How we review whisky

We taste every whisky the same way, so that one review can be compared fairly with the next.

We let it breathe. The whisky goes into a tulip-shaped glass and rests for a few minutes before we start.

We taste it neat first. We note the colour, then the nose, the palate and the finish, before anything is added.

We add a little water. A few drops often change a whisky, sometimes for the better and sometimes not, and we record what happens.

We come back to it. We revisit each bottle over more than one sitting, because the first impression is not always the right one.

Every review ends with a Caskable score out of 100. It reflects what is in the glass first: balance, complexity, character and finish. Price paid is part of the picture too, so a good-value bottle can score higher than a pricier one with the same flavour.

As a rough guide:

A score is one person's honest opinion on one day, so we always write it up. The tasting notes and the verdict matter as much as the number.

Most of what we review, we buy ourselves. When a bottle arrives as a sample from a distillery or brand, the review says so. A sample never changes the score and never guarantees a review.

If you make whisky and would like us to taste it, you can submit a sample here.

Some links to shops are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. Those links never affect a score. Our full affiliate disclosure explains how it works.

Advertising on Caskable is always labelled “Advertisement” and is kept separate from editorial. Advertisers cannot see, change or pay for a review.

Tastes change, prices move and sometimes we simply miss something. When that happens, we update the review rather than leave it to go stale.