Rating System

I utilize a five star rating system based on the one used by Paul Pacult in The Spirit Journal (my original inspiration for reviewing spirits):

The star ratings mean:

* Unpleasant - an offensive dram that I don't want to drink. I'd be reluctant to mix it for fear of ruining the cocktail.

** Average - typical and boring (or possessing an "off" flavor profile that isn't so bad it stops me from wanting to drink it at all).  Without any outstanding aspect it isn't worth buying because there are better choices.  But it's possible to drink it and mix it.

*** Above Average - decent.  This product has some recommendable aspect.  I'd drink it willingly and have no problem recommending it.

**** Excellent - wonderful spirit.  This product is highly enjoyable.  I recommend it, would buy it more than once, and would drink it very happily any time.

***** Benchmark -an outstanding and defining example of the genre.  This is a spirit that I would hold up as a paragon of this particular type.  I would judge other examples of this spirit against it.  Typically five star items have a permanent place in my cabinet (or should - if I had a big enough cabinet).

Half stars are not utilized in this scoring system.

I recently have started compound scoring with the standard 100 point scale used by the Malt Maniacs and many others.  I've been participating in a number of events and activities that use this scoring scale so I have begun to do it in parallel with the star system.  In general the two systems line up as follows - but it isn't an absolutely fixed relationship.  If something is extraordinary in some way, for example, it might still be 5 star even while the numeric rating is dragged down.  But, for the most part the two systems mesh as follows:

*****=89-90 points or above.
****=81-88 or 89 points 
***=71-80 points
**=61-70 points
*=60 points or below.