Australian and New Zealand Whisky

August 5, 2014

The Rise of Fake Whiskey

By Richard Thomas If you mention the term “fake whiskey” in American whiskey circles, more likely than not you’ll find…
Read More »
March 24, 2014

Review of World Whisky Awards 2014

By Richard Thomas Whisky magazine’s World Whisky Awards attracted more attention than usual this year, perhaps because of the new…
Read More »
March 21, 2014

Q&A With Sullivans Cove Distillery

Interview with the Award-Winning Tasmanian Distillery By Richard Thomas Sullivans Cove wasn’t the first whisky distillery to come out of…
Read More »
March 12, 2014

Belgrove Cask Strength Rye Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: C+ Updated March 24, 2014 Peter Bignell’s Belgrove Distillery occupies a niche that is presently unique…
Read More »
January 27, 2014

Belgrove Rye Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: C Although whiskey distilling came strangely late to Australia, the continent-country south of the equator has…
Read More »

Previous page Next page

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.