Best of Scotch Blog - Meaningless Awards

On the day you read this, I'm on my way to Scotland to attend the Islay Festival. While I'm away, new comments will not be approved, but please feel free to make your comments and I'll get to them when I return.

Highland Park is good stuff, don't get me wrong. But PLEASE STOP turning the comments of a single critic into meaningless awards. It demeans the industry!

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Originally Posted - July 26, 2005

Who chooses what's No 1???

Note: I'm sure you'll be reading the following in a number of places if, like me, you get a regular feed of whisky related stories. This very "article" is a big part of the reason why, unlike all of the whisky news and information sites, I don't simply post press releases.

"Highland Park named world's No 1 spirit"

According to a recent story in the Scotsman (link at the bottom), The American Spirit Journal, "a leading drinks magazine" has named Highland Park 18 year old the best spirit in the world. Not just the best whisky, mind you, but the best spirit.

    The problem is there is no American Spirit Journal!!!

Even aside from that little fact- I'm a little suspicious of stories like this. I mean how do you compare and judge a whisky (or ALL whiskies) against the numerous tequilas, vodkas and gins?

I want more information. Who were the judges? How were they judged? Just what is "The American Spirit Journal," since it doesn't really exist?

A little reading and research goes a long way. And obviously reporters don't do either.

Let's look closer. According to the Scotsman article,

The Highland Park 18-year-old single malt topped a list of the world's 100 best distilled spirits, published in the American Spirit Journal. The list was compiled by the American drinks specialist Paul Pacult, who judged thousands of whiskies, rums, gins, vodkas, tequilas and other distilled spirits for the list. He said: "Out of the hundreds of whiskies from Scotland, Canada, the US, Japan, India and Ireland, Highland Park 18-year-old is the finest of them all and right now is my favourite distilled spirit.

Ah, Paul Pacult. Yes, he is a writer on the topic of spirits, with four books under his belt. Though two of those books appear to be written on behalf of the companies on whom the subject matter is based (Chivas Brothers & Jim Beam). But as stated above, there is no American Spirit Journal. So where was this list of best spirits published?

Could it be in the F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal which DOES exist?

If so, this means that Paul has decided to rate his favorite liquors, in his self published journal.

Does he have the right to name his "favourite distilled spirit?" Absolutely.

But Paul's personal preference was disseminated, via press release, as if it were an actual award. And of course, the release was scooped up and further disseminated by Highland Park. And those news hungry reporters turn the press release into a story.

Don't you think that releasing Paul's personal favorites as a news story is a little silly?

Highland Park IS a great whisky. But is it the best? To Paul, obviously. To you and me? Maybe, maybe not.

If you want to rate "the best" how about you start by convening panel of experts including MacLean, Jackson, Murray and some select others. Now that would have some weight with me. (Note 8/3/05: Brett from Binny's reminded me that Whisky Magazine recently released their 3rd "Best of the Best" list which is done with blind tastings by panel judges. Highland Park 18 y.o. did not make that list.)

I doubt though, that this prestigious group would agree on a single "best."

I think any promotion of the whisky industry is a good thing, and helps bring new drinkers in. But getting new drinkers is all about helping them find what they like. Not pushing a single, expensive bottle, based on one person's opinion.

Read the press release here.

Keep an eye on this; and you'll see the media 'chain reaction' begin,with reporters beginning to grab, in ever smaller pieces, the parts of the story they want. The story will soon morph into a one liner: "Highland Park voted best whisky in the world" without much of the background info.

Oh, by the way, I hereby declare Laphroaig Cask Strength to be the best whisky. And Hendricks Gin to be the best spirit in the world. Well at least they are MY favorites.

Note: I'm sure you'll be reading the following in a number of places if, like me, you get a regular feed of whisky related stories. This very "article" is a big part of the reason why, unlike all of the whisky news and information sites, I don't simply post press releases.

"Highland Park named world's No 1 spirit"

According to a recent story in the Scotsman (link at the bottom), The American Spirit Journal, "a leading drinks magazine" has named Highland Park 18 year old the best spirit in the world. Not just the best whisky, mind you, but the best spirit.

    The problem is there is no American Spirit Journal!!!

Even aside from that little fact- I'm a little suspicious of stories like this. I mean how do you compare and judge a whisky (or ALL whiskies) against the numerous tequilas, vodkas and gins?

I want more information. Who were the judges? How were they judged? Just what is "The American Spirit Journal," since it doesn't really exist?

A little reading and research goes a long way. And obviously reporters don't do either.

Let's look closer. According to the Scotsman article,

The Highland Park 18-year-old single malt topped a list of the world's 100 best distilled spirits, published in the American Spirit Journal. The list was compiled by the American drinks specialist Paul Pacult, who judged thousands of whiskies, rums, gins, vodkas, tequilas and other distilled spirits for the list. He said: "Out of the hundreds of whiskies from Scotland, Canada, the US, Japan, India and Ireland, Highland Park 18-year-old is the finest of them all and right now is my favourite distilled spirit.

Ah, Paul Pacult. Yes, he is a writer on the topic of spirits, with four books under his belt. Though two of those books appear to be written on behalf of the companies on whom the subject matter is based (Chivas Brothers & Jim Beam). But as stated above, there is no American Spirit Journal. So where was this list of best spirits published?

Could it be in the F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal which DOES exist?

If so, this means that Paul has decided to rate his favorite liquors, in his self published journal.

Does he have the right to name his "favourite distilled spirit?" Absolutely.

But Paul's personal preference was disseminated, via press release, as if it were an actual award. And of course, the release was scooped up and further disseminated by Highland Park. And those news hungry reporters turn the press release into a story.

Don't you think that releasing Paul's personal favorites as a news story is a little silly?

Highland Park IS a great whisky. But is it the best? To Paul, obviously. To you and me? Maybe, maybe not.

If you want to rate "the best" how about you start by convening panel of experts including MacLean, Jackson, Murray and some select others. Now that would have some weight with me. (Note 8/3/05: Brett from Binny's reminded me that Whisky Magazine recently released their 3rd "Best of the Best" list which is done with blind tastings by panel judges. Highland Park 18 y.o. did not make that list.)

I doubt though, that this prestigious group would agree on a single "best."

I think any promotion of the whisky industry is a good thing, and helps bring new drinkers in. But getting new drinkers is all about helping them find what they like. Not pushing a single, expensive bottle, based on one person's opinion.

Read the press release here.

Keep an eye on this; and you'll see the media 'chain reaction' begin,with reporters beginning to grab, in ever smaller pieces, the parts of the story they want. The story will soon morph into a one liner: "Highland Park voted best whisky in the world" without much of the background info.

Oh, by the way, I hereby declare Laphroaig Cask Strength to be the best whisky. And Hendricks Gin to be the best spirit in the world. Well at least they are MY favorites.