For most of us, picking out an ideal bottle can be a tough task. With the plethora of options that both retailers and online stores offer us, it’s hard to figure out what would be perfect for us. And let’s be honest, we don’t really want to go wrong with the spirits we’re picking, do we? The question is, how does one figure out what to buy? And why buy that bottle?

Don’t worry, we’ve got you. Here’s how you can pick the perfect spirits for you, be it online, or in-store.

• What’s your drinking occasion?

Before picking a bottle of liquor, you need to figure out when you’re drinking this liquor, what’s the occasion, and what you’re drinking the wine with. For example, are you hosting a dinner with cocktails? Then you might want to go with spirits that will work well with your food. Are you hosting a house party with a bunch of your friends to get buzzed? Then you might want to go with spirits that are a little bit on the valuable side so you can stock them up, of course, depending on your budget. Or are you just drinking with your partner on a chilly night? Then a high-end bourbon would be a must grab.

Once you have that figured, you can do a little bit of research to find out what spirits would work best for you. Once you have a list that you’d like to go with, then things will become easier for you.  It’s important for you to know what you kind of want, or else the plethora of different spirits are just going to confuse you to no end. Do you want vodka? And do you want a flavoured vodka? Actually, what vodka is perfect for you? These questions are bound to confuse you.

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• Check out reviews

Another way to pick out liquor is by checking reviews. Of course, this one is pretty obvious, since most of us usually do that anyway. But the tricky part is, which reviews can you trust? There are going to be a million reviews across the internet, but which one are you going to believe?

When checking out spirits reviews, it’s best to go through trusted sources such as Decanter, London Drinks Guide, and Top 100 LSC spirits. Trusted sources will give you honest reviews in terms of taste, tannins, feel, etc.

Another way to check out reviews is through influencers. If you’re a flavoured vodka lover, you’ll easily be able to spot an influencer who also loves a similar taste. This way, you’ll know that you have similar tastes, therefore, the liquor recommended by that particular influencer is likely to be loved by you.

You can also play around with apps, scan labels and see what the reviews and specs say. Apps are huge right now, and they are a great help in figuring out what spirits you’d like. However, when checking reviews, make sure you keep in mind that you might have different taste for spirits than others, so it could go a little wrong as well.

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• Look for a competition medal on bottles

Spirits competitions have proven to be one of the best ways to figure out which bottles are good or not. Most competitions are judged on the basis of quality, and the judges are buyers, bartenders, bar managers, and those experts who deal with consumers and spirits buying on a daily basis. As you’re walking down the aisles, or scrolling through your favourite liquor delivery website, make sure you keep your eye out for competition medals.

A great example is the London Spirits Competition. Winning bottles at the London Spirits Competition all have medals attached to them. Each medal has the number of points the spirits received, which will help you understand what judges thought of it. Moreover, London Spirits Competition spirits aren’t only judged on the taste and quality, but also on the packaging and good price value. So if you see a gold medal from the London Spirits Competition on a bottle, you know it’s going to be worth it in terms of all quality, price point, and packaging.

• Read the back of the label

Reading the back of the label will help you in figuring out if this is what you really want. All information you need from liquor is usually at the back of its label. It’s good to read the back of the label and make a note of it. This way, once you purchase the bottle, and figure out whether you like it or not, you will be able to remember it. So you definitely wouldn’t be making a mistake again.

Picking the perfect bottle of liquor can be tricky, but with a few filters, you’re bound to find your ideal bottle.

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