Whiskey by Rating

Whiskey reviews sorted by grade rating

May 6, 2011

Knob Creek Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas Updated April 9, 2015 Rating: B+ Knob Creek is arguably the most well-known of Jim Beam’s line…
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May 5, 2011

Booker’s Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: A Jim Beam’s grandson, the late Booker Noe, introduced his namesake bourbon in 1988. The original…
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May 5, 2011

Four Roses Yellow Label Bourbon Whiskey Review

Updated July 25, 2023 By Richard Thomas Average Rating: C Four Roses Kentucky bourbon traces its history back to Rufus…
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May 5, 2011

J&B Reserve 15 Year Old Scotch Whiskey Review

by Richard Thomas Rating: C The green bottle and yellow label of Justerini and Brooks is one of the world’s…
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May 2, 2011

Woodford Reserve Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: B Updated August 11, 2014 Woodford Reserve is the product of the revived Labrot and Graham…
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The Whiskey Reviewer uses a letter-based rating system, instead of the numerical 100-grade rating system. Click here to learn why.

The following indicators should be taken as only a guide and not a set of hard and fast rules. Some "premium" whiskeys really are quite terrible, while some mass market products are good enough to pour into a decanter and serve to the Duke of Edinburgh.

A+: A masterpiece and one of the ten best whiskeys of its type. Above five stars.
A: An outstanding bottle of whiskey, but lacking that special something which makes for a true masterpiece. Five stars.
A-: A fine bottle of whiskey, representing the top end of the conventional, premium range.
B+: Very good stuff. Four stars.
B and B-: Good and above average. The best of the mass market whiskeys fit in this category, as do the bulk of the premium brands. A B- is three stars.
C+ to C-: Average whiskey. A C- is two stars.
D+ to D-: Below average whiskey. A D is one star and a D- one-half of a star.
F: Zero stars. Rotgut.