New to reviewing? This is the process every review here follows. Keep the Review Desk open in another tab and work through it as you taste. Nothing you type in the desk leaves your browser. Rather taste with a pen? Print the tasting sheet and type it up later.
- 1Set upA Glencairn or tulip glass, about an ounce, and a few minutes. Let it rest in the glass while you jot down the bottle details.
- 2Taste in orderLook first, then work through nose, palate, finish. Pick flavors on the wheel as they show up, and add your own words.
- 3Make the callScore it on the Den Scale, decide if it's worth the money, and write one bold bottom line.
- 4Share itDownload the Instagram card, post it to Discord, save the .md, or print it.
Rather write somewhere else? Grab the blank review template (.md), fill it in with any text editor or notes app, then bring it back with Open .md file in the desk.
Tasting, step by step
Visual
Hold the glass against something white. Name the color with the chart. Swirl it: thick, slow legs and an oily coat usually mean more body.
Color isn't proof of age. Some barrels just stain fast.
Nose
Lips apart, small sniffs, nose at the rim and then lower. Say the first thing you smell, then come back after a minute or two. It changes as it sits.
Too much heat? Pull back, or add a drop of water.
Palate
The first sip resets your mouth. The second one tells you the truth. Move it around and note the order: what hits first, what shows up mid-palate, how the proof feels.
Think in families: fruit, sweet, spice, grain, wood, savory.
Finish
After you swallow, count. Short is a few seconds, long keeps going for a minute or more. Note what stays and whether the heat builds or fades.
A warm, spicy finish is normal at higher proof.
Thoughts
Tell the story: how it compares to ones you know, what it reminds you of, when you'd reach for it. This is where the review becomes yours.
Be honest. "Not for me" is a useful review.
Bottom line
One bold sentence a friend could read and know whether to buy it. If you only had a text message to sum it up, what would it say?
Then pick the value call below.
The Den Scale
Score how much you enjoy it, then judge the price separately with a value call. Decimals are welcome.
Beyond Redemption This is a drain pour.
Disgusting Only saved by making it into a cocktail.
Bad Dislike it but could drink it.
Below Average Not mad about it, but not happy either.
Average This is fine.
Above Average Always happy to drink, but not something to seek.
Great Something you enjoy and would reach for on many nights.
Excellent I will always have it in my bar, if able.
Near Perfect One of the best pours of my life.
The GOAT The perfect dram.
What you'll make
Everything below comes out of the Review Desk. Press Load example on the desk to see it filled in.
The review card
The Tasting card tab in the desk makes a 1080 × 1350 image, sized for an Instagram post, with your score, value call and every flavor you picked. Pick your colors before you download. For photo cards, the Card Studio has Showcase, The Hunt, Review and Post cards in four layouts.
The review file (.md)
Download the exampleSave .md keeps your review as a plain text Markdown file. The top block holds the details and your score; the sections below are your notes. Open it in any editor, post it to a blog, or load it back into the desk with Open .md file.
--- title: Example Single Barrel Bourbon date: 2026-10-28 rating: 8.4 outof: 10 scale: Den Scale distillery: Example Distilling Co. style: Kentucky Straight Bourbon age: 7 years proof: 116.2 mashbill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Barley bottle: Open pick: Store pick price: 64.99 color: Copper nose: Cherry, caramel, cinnamon, toasted palate: Brown sugar, baking spice, bitter chocolate finish: Oak, black pepper, leather --- This is an example review. Load it to see how the desk works, then start a new review of your own. ## 👀 Visual **Color:** Copper Deep copper with a slow, oily coat on the glass. ## 👃 Nose Cherry and caramel up front, with cinnamon and toasted oak once it sits. ## 👅 Palate Brown sugar and baking spice, then dark chocolate. The proof shows up warm but never hot. ## 🔥 Finish Long, with oak, black pepper and a little leather. --- ## 💭 Thoughts A barrel that drinks above its age and its price. ## ⭐ Rating: 8.4/10 Big flavor, well balanced, and easy to come back to. **An easy one to recommend.**
Post it to Discord
Sharing in a Discord channel, like a club's review channel? The desk formats it for you: headings, bold labels and the score line, split into messages under Discord's 2,000-character limit.
- Finish your review on the desk and open the Discord tab. Each message has its own Copy button.
- Save the card from the Tasting card tab so it's ready to attach.
- In your channel, start a new post with the name of the bottle as the title.
- Attach your photo first so it becomes the thumbnail, then the card.
- Paste message 1 and post it. Longer reviews come in more than one part; paste the rest as replies, in order.
On a phone? Copy one part at a time and paste it straight into the Discord app.
Learn from real reviews
Reviews from this site. Notice how each one explains the score, not just states it.
