Taking a leaf out of Michael’s book who posted his statement of integrity on his blog, here’s my code of conduct regarding whisky tasting notes and articles on my blog:
1. All opinions (except for clearly marked quotes) are my own and honest thoughts. They are not influenced by any commercial or hidden interests. Guest/Co-Tastings are also clearly marked.
2. I mainly review spirits I bought myself (either as full bottles or samples) or which I received samples of by friends / family. If a review is based on a commercial sample or goodies provided for free by a store with a purchase, it will be clearly stated.
3. I do not accept any form of compensation or influence when I review samples and I will refuse samples if strings (other than embargoes in the case of pre-release samples) are attached. I always retain full impartial editorial control over everything published on this blog.
4. If I should be invited to tastings or other promotional events I will only attend if full editorial control is guaranteed and full disclosure will be made in all blog entries related to invited events. While it might unlikely ever be the case, I will accept compensation for travel expenses to such events, but only if point 3 is not compromised by this in any way and full disclosure will be made in such a case.
5. My blog is 100% advertisement-free and not-for profit. I do not take any money to provide ad-space or sponsored articles or any other form of advertisement. If I make endorsements, they stem from my own experiences and beliefs.
I think all readers deserve this kind of honesty and full disclosure when it comes to blogging about the thing we are passionate about.
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