Single Malt Ratings is built to make whisky discovery simple: one clear score, meaningful reviews, and curated Top 10 lists you can trust. Here’s how everything fits together.
1) Two Scores: Our Score vs Community Score
Our Score
This is the site’s rating for each whisky (0–100). It’s the main score used for many of the Top 10 lists on the site (for example: Top 10 Highland, Top 10 Japan, Top 10 Heavily Peated).
Community Score
This is the average of all user ratings for that whisky (also shown as /100).
The more ratings a whisky has, the more reliable the Community Score becomes.
You may see a “number of ratings” next to the Community Score. This helps you judge how representative it is.
In short:
Our Score = the site’s score
Community Score = the users’ average score
2) Rating a Whisky (0–100)
When you rate a whisky, you give it a score from 1 to 100.
A simple way to think about the scale:
90–100: Exceptional — world-class bottles
80–89: Excellent — confidently recommended
70–79: Good — enjoyable and solid
60–69: Average — decent, but not memorable
Below 60: Not for you (or not a great example of the style)
Your rating is personal, but using the scale consistently makes your profile and your Top 10 much more meaningful.
3) “Want to Try” vs “Rated” (Have Tried)
There are two ways to track whiskies:
Want to Try
Use this to bookmark whiskies you want to taste in the future. It’s your personal wishlist.
Rated (Have Tried)
Once you rate a whisky, it automatically becomes part of your “Have Tried” list.
You don’t need a separate “Have Tried” button, your ratings are the proof you’ve tried it.
Important rule: a whisky cannot be on both lists.
If you rate a whisky, it will be removed from Want to Try automatically.
If you move a whisky back to Want to Try, you may be warned that your saved rating/review will be removed (so the lists stay consistent).
4) Reviews: Optional, But Powerful
A rating is required to score a whisky. A review is optional.
When you write a review you can include:
A headline (optional)
Your written review text (optional, max 300 words)
Moderation:
Ratings can be saved immediately.
Written reviews may require approval before they appear publicly (to keep quality high).
Where your review appears:
On the whisky page (so others can read it)
On your profile under My Reviews
5) Likes & Comments on Reviews
Reviews are meant to be social.
Other members can like your review.
They can also comment on your review (as a comment under that review — not a new review).
This keeps discussions attached to the right whisky and the right review.
6) Your Profile: What People See
Your profile is your tasting journey. It includes:
Followers / Following
People can follow your profile, and you can follow others.
Have Tried
A list of whiskies you’ve rated (with your score).
Want to Try
The whiskies you’ve saved for later.
My Reviews
A list of whiskies you’ve reviewed. Clicking a whisky takes you directly to your review on that whisky page.
Top 10 (automatic)
Once you’ve rated at least 10 whiskies, your profile automatically generates a Top 10 list based on your highest scores:
On your own profile: My Top 10 List
On someone else’s profile: {Name}’s Top 10 List
7) Top 10 Lists (Regions, Countries, Smoke Levels)
Single Malt Ratings includes many Top 10 lists, all in the same style for easy comparison. Examples:
Regions
Top 10 Highland
Top 10 Speyside
Top 10 Islay
Top 10 Lowland
Countries
Top 10 Japan
Top 10 USA
Top 10 Ireland
Top 10 Taiwan
Top 10 France
Smoke / Peat Whiskies are grouped by peat level (0–10):
0–2: Low / None
3–6: Medium
7–10: High
These lists are ranked by Our Score (unless clearly marked as Community).
Want to discover great palates?
Use the member search to find profiles and see:
What they’ve rated
Their Top 10
Their reviews and taste preferences
Quick Start
If you’re new, do this:
Add a few whiskies to Want to Try
Rate your first 10 whiskies
Write a few short reviews (headline + a couple lines is enough)
Check your Top 10 and refine your scores
Follow people whose taste matches yours
That’s it—your profile becomes a living whisky map.