What is Dramface?

An inclusive and independent collaborative platform
with a focus on whisky views & reviews.

 

It exists in the belief that whisky can be enhanced by an open and inclusive mindset — your dramface, if you like. We’ve got a shared interest in the responsible enjoyment of quality spirits. We want to use that to connect with the growing swell of like-minded enthusiasts, sharing experience and knowledge.

The goal is to encourage an appreciation for transparency and value, and to promote understanding and context for whisky — from its history through to modern production.  We’re taking an irreverent approach, but there are a few things that are non-negotiable: fierce independence, inclusivity, fair critique and open-mindedness.

Why? Because we believe whisky demands it.

Hey, hasn’t this been done before?

 

Yes. And no. It’s said there’s no such thing
as an original idea *

We’ve taken inspiration from sources we trust and enjoy. It’s part of the culture of Dramface that we’ll continue to support those sources. We’ll link to their articles, posts, videos and podcasts to promote and celebrate their voices and presence.

 

That’s valuable to the wider community. If we’ve done our job well, many of the dynamics you see here will feel familiar.

Of course, we’re also introducing something different…

* Yes, there is.

So, What’s a ‘Dramface’?

 

dramface | (dræm feîs)

noun

1. The positive persona or mindset we bring to whisky environments. Bridging gaps in background, lifestyle and politics, it naturally occurs wherever shared enthusiasm and generous pours are found.

2. An alias used to remove restriction or prejudgement to whisky opinion in order to encourage honest, valuable, constructive and critical discourse.

Persona

Wear your dramface

We gather in our shared interest for whisky. We encounter individuals and whiskies that we’d perhaps never encounter otherwise. Usually separated by geography, lifestyle, politics, culture, religion or economic mobility – whisky affords us an environment in which we can see each other as people.

That commonality puts us in an open-minded and accepting frame of mind – the best version of ourselves.

 

Alias

Anonymity is not the same as secrecy

An online persona can remove restrictions and free the mind of the writer or thinker. It can allow them to push boundaries they might not usually push. But there’s more.

It’s the same way we might approach a blind pour of whisky. The unknown helps to remove assumptions or bias, and encourages open-minded criticism. We want people to use their ‘Dramface’ alias to encourage the same open-minded reception to opinion, writing and content. Judge the words, not the author!

 

Dramface Team

  • Wally Macaulay

    EDITOR

  • Clyde Sutherland

    SUB-EDITOR

  • Eallair MacColl

    COMMS & SOCIALS

  • Jackie Muir

    MECHANIC

  • Gallie MacOmish

    Gallie MacOmish

    SUB-EDITOR

Why Bother?

Whisky – as both an industry and a community — continues to enjoy unprecedented growth. This brings choice and opportunity that becomes ever more complex. It is vital that strong and independent outlets exist to help enthusiasts understand where quality and value can be found.

 

Those outlets can provide the bridge between the industry and invested enthusiasts, who are increasingly divided. Mass-market, volume-driven products are not necessarily at odds with more naturally presented, ‘enthusiast-friendly’ releases. There exists a reason or a need for everything. Transparency unlocks understanding and acceptance.

Dramface isn’t here to compete with or replace any existing review platform. We’re using our unique culture, structure and vibe to complement existing voices. We want to collaborate with and support fellow whisky websites with similar philosophies.

Serendipity provided the available resources at the right moment to create Dramface.


The main resources for the project were built from the founding team. Each with their own skillset, this team were all individually attracted to a passion project that gave them an excuse to enjoy and contribute more to the world of whisky.

But How?

 

Let’s Talk About Money. And Independence.

Independence is foundational to Dramface. The opinions of our contributors are as free of bias as possible, and we want to keep it that way. This requires a community-funded model — sponsorships from producers would be a major conflict of interest. We’re happy to court conflicting opinions, but conflicting interests aren’t really our thing.

We’re not doing paid-for reviews. Sponsorships aren’t available. Advertising space is not available.

 

So, how does Dramface, as a platform, pay for itself?

Well, it’s pretty simple. We rely on community funding.

Readers who believe in the concept of independent and unsullied opinion can choose to become members. We’re working on ways to make this more enticing as the platform develops. In time, we hope to provide advantages and additional content to reward those who believe in it.

Dramface is currently funded by the founder, but community contributions is how the platform will operate in future.

 

What about contributing authors?

We hope, in time, that the concept can not only pay for itself and the time of the team, but also pay contributors. We think that’s the best way to encourage the best quality for the readership.

Each article, (at the discretion of the author), may also include a link to “Buy Me a Dram”. So, should you find a particular article or review valuable, this is a way to make a direct, one-off donation straight to the author of the article. That way, they can drink more whisky and write more reviews.

We believe the best whisky moments come from independent, informed decisions.

Be one of the first to support us

Four words that shape the cut of our jib

 

Inclusivity
Dramface is for whisky and those who love it. Whoever you are.
If you don’t feel welcome here, we’ve got something wrong.

Positivity
We’ll try to be a positive thing in your whisky life, but we believe an enthusiastic and informed critic drawing attention to a definable, negative aspect is a positive thing.

Integrity
We buy and share our own whiskies.
Paid-for reviews, advertisements or sponsorships are not available.

Pragmatism
Whisky is big business. We can’t have it all our way, all of the time.
But we’ll give it a good go.

Scoring on Dramface

Honesty, transparency and integrity are some of the key values we’ve embedded into the DNA of Dramface. Scoring is a contentious issue, and how you score feeds into the debate.

As a group, we think scoring is the right thing to do. It gives readers a quick idea of our reaction, if that’s what they’re looking for. It’s obviously not the full story, though. Those of you who want to read our forensic tasting notes or Shakespearean preambles are also catered for.

Scoring can be quite a personal thing, but it’s still important. To that end, we’ve put it at the top of our articles. You’ll know what we gave a whisky right from the off — it’s up to you whether you want to read on and discover how we arrived at that conclusion, and if it’s the whisky for you.

We’ve implemented the 1-10 scale, because it’s simple and accessible. 5 is average, but it’s important to note that there’s nothing wrong with an average, well-priced whisky.

Got it? Then let’s start at the top.

 

10/10. Whisky Nirvana

This is the pinnacle, it’s what we’re all pursuing in whisky - the perfect dram.
A rare thing indeed. In order for this to be awarded, a tear was shed. 

9/10. Exceptional

Remarkable. Let’s not focus on why this wasn’t a 10, let’s just enjoy that these exist and share them while we can.
This score celebrates a whisky that is truly worth seeking.

8/10. Something Special

An excellent choice and well worth purchasing at the retail price.
Likely to go on to be held in high regard. Beautiful whisky to savour. 

7/10. Very Good Indeed

This isn’t the 0-100 scale, so this isn’t the new average. This is well above average.
This has given us real pleasure and is considered very worthy of your time. 

6/10. Good Stuff

Priced fairly, this is encouraged as a solid purchase in these heady times.
We predict this may be our most given out score. This mark measures where we think the majority lie today.

5/10. Average. In a Good Way

It has flashes of promise and at least one memorable note but sits comfortably in the middle of the pack.
Represents many of today’s modern whisky releases. 

4/10. Some Promise

These whiskies have some redeeming qualities but annoyingly haven’t come together as we’d hoped,
just slipping down the pecking order. Work required.

3/10. Disappointing

Some hints of promises but ultimately pretty poor and hindered by deficiencies.
These are the kind of releases we’re here to help you avoid. Not as rare as we’d like.

2/10. Avoid

Just barely scraping off the bottom of the barrel. A flat-line in liquid form.
Dull, difficult to find any positives and really not worthy of anyone’s attention.

1/10. Should Not Exist

Don’t bother. Not even as a curiosity. Don’t encourage this trash.
If quality control does its job, this should be a rare thing, but it makes us consider adding a zero.

 

Wow. You read all the way down here.

…and your only reward is a pretty picture of a distillery you may recognise, but perhaps also an understanding of what we’d like to build. We hope you’re a fan. Thank you for taking the time.

You’ve earned your dramface.

 
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Dramface is free. Membership is optional. It's how you can support independent opinion here and encourage it to thrive. Less than the cost of a magazine. A magazine with no ads, no sponsorships and no paid promotions. Ever. Thank you for considering it.