Today’s blog post was written by a member of the Pikimal content team Alaina Cauchie. She is constantly creating and refining Pikis and is able to give an insightful look behind the scenes. At Pikimal, we strive to be transparent about the ways we help users to make informed decisions.
Liquor is one of those items where many feel slightly taken advantage of. It’s expensive compared to other alcohols, and we wonder sometimes how a $300 bottle can be worth it. As with many products, there is a ‘sweet spot’ where you get the most for your money. Items that are more expensive usually either have features only attractive to some or are relying on the cache of their brand name to instill worth in the product.
We do not test products at Pikimal – we gather data and condense it in order to create as accurate a picture as possible of an item’s quality. There are several well-known spirits competitions that we rely on to create a composite score; or a summary of how these liquors have been judged. Inevitably there will be blind spots in this type of quality assessment – it disadvantages those liquors that have been recently released, or are produced by companies that do not submit their products to competitions. How can we give these items a fair chance?
Easy – by relying on user reviews. Every liquor has at least three user ratings – usually asking about flavor, smoothness, and overall experience. In this way, great liquors can rise in our rankings through community appreciation rather than official competition status.
At Pikimal, we give you the power to determine what is important in your liquor selection. We typically offer several typical use cases (best vodka for a Martini; best tequila for a margarita; best rums for cooking) that highlight our combinations of facts. Do you want it cheap and good? We’ve already found the liquor for you. Want to set it on fire at your next party? Don’t worry; we’ve covered that as well (and we’ve just been inspired to create a fire extinguisher Piki).
The rest of the time, the top 10 list is based on you – what do you prioritize? What isn’t so important? What is required? Choose from different flavors, different countries, different proofs – be as picky as you want, this is YOUR list. Perhaps you decide that what you need is a high-proof, dessert flavored vodka. We won’t judge.