for and be blind to everything else in the process. If you believe it might be cardamom you might begin to think it's cardamom then it will be cardamom and suddenly you find cardamom in everything... Even though it's not there at all, you're just finding it because you're thinking about it.

Quite often when I'm tasting it might take a very long time for me to recognize a flavor. I keep tasting and tasting and then all of the sudden it just pops up in my head "Coffee!" This happened when I was doing the review for Pampero.

Yep, exactly! I just wish that would happen more often - and quicker - for me. Didn't you feel like a fool when you thought "coffee" because at that point it was so obvious...?

[Scottes]

I actually haven't written much in the past so I am still struggling with the reviews a bit.

This isn't easy to do, because I know you *want* to blog, but try to review a rum a night, but don't put any up on the site.

Review a rum, take notes.
The next night, re-read and edit that review, and review another rum and take notes.
The next night, re-read and edit both reviews, and review another rum and take notes.
And so on and on.

Save up the reviews, re-reading and editing each until you are sure it's perfect. At that point, forget about it for 3 days, re-read and edit, and then post.


If I had more patience and better discipline I would edit each blog post 4 or 5 times, and always have 3 to 5 posts in the edit cycle. Alas, I write, edit once, post, and then correct minor things throughout the course of the week. Sloppy, I know.

[Rum Runner]

Scottes and Count. Both of you have ample experience and very good palates. The keys to quality assessment are consistency and discipline. And both of you display those keys. Scottes...I liked it in your "blinfold" blog when you commented "This shit ain't easy!" Exactly! Blind tasting forces one to concentrate in a different way. And without knowing what is in front of you all the preconceptions are left behind. I've known some judges who would rail on about how bad a $10 bottle of Gallo Cabernet was. Then give it a gold medal the next day in a blind tasting...Lots of red faces in that one! I agree that "wine snob" lingo does not belong in the realm here. In my experience most wine snobs know very little. They just have a bunch of money and buy the most expensive of anything and then prattle on, laying their ignorance on the floor. I do think that one can have fun with language in describing wine or rum or whatever. There has been a technical "Hardspeak" that has crept into reviews by some in the trade. I really don't care about brettanomyces, or amyl acetate, or malo-lactic fermentation. One of the best descriptions I heard of a wine came from a woman during a blind tasting of red wine. We all aknowledged a certain wines faults with words like 'Rubber smell", "Bad cheese smell" and so on. When it came her turn she paused, and blurted out, "It tastes like a fat woman in a black bathing suit on the beach!" We all rolled on the floor laughing and agreed she had nailed it! It's ok by me to be a little desciptive now and again.

My aim in bringing up blind tasting was simply to help one focus in a more critical way, and to use it as a tool for learning. The same with my outline for tasting. It offers me a protocol that is disciplined, consistent and complete, and that leads to better appreciation and enjoyment. Use what makes sense to you and have fun!

[Rum Runner]

Dear Count. I think your idea of awarding Gold, Silver or Bronze (when appropiate) in your reviews is excellent!

[Dood]

I actually haven't written much in the past so I am still struggling with the reviews a bit.

This isn't easy to do, because I know you *want* to blog, but try to review a rum a night, but don't put any up on the site.

Review a rum, take notes.
The next night, re-read and edit that review, and review another rum and take notes.
The next night, re-read and edit both reviews, and review another rum and take notes.
And so on and on.

Save up the reviews, re-reading and editing each until you are sure it's perfect. At that point, forget about it for 3 days, re-read and edit, and then post.


If I had more patience and better discipline I would edit each blog post 4 or 5 times, and always have 3 to 5 posts in the edit cycle. Alas, I write, edit once, post, and then correct minor things throughout the course of the week. Sloppy, I know.

This sounds pretty similar to what I do. I have a stack of notes sitting on my desk at home and my reviews have tended to stay in my "Pending Stories" queue for a day or two prior to going live...and then once they do, I go back and make further adjustments. There's just something about seeing the review on the actual site that makes you pick out various items needing improvement or clarification.

[Dood]

I'd just like to say that I've been thoroughly enjoying this thread as I've slowly worked through it during the work-day (been a busy day today).

Lots of great information and ideas here. My wife and I are actually in the very early stages of trying to set up a rum tasting evening with some friends.

[Rum Runner]

I'd just like to say that I've been thoroughly enjoying this thread as I've slowly worked through it during the work-day (been a busy day today).

Lots of great information and ideas here. My wife and I are actually in the very early stages of trying to set up a rum tasting evening with some friends.

Glad you have enjoyed this thread. So have I. Home tastings with friends is a lot of fun. Enjoy!

[Count Silvio]

To give more range I've considered: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum awards. Platinum given only to the most exquisite of rums. Although I'm not sure if I should have one more lower category as some products don't deserve even bronze.

[Lord Neville Crispin]

To give more range I've considered: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum awards. Platinum given only to the most exquisite of rums. Although I'm not sure if I should have one more lower category as some products don't deserve even bronze.

if it is poor, why not just have a "No Reward Given" instead of yet another award? I think simplicity and fewer awards forces you to really judge properly and thoroughly. I would drop the Platinum as well for similar reasons.

[Rum Runner]

To give more range I've considered: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum awards. Platinum given only to the most exquisite of rums. Although I'm not sure if I should have one more lower category as some products don't deserve even bronze.

if it is poor, why not just have a "No Reward Given" instead of yet another award? I think simplicity and fewer awards forces you to really judge properly and thoroughly. I would drop the Platinum as well for similar reasons.

I agree completely with the Right Honourable Lord here. "Platinum" feeds into the "Super-Size It" vein of grade inflation. Gold, Silver, Bronze are very adequate in description. Straying above or below these rewards in a "one man judging" gets into a very subjective "stickey wicket". Dear Count, if I may suggest. If you find the need to describe a potable that you feel head and heels above, or conversely absolutely deplorable, then review them carefully and completely on their merits or faults and let that review stand as individual, with no reward given. This should be done VERY infrequently, and will lend credence to your reward system employed.

[Count Silvio]

You may suggest and I find your reasoning for your suggestion simply excellent. I have once again changed my mind thanks to you and the venerable Lord Neville Crispin.

[Rum Runner]

Dear Count. I stand at your side as your process of evaluatation proceeds.

[Count Silvio]

You should be seeing fancy looking medals on the reviews pretty soon. I've finished creating the gold award so far. I'll create a section on the frontpage explaining the rating system as well.

[Rum Runner]

With anticipation..I look forward to the Count arising!