The whisky review scene is regularly abuzz with discussions on the value of the classic 100-point rating system which is so widely used amongst whisky reviewers. Should you wish to catch up on the debate, the best place to go would probably be the relatively recent ‘round table’ discussion over at the Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society, where 12 prominent whisky bloggers have shared their views.

I didn’t originally intend to share my own view of the system, but having read so many articles about it of late I couldn’t resist joining in on the fun. As you may have noticed, I do not (unlike four – correct me if I’m wrong – of the honourable knights of the whisky round table) myself use a rating system, and this wee post shall explain why. While I see the point (please don’t interpret that as a pun) in them, I don’t think they could ever work – at least not in a blog setting. You see, everyone likes different types of whiskies; some of us will prefer the sweet and loving embrace of a Dalmore 12, while others will prefer the peaty smoke of an Ardbeg 10.

Now, I think they are both absolutely outstanding whiskies in their price range and I do hold them both dear, but as regular readers of this blog may have noticed, I do have a preference for a sweeter whisky. In other words, though I fully appreciate both of the above expressions and think they are – if I am to be neutral – each other’s equal in every respect, I would have to score Dalmore higher because it appeals slightly more to my pallet. Hypothetically (and don’t read in to these scores, they are quite arbitrary) I would give Dalmore 90 and Ardbeg 85 – this would, I think, reflect the fact that I think both are outstanding whiskies (thus a score over 80) yet I do have a preference for Dalmore, simply because of my incurable sweet tooth.

Some might think that unfair – why should Dalmore get 5 points more than Ardbeg when I’ve just said that they are both each other’s equal in every way? Shouldn’t they both get 85? 90? Or perhaps 87.5? You would be absolutely right to say that, because if they are pretty much exactly as good as each other. But then, what would the point be in my trying to be neutral? This blog is supposed to reflect my opinion, after all, as that is all I could possibly give. Whichever way you go around it, you will end up with an unfair score. And that’s without even going in to the incredibly difficult area of bang for buck – is a Dalmore King Alexander the III, at over £100, really only 2 points better than Dalmore 12, at £35? Should they even be rated on the same scale?

In my opinion, the best information you can share is the flavours, textures, and smells you experience. I gain far more insight into a whisky by reading that this and that reviewer have both picked up a banana note on the palate – which I can then try to find myself, which is always interesting – than I do from a score of 85 here and 87 there.

As Valentine’s Day draws closer and closer, more and more people seem to worry about what to get their loved ones. Many will look to their sweetheart’s interests and try to find a gift idea there, which is a good idea indeed. The problem is, unless you share the same interest and with the same passion, it may be difficult to know just what to get them. This is a common “problem” with whisky, but fear not – the world of uisge beatha doesn’t have to be as intimidating as it may seem. Now, I could recommend a handful of outstanding whiskies of differing price, but that could be rather hit and miss. Instead, try to remember a couple of whiskies that they like to drink (or go have a peek at their collection) and make use of a flavour map (of which there are plenty on the internet) and look for one that they don’t have, but that is close to one/s they like.

Granted, most of the flavour maps – including the one I’ve linked to – only contain a small selection of fairly standard expressions, so for anyone who may want to spend more than £40, give or take, they may not be fully satisfactory. In all honesty, though, I don’t know anyone who takes Valentine’s Day seriously enough to spend more than £40-50 anyway.

If you don’t feel comfortable buying a bottle of whisky and would rather go for something else that is still whisky related, I’ve got a few suggestions for that as well. In order of increasing cost:

Cheap but appreciated, the classic Glencairn whisky glass is widely acknowledged as one of the top whisky glasses around. You can generally get them for around £5 a piece – here’s a selection on eBay.

Jim Murray’s 2011 Whisky Bible is pretty much a must have for any whisky enthusiast, and costs just under £13. You can’t go wrong with this.

My next suggestion won’t be right for everyone, but spot on for others. If the recipient of your gift likes to take tasting notes when they sample a whisky, why not get them a leather bound journal. It adds a nice bit of legitimacy to the whole endeavour, and makes it even more enjoyable. You can generally pick a decent one up for £25+.  Make sure it’s a quality journal, though, with real leather and that old, worn feel to it.

And finally, the best gift of them all, the ultimate accessory for any gentleman (or lady) whisky, or indeed drink, enthusiast – the Bar globe. You can occasionally find them in second-hand shops for around £50 (you can also try on eBay), and a new one will set you back anywhere between £100-400 (or more, but let’s not get carried away), though in all honesty there is little need to pay more than £2-250. The Columbus Brown from JustGlobes is close to what I have. Satisfaction Guaranteed.

That should cover it, I hope, and may you all have a lovely Valentine’s Day!

This is a guest post by Jon Mitchell, a Welsh-born writer based in Yokohama.

For the past three years, Japanese whisky has been taking the world by storm. In 2007, a bottle of Nikka’s “Taketsuru” was voted the world’s best blend – followed in 2008, by its “Yoichi” being awarded the number one single malt. Last month, Suntory was named “Distiller of the Year” at the International Spirits Challenge in London – and the company’s Yamazaki single malt was chosen as “Supreme Champion Spirit.”

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One of the joys of whisky fanaticism lies in all those little accessories that go with it; be it glasses, coasters, ashtrays, shakers or shirts and hats, I enjoy it all. Especially the really tacky stuff that no one would ever use, but I will save that for another post! This time around I thought I might recommend some gifts suitable for whisky loving friends or partners, as I’ve noticed that a lot of people feel unsure of what to get their connoisseur friends and relatives. Furthermore, Christmas is not that far away!

Buying a bottle of whisky for a fanatic can be intimidating, especially if you don’t know much about whisky yourself. But there are lots of other things you can get them! I’ll list 5 suggestions which will suit different kind of whisky drinkers, and you should hopefully be able to pick the one that suits your loved one best! As the audience here is from all around the world, I am providing you with a link to eBay for each item, it will automatically redirect you to your own country’s site.

1.      Glasses – you’d be surprised with the amount of whisky drinkers who don’t actually have a set of proper glasses! There are 3 different kind of glasses that I think are essential to any enthusiast;

• Tumblers; there are several varieties but my personal favourite is Old Fashioned style tumblers. Orrefors Intermezzo is a personal favourite which I am considering to purchase, or perhaps adding to my wish list! Browse the selection…
• Sniffers/nosing glass; a must for any whisky lover! Browse the selection…
• Glencairn; the crème de la crème of whisky glasses for everyday use, a lovely glass for sniffing and drinking alike. Browse the selection…

2.      Boston Shaker and bar spoon – perfect if they enjoy a whisky cocktail, and the price range allows to spend no more or less than you think they deserve. Browse the selection…

3.      Water jug – any whisky and/or wine snob will love a nice water jug, and as with the shaker there is a load of varieties ranging from quite cheap to really expensive (by the way, I’d recommend checking out Eva Solo jugs for decently priced, functional and beautiful jugs). Browse the selection…

4.      Coasters – you’d be surprised how many whisky drinkers are neat-freaks! There are some stunning coasters out there, and anything that adds to that luxurious feeling of drinking a good whisky gets two thumbs up. Browse the selection…

5.      An old whisky barrel – this is particularly suitable if they have a lot of free space, and they (or you) may need to be a bit handy. An old whisky barrel can be used for a lot of different things ranging from bar tables to general decoration to, and this is my favourite, bar cabinets! The latter requires that you know your way around a hammer, saw and screwdriver… but the end result is amazing, especially for bourbons, in my humble opinion. Browse the selection…

So there you go, a few gift ideas that I am pretty confident would go down well with any dedicated whisky drinker!

In the wide range of whisky flavoured products available, orange marmalade and mustard must be two of the best known and most sold. So far as marmalade goes, Mackays appears to be the winning brand in Scotland. If you go in to any whisky shop here in the lovely Capital you’ll find their jams on one of the back shelves. So far as I know, they’ve got at least four varieties; Macallan, Bowmore, Famous Grouse and Glenfarclas.

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I’m in a bit of a nostalgic mood today, as us old gits sometimes are, and as such I decided to search the web for, well, anything old. Inevitably I ended up looking at whisky related websites and I thought I’d share one with my trusty readers – those of you who are as old as me, or perhaps older, will surely enjoy the nostalgia, I thought. I looked at a few other websites as well, but mainly found corporate drivel and sales pages.

Anyway, what I thought I’d share is this fun collection of old whisky ads. My personal favourites in this particular collection are the “What a Scotch!  [...] White Horse… Of course!” and “Towers above them all –MARTIN’S V.V.O the Scotsman’s Scotch” posters. I don’t know what the scotch tape ad is doing in there, though! By the way, how much better were ads in the past? Much more feeling, cleverness and so much more artistic – everything you see today seems to revolve around either long legs and scantily clad bottoms, bare breasts or robots!

Feel free to drop further nostalgic links in the comments box, if you happen to know of any, as I couldn’t really find as much as I’d hoped.