Jim Murray vs Top Shelf Chick: The Trifecta Challenge

[KrustyKlown]

I've tried the Stagg and the Parker's. Both are fantastic but i give the edge to Stagg. :bowdown: Murray's palate is way more refined than most of us carbon blobs and he obviously has biases in his choices. I find his ratings pretty decent but his style of writing is very entertaining. I've never read a description unlike anyone else. In addition, he does rate just about everything that is poured.

[Josh]

I don't get the point of tasting a single malt, a wheated bourbon and a rye bourbon together. They are three very different beverages and in a 3 way tasting like that, all someone is going to be able to taste is the difference between a single malt, a wheater and a rye recipe bourbon. It's like tasting chocolate cake, corned beef and asparagus in one sitting and trying to determine which is the best.

I understand that they were all rated highly by Murray but it's really kind of silly and pointless. And I don't buy this BS that Murray's (or anybody's) palate is more refinded than anybody else's.

[mosugoji64]

I don't get the point of tasting a single malt, a wheated bourbon and a rye bourbon together. They are three very different beverages and in a 3 way tasting like that, all someone is going to be able to taste is the difference between a single malt, a wheater and a rye recipe bourbon. It's like tasting chocolate cake, corned beef and asparagus in one sitting and trying to determine which is the best.

I understand that they were all rated highly by Murray but it's really kind of silly and pointless. And I don't buy this BS that Murray's (or anybody's) palate is more refinded than anybody else's.

[jburlowski]

To go with Josh's (very good) point, a review of chocolate cake, corned beef, and asparagus would be worthless if the reviewer hated them and you loved them, or vice versa....

Now bourbon & asparagus.... there's a pairing!

[weller_tex]

I could have sworn that for a few years JM was being paid by Ardbeg..I just ignore what he thinks. Just all over the place..makes no sense.

You have to take all the reviewers with a grain of salt. Read all their reviews and find someone who seems to have a similar palate to you, and also seems to be unbiased. Serge Valentin is the guy I look to for Single Malt reviews. I seem to be pretty close to John Hansell and Jason Delby for Bourbon and Rye.

[trumpstylz]

I somewhat agree with JM. I know nothing of scotch, but I do know that the PHC wheater is easily worthy of its spot. Not sure if stagg should be in the top 3, but definitely top tier.

I might, however, switch the position of stagg and PHC myself.

[Stu]

Hey, that's Nancy Pelosi's sister.

Way too god looking for that!

[Jono]

I have been meaning to pick up an Old Pulteney ever since Ralfy reviewed several of them.

My ability to pick out a dozen plus notes does not exist. I usually pick up the top 4 notes and the rest are a blend of flavors hard to describe. Maybe a large nosing collection would help but it is not that important. I cannot say I have been led down a wrong whiskey choice by people who say they really like X....most who really dislike Y are probably harsher than what I would report.

I have not experienced a truly awful whiskey....some are one or two notes without much complexity etc. and others are a mouthful of surprises. I will look at ratings....multiple where possible...and try to get an overall appraisal. The specific tasting notes rarely share similarities....so when one reports cinnamon and the other reports cherry cola etc. it is enough to understand in a general way what the taste is presenting. There is a huge expectation effect to consider. If X whiskey is highly rated by several reviewers and a person finds it just ok, there is a tendency to ignore their own tastes as they think they must be wrong...or it is the trendy thing to say "I like it" - group think.

Top Shelf Chick, I see you were watching Jeremy Wade's River Monsters.

[Phil T]

Way too god looking for that!

[callmeox]

You've seen God?..:shocked:

As played by George Burns in Oh God, perhaps?

[SMOWK]

Way too god looking for that!

I never said every Pelosi's face melted off at age 60.