I have decided to operate under a new grading system from here on.  I will be assigning every whiskey I review a grade based on how much I like the whiskey and how I judge the whiskey’s overall quality.  My grades have tried not to factor in price, and I have tried to be relatively objective, but I am openly acknowledging my palate’s involvement in my grading.  Anyway, here is my basic scale.

A+:  This is absolutely brilliant whiskey.  There is nothing I would change about it.  These whiskeys are often reserved for special occasions when I am up for the finest whiskey I can get my hands on.

A:  This is also brilliant whiskey.  It is usually the intangibles of the whiskey that keeps it from making the A+ grade, not the structure of the whiskey itself.

A-:  This is fantastic whiskey, and provides a balance between the great whiskeys and the greatest whiskeys.

B+:  This is great whiskey.  There may be some things I would like to see different with it, but it is a great whiskey overall.

B:  This is very good whiskey, and often the range where I like my daily sipping whiskeys to be.

B-:  This is good whiskey, indicating a very good effort.  This also includes a lot of daily sippers.

C+, C, C-:  These are all still passing grades, so they are not bad whiskeys.  However, they are often whiskeys that I don’t mind other folks mixing, but I still enjoy drinking them.

D+, D, D-:  These whiskeys are passing, but barely.  Best suited for mixing.

F:  I’ve never given a whiskey a failing grade, but if I did, it would have to be awful in every way.