Another person, Maddie, who bought THE NEW KINDRED SPIRITS just asked me the following via email: She understands that in my one -to- five-star ratings that anything scored one-star is pretty much undrinkable while those products getting five-stars are categorical benchmarks. So then, how do I differentiate between two-, three- and four-star spirits?

Great question from Maddie. Here’s how I approach bestowing the middle-range stars.

Two-stars: a lackluster product that doesn’t have any glaring flaws but likewise wouldn’t compel me to recommend it to a friend. A ho-hum, wholly average example of whatever category it hails from.

Three-stars: here we’re getting more complex and interesting in the categorical sense of how that type of spirit historically has been represented. This is now a product that I would recommend to a friend and would purchase myself. Above average quality.

Four-stars: it’s at this point where a product instills excitement in my analytical brain because now I’m recognizing that this spirit is not only far better than average, flawless, and captivating, but it owns a distinctive character that reflects the better aspects of the category standards. Not only would I buy this product but I’d drive around in search of it.

From a practical, admittedly unscientific standpoint, that’s in part how I arrive at the degree of star ratings in the middle levels. Thanks, Maddie.