Actually the better question is how to choose an expert. Allow me to quote from a terrific book: Whiskey & Philosophy: A Small Batch of Spirited Ideas (Fritz Allhoff & Marcus P. Adams, eds.) John Wiley & Sons Inc., Hoboken, 2009; 366 pages.
This book is actually a part of series which also includes book on Wine, Beer and Food. Each is titled "... & Philosophy". Each is a tour de force. Since whisky is the most closely related, it was "Whiskey & Philosophy" that debited my card. Its five sections include the history and culture of whiskey, the beauty and experience of whiskey, the metaphysics and epistemology of whiskey, ethics and whiskey, and whiskey and a sense of place.
Trust me, buy this book. Anyway, a Mr. Ian Dove, in a chapter named "What Do Tasting Notes Tell Us?", lays forth some pretty good criteria for choosing your "expert reviewer" using five critical questions...
This is similar to my like approach covered in my incredible E-book on rum. In this tome I set forth the five basic styles of rum, largely based on the competent observations of the impecable Dave Broom. Based on Dove's fifth question I then searched high and low to identify reference standards for each style.Ian Dove:
1. Does the person have special training or knowledge that qualifies him or her as an expert on the topic of whisky?
2. Is the expert consistent?
3. Is the claim recent?
4. Is the expert objective?
5. Do other experts agree with the claim of this expert?
The five rums selected were chosen on the basis of (a) reasonable cost, (b) broad consensus regarding their excellence and quality and (c) easy availability. The next step - to buy these five and become intimately familiar with each, and to make your own tasting notes.
Ultimately it's your consensus that counts!
Last, find the expert(s) who not only agree with one another, but whose own notes are closest to your own. This should be a measured process over time and as you develop a decent vocabulary of your own. Capish?
I've also taken great time to try to do some of the work for you, in our famous Reviewer's Reviews (see Scuttlebutt Section). These were intended to expose reviewer bias, and also to determine whether their reviews of the five acknowledged reference standard rums fell within general and expert consensus.
I could really save you some time by naming the reviewers I'd recommend, but that'd be cheating. Read the Reviewer's Reviews to develop your own opinions and understanding.
Then you too can escape idiocy and become a "Compleat Idiot" just like me...