"Spirits, Unflavored Vodka, Vodka, Lithuania, Vodka Spirits, Platinum Medal Spirits, Superlative Spirit"
Judges notes: Clear. Fine, delicate aromas of macadamia gelato and porcelain with soft, dryish medium body and a clean creamy nougat and mineral finish. A sensationally pure, smooth and stylish vodka for all applications. Impressive!
International Review of Spirits Award: Platinum Medal
Gera Premium Vodka Ltr. Best Buy.
RATING: 96 points (Superlative)
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME: 40.0%
CATEGORY: Unflavored Vodka, Vodka
TASTING LOCATION: In Our Chicago Tasting Room
TASTING DATE: Nov 2011
Premium Gera Vodka scored 96 points out of 100 and achieved a Superlative rating. This exceeds both premium and super premium. The Management Team at J.A.E. has no intention of increasing the price of Premium Gera Vodka. Josh Estes [pres] said “In these trying times, most especially during the upcoming Holiday Season, entertaining with Premium Gera Vodka will remain a very affordable choice”.
With this scale, tasters needn’t concern themselves with the difference between an 88 and an 86, or a 90 and a 91. Wines with two scores of "4" are sent to the "merit round," whose range is as follows:
3--Very good, but not of the highest merit (88-89 points).
4--Truly excellent in style and distinction (90-92).
5--Outstanding, though not quite one of the world’s finest (93-95).
6--Provides a world-class experience (96-100).
Who decides what a spirit rates?
BTI was the first organization to publish wine reviews online —managing the America Online Food and Drink Network from 1989 to 1999. All of our reviews, including over 30,000 of our most recent reviews, plus hundreds of articles, now appear on our website, Tastings.com. Leading producers and marketers participate in BTI’s reviews and competitions because they recognize the Institute’s ability to identify and describe the best products and get that information out to consumers. Additionally, BTI partners with many other websites and media that feature its reviews. Examples include: CNBC, BusinessWeek TV, theChicago Tribune, WGN Radio, Martha Stewart Radio, BBC Radio International, All About Beer magazine, Restaurant Hospitality magazine, and many others Our Tasting Lab
To make our information as consistent as possible, the Beverage Testing Institute uses a dedicated tasting lab in Chicago. This room was specially designed to minimize external factors and maximize our panelists’ concentration. Tasting at the same time of day practically every weekday morning, under the same ideal conditions, is far better than working out of a suitcase or at a producer’s facility.
Our Panels
We rely heavily on highly experienced, professional guest tasters who are either retailers, restaurateurs, or prominent writers that are especially knowledgeable about the beverage category being reviewed. All panelists are rigourously screened and audited and then trained in our proprietary blind tasting methodology. Our director, Jerald O’Kennard, moderates the panels. For a recent list of panelists, click here .
Our Scoring
A basic tenet of qualitative evaluation is that the shorter the scale, the easier it is for tasters to repeat their scores — and repeatability is the essence of accuracy. Our tasters now use a simple scale with four bands. In the first round we use this range:
1--Not recommended (less than 80 points).
2--Of sound commercial quality, though not overly exciting (80-84).
3--Shows style and character, yet probably not of the highest merit (85-89).
4--Highest quality.
With this scale, tasters needn’t concern themselves with the difference between an 88 and an 86, or a 90 and a 91. Wines with two scores of "4" are sent to the "merit round," whose range is as follows:
3--Very good, but not of the highest merit (88-89 points).
4--Truly excellent in style and distinction (90-92).
5--Outstanding, though not quite one of the world’s finest (93-95).
6--Provides a world-class experience (96-100).
This allows our tasters to consider general quality, without the distraction of adding points. Products breaking the critical 90-point barrier are tasted twice without exception, virtually guaranteeing that they will deserve their accolades. Also, after the first round, those with a wide disparity in score are re-tasted. We also re-taste many that scored poorly, to make sure a bad sample was not at fault.Scores and Their Meaning
The scores are then translated onto a modified 100-point scale. We think the five "bands" below more accurately reflect the quality of products in today’s market. It roughly corresponds to a five-star system:
96-100--Superlative
90-95--Exceptional
85-89--Highly Recommended
80-84--Recommended
less than 80--Not Recommended
