How Affiliate Links Work
Some pages on Dram Verdict — including many reviews — contain affiliate links, usually in the “Where to Buy” section as a “Check Current Price” button. At the moment these links go to The Whisky Exchange through the Awin affiliate network; other retailers or networks may be added over time, and this page will be updated when they are. If you buy through one of these links, Dram Verdict may earn a commission from the retailer — at no extra cost to you, since the price you pay is the same either way. How the click is tracked is explained in the Privacy Policy.
Not every link on the site is an affiliate link. Links to distilleries, background sources and other publications generally are not, and earn nothing.
What This Does Not Affect
Whether a link earns a commission has no bearing on whether a whisky gets reviewed, how it scores, or whether I recommend it. A bottle does not need a buy link to be reviewed here, and a higher commission never raises a score.
The Dram Verdict Score is based on the whisky itself — balance, complexity, how well it is made, the drinking experience — not on price and not on whether a link is attached to it. Value, which asks whether that experience justifies the price, is judged the same way regardless of commission.
Free Bottles, Samples and Affiliate Links Are Different Things
Affiliate commission is separate from free bottles, samples, and brand event invitations, which are covered in the Review Policy. Where a specific review was made from a bottle provided free, or from a tasting at a brand-hosted event, that is disclosed on the review itself. Affiliate links do not get that same bottle-by-bottle disclosure, because the commission relationship, where one exists, is the same regardless of which specific bottle you buy through it.
Editorial Independence
No brand, retailer or affiliate program approves a review before it is published, or gets to change a score, a tasting note, a ranking position or a recommendation. I make that call and take responsibility for it. The Editorial Policy covers how that independence is maintained across the site.
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