I occasionally review stores on this site as well as whiskies. For clarity’s sake, here’s what I’m looking for in a store, and how I rate on that basis. As usual, it is critical to keep in mind that I am mainly a single malt Scotch drinker, and how I approach the retail sector is above all from that perspective. I certainly enjoy other types of whisky/whiskey (especially bourbon and rye), but that has little to no impact on how I regard a retailer.

The main criterion I judge a retailer by is selection: it should be enormous and wide-ranging, and should include the workaday, the rare, and everything in between. There should be multiple bottlings from every (or at least most) currently active malt distillers, both proprietary and independent. At least for now, there should probably be a handful of bottlings from many (if not all) distilleries that permanently closed in the last 50-60 years. Sourced bottlings should be scarce, and carefully curated.

Prices should be reasonable and in line with other retailers, give or take.

If the store has a website, it should be easy to use, up to date, and it should be easy and intuitive to search, at a minimum, on criteria like region, distillery name, and independent versus proprietary bottlings. Ideally, it should be pretty easy to filter on chillfiltration, single cask bottlings, cask strength bottlings, and so on.

Here’s a rough overview of how my scale works:

0: A selection so poor that it’s barely there at all along with extortionate prices on anything they do have. Think convenience stores.

1-2: Minimal selection. Somewhere under 15-20 malts, all widely available, possibly overpriced. Think grocery stores (at least here in the US) or drug stores like Walgreen’s or CVS that carry some liquor.

3-4: Adequate selection. Somewhere around 25-60 malts, with several expressions from widely available distilleries and maybe the occasional bottling from a more obscure distillery and intermittent appearances from independent bottlings. Think more or less average liquor stores in mid-sized American cities. Here in Albuquerque, local outlets like Kelly’s, Quarters, and Latitudes fall broadly within this category.

5: Solid selection. 60-150 malts with multiple selections from major malt brands, along with a substantial selection of lesser known malts and/or independent bottlings. Think better liquor stores in mid-sized American cities and (most) branches of chain stores like Total Wine.

6-7: (Very) Good selection (150-500 malts with comprehensive coverage of major and secondary brands, alongside a substantial selection of lesser known malts and an extensive portfolio of independent bottlings). This category and above does not exist in New Mexico and is probably at least unusual in most other non-coastal states. The only examples I’ve personally been to are the Spec’s location near Sunland Park mall in El Paso and Mission Liquors, a small regional chain with several locations in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.

8-9: Excellent Selection. Over 500 malts, might be missing a handful of distilleries but should have at least several bottles from the vast majority of Scotland’s malt distilleries. There should be expansive coverage across multiple independent bottlers and probably at least a handful of bottles from closed distilleries (at least for now). I’ve never actually been to a Binny’s in the greater Chicago area, but browsing their website, I’d say they probably fit in this category alongside online retailers based in the UK and northwestern EU.

10: Superior selection. Thousands of malts, with numerous expressions from almost every distillery in Scotland and comprehensive coverage from at least 10-15 independent bottlers alongside numerous bottlings from more obscure or smaller independent bottling concerns. The selection from closed distilleries or other rarities should be at least competitive with auction houses. This is the rarified air of the major online retailers based in the UK such as Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange.

It’s worth noting that particular areas of strength can elevate a store that, in sheer number of malts offered, should perhaps rank lower. It’s also worth noting that in the upper echelons (above 5 or 6), pricing tends to be a little more competitive, so at least in my experience, it’s unlikely that a retailer with a really good Scotch selection is going to have unusually usurious pricing. And yes, I do use fractionalized ratings in a .5 increment to designate “in betweens”.