This is my own whisky ranking. I'm an endorser and enthusiast of drinking whisky.
For comparison, I added a professional opinion of Jim Murray, well-known author of Whisky Bible.
My rating:
10 - whisky heaven
9 - excellent
8 - perfect
7 - very good
6 - worth to try
5 - nothing special
4 - drink if you got nothing else
3 - terrible
2 - better than shit
1 - shit
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Bushmills Black Bush
age: not specified
kind: singlemalt
region: Ireland
strength: 40%
website: www.bushmills.com
price: 19-21€ (70cl)
Jim Murray’s rating: 91/100
my rating: 7/10
notes: only a bit worse than Bushmills Classic but still tasty, nice and smooth.
Monkey Shoulder
age: not specified
kind: blended
region: Scotland
strength: 40%
price: 31-33€ (70cl)
website: www.monkeyshoulder.com
Jim Murray’s rating: 79.5/100
my rating: 8/10
notes: very interesting blended whisky created by David Steward - renown malt master - responsible also for my 2011 #1 - Balvenie Golden Cask. beautiful smell and taste. that’s what i like - vanilla and fruits, rich and smooth.
Famous Grouse
age: not specified
kind: blended
region: Scotland
strength: 40%
price: 17-19€ (70cl)
website: www.thefamousgrouse.com
Jim Murray’s rating: 89/100
my rating: 6/10
notes: smells strange but tastes interesting with toffee and caramel. interesting budget option.
Chivas Regal 18
age: 18 yo
kind: blended
region: Scotland
strength: 40%
price: 53-55€ (70cl)
website: www.chivas.com
Jim Murray’s rating: 73.5/100
my rating: 5/10
notes: smells like spice for a chicken. really. nice but for this price i expect something better than chivas 12yo
Jameson
age: not specified
kind: single malt
region: Ireland
strength: 40%
price: 16-18€ (70cl)
website: www.jamesonwhiskey.com
Jim Murray’s rating: 95/100
my rating: 7/10
notes: nice surprise. my Father told me a lot of bad words about Jameson. He’s wrong imho. But Bushmills Classic is better.
Johnnie Walker Green Label
age: 15 yo
kind: blended, pure malt
region: Scotland
strength: 43%
website: www.johnniewalker.com
price: 38-40€ (70cl)
Jim Murray’s rating: not rated (!?)
my rating: 8/10
notes: imho the best in Johnnie Walker’s family. blended from 4 well-known whiskies: Talisker, Caol Ila, Cragganmore and Linkwood. mixing smoky and hard ones from Islands and smooth whiskies from Speyside gives suprising effect. you would love it.
Bushmills Original
age: not specified
kind: singlemalt
region: Ireland
strength: 40%
website: www.bushmills.com
price: 17-19€ (70cl)
Jim Murray’s rating: 80/100
my rating: 7/10
notes: nice surprise. light and full of fruity and vanilla smell. tastes very pleasant. gonna be one of my favourite blended whiskey. interesting alternative for classic ballantine’s if you prefer less smoky taste.
Kilbeggan Finest vs. Tyrconnell
Kilbeggan Finest
age: not specified
kind: blended
region: Ireland
strength: 40%
price: 19-21€ (70cl)
website: www.kilbegganwhiskey.com
Jim Murray’s rating: 86/100
Tyrconnell
age: not specified
kind: single malt
region: Ireland
strength: 40%
price: 29-31€ (70cl)
website: www.tyrconnellwhiskey.com
Jim Murray’s rating: 86/100
and the winner is … Kilbeggan Finest
Kilbeggan Finest - my rating: 6/10
Tyrconnell - my rating: 5/10
notes: i’m not a fan of irish whiskey. kilbeggan is softer with more fruity smell and taste. tyrconnell goes better after adding splash of water.
Johnnie Walker Black Label
age: 12 yo
kind: blended
region: Scotland
strength: 40%
price: 19-21€ (50cl)
website: www.johnniewalker.com
Jim Murray’s rating: 95.5/100
my rating: 5/10
q2p: 25
notes: a bit worse than classic ballantines finest.
Ballantine’s Finest
age: not specified
kind: blended
region: Scotland
strength: 40%
price: 17-19€ (70cl)
website: www.ballantines.com
Jim Murray’s rating: 96/100
my rating: 5/10
notes: not bad, not very good. it’s a bit smoky, a bit vannila. chivas regal is better.
Chivas Regal 12
age: 12 yo
kind: blended
region: Scotland
strength: 40%
price: 25-27€ (70cl)
website: www.chivas.com
Jim Murray’s rating: 83.5/100
my rating: 6/10
notes: my favorite blended whisky. better choice than red (black) walker or classic ballantines. great price option on every airports in duty free shops.
Johnnie Walker Blue Label
age: not specified
kind: blended
region: Scotland
strength: 43%
price: 170-180€ (70cl)
website: www.johnniewalker.com
Jim Murray’s rating: 88/100
my rating: 7/10
notes: smells much better than tastes, a bit smoky, IMHO overpriced
Tullamore Dew
age: not specified
kind: blended
region: Ireland
strength: 40%
price: 15€ (70cl)
website: www.tullamoredew.com
Jim Murray’s rating: 85/100
my rating: 3/10
notes: terrible headache in the morning
Grant’s
age: not specified
kind: blended
region: Scotland
strength: 40%
price: 12-15€ (70cl)
website: www.grantswhisky.com
Jim Murray’s rating: 94/100
my rating: 4/10
Johnnie Walker Gold Label
age: 18 yo
kind: blended
region: Scotland
strength: 40%
price: 40-45€ (70cl)
website: www.johnniewalker.com
Jim Murray’s rating: 96/100
my rating: 7/10
