Cheap Comparisons

I recently read a review of a single pot still that red and green Chewits as part of its flavour profile. I’m sure the master blender down in West Cork was trying to nail that one down for some time before landing on the right blend of casks to produce the perfect simulacrum of the sweet and sour chewable cuboid. I’m not saying that there aren’t a number of SPSs out there that don’t legitimately evoke memories of cola cubes, but it feels a bit obvious to me. Dare I say… cheap? Are sticky 50p bags of sweeties really the height of flavour? Is it what you want your €120 artisan product to whisper in your ear? I think the most agregious offence I’ve seen was the inclusion of ‘Gaviscon’ in one unlucky dram’s descriptor.

There are a dozen or so words that you can almost guarantee appearing in any given Irish whiskey review. A few from the bingo card: Spice, pepper, cola, coffee, aniseed, boiled sweets, Jamaica cake (nice catchall there), vanilla, nutty

Taste is subjective of course, and one man’s description is about as much to go by as the product’s sizzle reel itself. I’d suggest that most people reading whiskey reviews know what whiskey tastes like. Give me the specifics. Focus on one or two predominant attributes and drill into them. Assert why they’re there, why they shouldn’t be there. How does it make you feel? Comparing the product against others in its price range, does it stand out one way or another? What are your expectations and how were they matched?

True to form, I can’t gauarantee I’ll be following any of this advice myself, but if any reviewers are reading this - make sure you’re not just emulating what you think a reviewer already is. Like all things, make it your own. Get weird with it.