Judge first. Then peel.

The label is the most persuasive thing in the room, and it has never once been in the glass.

Put two glasses in front of somebody and tell them one cost four times the other, and they will find reasons. Tell them nothing and they choose the one they actually prefer. This is not a criticism of anybody. It is how tasting works when you already know the answer.

So every bottle that comes through the club arrives wrapped. Number, serving temperature, how long to leave it open, how many days it keeps. Nothing else. You drink it, you say what you thought, and only then does the sleeve come off.

Most people find their verdict does not match what they expected to like. That gap is the whole point, and it is the most useful thing you will learn about your own taste all year.

Unsigned draft. The scouts sign the reads they have written.