What dictates which bottle you pour?

[JayMonster]

We all have a likes and dislikes. That is not what this is about. It is about what you select at any given moment, the choice betwen your choices. What dictates, which bottle from which you choose to drink?

Is it mood? Situation? Do you have certain "triggers" that make you pick one of the items from your stash?

Perhaps this would be better put with my own examples.

Thursday Night Bowling. Though I will almost always grab a wheater as my first choice, I don't on Thursdays. Bowling night is for me, a night for Devil's Cut. whether I want it neat, on the rocks or in soda that particular evening (usually dictated by how hot it is in the lanes), it works for me. I am not spending time searching for the nuances, I just enjoy the oak, smoke and bourbon flavor and that is all I am interested in.

Friday Night - After getting everybody off to bed, and the dog has been walked, it is time to unwind. Whether I am catching up in SB, sitting back and watching something (usually something like NCIS), or sitting outside by a fire, this is the time I want my OWA. Nothing else to distract me, this is when I want flavor to spare, to entertain, to intrigue. This is the time I want to spend finding those nuances.

Football Sundays, Hockey, etc - No nonsense times call for no-nonse drinks. Mood can vary, but still want something a little less thought provoking. Jim Beam Black, (and now recently) Knob Creek or Buffalo Trace.

Other times it is strictly on "feel" or experimentation.

So, what about you? Do certain events, times or some other factor dictate one pour over the other?

[Halifax]

For me it's mostly about what I am doing that evening. If I'm hanging out in the garage or around the grill with neighbors, or just messing around doing odds and ends... It's ususlly with an everyday pour like BT, Weller 12, ETL, ERSB 10, OWA, EC 12, OGD BIB, etc...

Now if I am simply relaxing in the rocker, or taking in a ball game... The it's usually with a premium, dusty or private selection. I enjoy these more when I have quality time to enjoy and appreciate their various attributes.

[Bourbon Boiler]

Nice P&F pic btw. You should have started with, "I know what we're going to drink today."

It's more my mood than anything else. I usually pour when the little girl and wife have gone to bed, and I'm preparing for the next work day. If there's something to celebrate, then it's Pappy or WTAS or WT Tradition. If I'm being refelctive, then it's Blanton's, ER10, or WTKS. If I'm experimenting, I'll make a Manhattan and tweak something from my normal recipie. If I know I'll be up a while, I'll hit EC, Bulleit, OGD, BT, or VOB and probably have at least two different pours.

Then there's always the trip to the cabinet with one intention, and a particular bottle catches my eye just because it hasn't been opened in a while.

[ebo]

It's usually mood for me. Sometimes, I just want a taste of whiskey, be it Bourbon or Scotch, and sometimes Irish. For those times it depends on if I want sweet and easy or spicy and more...... rugged?

I usually like the more nuanced stuff when I'm in a great mood and things have gone well, throughout the day.

[Old Lamplighter]

Normally, my mood dictates as well whether I want something soft or more coarse. Almost as much a factor for me - as strange as it sounds, is the weather. In fall & winter, I find myself leaning heavily toward the rye & more rye heavy bourbons...the spicier & higher proof is where I will gravitate. Also, add rain or snow, and it drives me that way even stronger. In spring/summer, the warmer seasons, I desire the softer wheaters and more in the 86-96 proof range.

[Young Blacksmith]

It's mood and whim for me too. I'll go to the cabinet and pull whatever fits my fancy at the moment. Can't remember the taste? Pour it. Love the sweet and spice? Pour it! Some days I stick with the same bottle, other days I hop around like a kangaroo.

[fishnbowljoe]

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe!

[Bourbon Boiler]

Normally, my mood dictates as well whether I want something soft or more coarse. Almost as much a factor for me - as strange as it sounds, is the weather. In fall & winter, I find myself leaning heavily toward the rye & more rye heavy bourbons...the spicier & higher proof is where I will gravitate. Also, add rain or snow, and it drives me that way even stronger. In spring/summer, the warmer seasons, I desire the softer wheaters and more in the 86-96 proof range.

Weather dictates my choice to some extent, as well as the craving itself. If there's snow on the ground, it's unlikely I'm going to bed without a pour. I'll skip several days at a time when the temp hits 90.

[dridge11]

I usually just go with whichever one has the most booze in it. Keep the consumption balanced.

[Okie]

I agree, mood and at times time of day for me. I will start sometimes with a late afternoon pour of WR or Weller Antique then transition to EC12, KC or WTRB.

A good hard day of work or celebration will call for Booker's or PHC.