10-13-2017, 08:38 AM
Jim nie pije whisky 
It's International Talk About Jim Murray Day and a lot of people have a lot to say without ever having been to one of his events. I have been, and this is what I discovered.
Pro Jim:
1. Jim has the most intensive and rigorous system for ensuring that he tastes consistently that I have ever seen. He will avoid people to ensure he doesn't get a cold, he will avoid scents, he will warm up his palate with standard set of baseline drams to ensure he is tasting at his peak. I've never seen or heard of anyone putting this much effort into consistency.
2. Suggestions that he is 'on the take' are completely unsubstantiated and absolutely defamatory. Unless you have evidence, stop defaming the man. You don't have to like him, but just because you don't like him does not mean you should spread gossip when you have no idea if it is true.
Anti Jim:
1. Part of Jim's tasting process involves warming the dram in his hands for ten minutes before tasting. Temperature changes the aroma and taste of whisky, and very few people do this regularly. In effect, Jim is nosing and tasting a very different dram to the rest of us, so his notes and scores are not necessarily relevant to the rest of us.
2. Jim does not drink whisky. He noses, tastes and spits. This is not what most whisky lovers do, and I suspect this will change his experience of the finish compared to the rest of us.
3. The man sells books and he is good at selling books. He has genuine incentives to generate publicity (he always puts the book out just in time for the Christmas buying season) and nothing generates publicity like controversy. Expect some curve-balls in every book and understand why they are there.
It's International Talk About Jim Murray Day and a lot of people have a lot to say without ever having been to one of his events. I have been, and this is what I discovered.
Pro Jim:
1. Jim has the most intensive and rigorous system for ensuring that he tastes consistently that I have ever seen. He will avoid people to ensure he doesn't get a cold, he will avoid scents, he will warm up his palate with standard set of baseline drams to ensure he is tasting at his peak. I've never seen or heard of anyone putting this much effort into consistency.
2. Suggestions that he is 'on the take' are completely unsubstantiated and absolutely defamatory. Unless you have evidence, stop defaming the man. You don't have to like him, but just because you don't like him does not mean you should spread gossip when you have no idea if it is true.
Anti Jim:
1. Part of Jim's tasting process involves warming the dram in his hands for ten minutes before tasting. Temperature changes the aroma and taste of whisky, and very few people do this regularly. In effect, Jim is nosing and tasting a very different dram to the rest of us, so his notes and scores are not necessarily relevant to the rest of us.
2. Jim does not drink whisky. He noses, tastes and spits. This is not what most whisky lovers do, and I suspect this will change his experience of the finish compared to the rest of us.
3. The man sells books and he is good at selling books. He has genuine incentives to generate publicity (he always puts the book out just in time for the Christmas buying season) and nothing generates publicity like controversy. Expect some curve-balls in every book and understand why they are there.