About the Author
Born in the early 90s as Nicholas Paul Anderson, 'Amongst' has always been a bit of a nerd. The son of a carpenter and an artist/musician, his life has intersected many passions, from the hands-on to the ephemeral. His early life experience of installing roofing quickly pushed him towards career paths that might utilize the brain more than the body. Being a gifted learner, Nick excelled in his education, which allowed him to explore the things that inspire his passion. Some of those passions he's found in the many magical moments in the great outdoors: hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping, all of which were instilled from his time in Scouting. As a natural introvert, spending time outdoors is his ultimate recharge. He loves folk music, staring into campfires, misty cool weather, and sharing good whiskey with good people. Today, Nick is an impassioned product development manager, bringing complex medical devices to market to help improve the lives of those around him. He's truly one of the weird ones who adores Mondays, never shies away from a challenge, and lives to solve problems. You will often find him wearing a hat, singing, being goofy, or nerding out over something in a small sidebar conversation. He wholeheartedly believes anything worth doing is worth overdoing, and he will invest every ounce of his being in perfecting whatever he's set his mind to.
He also hates writing in the third person.
Editorial Policy
Content Policy
My life experiences and years of exploring whiskey have led me to the palate that I have today. I work hard to keep myself educated on the nuance of taste and smell so that I can continue to excel as someone who enjoys recounting the incredible adventure of responsibly enjoying whiskey. As a whiskey writer, my word is my bond. I promise to always give honest feedback. Regardless of where the whiskey originated, I only care about what is in the bottle. I don't apply any scaling or adjustments based on price or availability. My 5-point rating scale is quite simple and designed to allow the wide range of releases I explore to follow a normal distribution. If my process is working properly, the majority of my reviews should fall under my 3/5 rating. As of July 27, 2024, AmongstTheWhiskey.com now features a rating scale with 0.5 point increments to bring better nuance to the evaluation process. If I find a whiskey to be particularly moving, I may opt to give it the "Keep Amongst the Whiskey" distinction. The purpose of this distinction to indicate a whiskey I want to keep around for a particular purpose. This may be because of a specific memory it elicited as I explored it, or it could just be because I know the people in my life will also enjoy it when I share it with them. These reviews will be distinguished with the "Keep Amongst the Whiskey" stamp just after the rating and can also be searched for by tag.
I chose my 5-point scale because I have long lamented the industry norm of whiskey ratings being on a 100-point range, but you only ever see scores between 85 and 100. What's the point of the rest of that scale? While I don't ever want to intentionally tear down any brand, I do think it is important for readers to be able to know what doesn't jive with the author's palate. A whiskey that earns a 1/5 is not necessarily a bad whiskey, but it is a bad whiskey to my palate. Only the most exceptional whiskeys will earn my highest score.
Review Process
My methodology for reviewing whiskey is thorough, patient, and standardized. I only write full reviews with a sober and fresh palate. I try to maintain a consistent diet and sleep schedule and avoid any activities that can change my perception of smell and taste. I exclusively utilize a Glencairn glass for consistency. I pour a consistent ounce, and I let it rest in the glass for at least 5 minutes before diving in. Prior to publishing a full review of any product, I will taste it at least three times on separate days to triangulate my experience with it. I rate exclusively on taste, which is really the commingling of the olfactory sense and our taste buds. I nose for a while before drinking anything, and then I always revisit the nose after taking a sip to see how it has changed, which it often does. I consistently go above and beyond, choosing to nose the empty glass once I have thoroughly explored the liquid. If I'm not satisfied that I have given it a fair shake, I will revisit it on another day rather than rush out any content.
I do occasionally write in a shorter article style called "Flash Review" for products that do not meet the tasting criteria laid out above, such as sample bottles that only allow 1 or 2 tastings to occur. I distinguish these reviews very intentionally, as I don't believe I have spent enough time with these whiskeys to really know them. The title of the review will have wording such as 'flash review,' 'fresh crack,' 'first impressions,' or something similar that differentiates it from the rest. In general, my preference is to be able to taste something 3 times across the board.
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Media Samples
I am open to accepting samples of any whiskey style that aligns with my palate and will serve the education of my readers. I will accept samples in any format, though original packaging that will be recognizable is important for photography purposes. I reserve the right to choose a suitable medium for sharing my thoughts on samples in any way I see fit, such as a full article, flash review, Instagram post, reel, YouTube upload, or perhaps none of the above. Receiving a sample in no way obligates me to put out any content unless we have an agreement in place ahead of time. In a formal review, I will always maintain transparency when whiskey is provided to me in return for an honest review, and it will be noted somewhere in my write-up. Transparency is an important pillar of this platform for me. While I will make every effort to review a sample sent to me in a reasonable timeframe, I will not be able to commit to a specific turnaround time unless we have a chance to discuss it further. As you can see, my process is quite thorough, and I am not willing to compromise my own integrity under any circumstances.
If you're interested in working with me or need an address for sending samples, please send me an email. I appreciate any opportunity to learn about a new whiskey!
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Content Ownership
All content on this website is exclusively my own work, unless otherwise noted. Comments made by others on blog posts are the responsibility of the posting party and do not represent my opinion. I may, at times, include quotes from external websites or links to articles that others have written, but these will be clearly distinguished from my own writing. As of May 15th, 2024, AmongstTheWhiskey.com does support and utilize guest writers who are allowed to submit their own works to the blog. All guest writers will have been individually selected after careful consideration for their congruency with my own process. By joining the blog, these writers agree to be bound by all the same principles laid out in this policy. I do not use AI to generate any of the content on this site. All content is intended for those of legal drinking age in your respective country. By accessing AmongstTheWhiskey.com and any subpages of this domain, you are confirming that you are in compliance with all of your local laws and guidelines. All content hosted on this domain is for informational purposes only. All opinions expressed here are my own and are not intended to be promotional or defamatory. I expect to be given credit for any reproductions of the work displayed here. Please contact me if you believe any content goes against the conventions laid out in this editorial policy.
