How many bottles do you keep around?

[jdcollens]

Hey, folks. A question for everyone, but I'm mainly interested in the response of the married guys/gals. How many bottles do you typically keep on hand? I'm about to head down the long road to ruin myself, so I'm curious as to what you all have convinced your significant others to let you keep around. At my current place I tend to keep a lower-end bottle (usually OWA or WT101), a mid-ranger (Rare Breed, OFBB, or Woodford) and a higher-end (right now it's EHT Tornado Survivor, but I've also kept Kentucky Spirit, "Michter's" 10 and others at various points). I like this approach because it allows me to have a great bourbon from time to time but I can usually keep around a mid-range bottle for regular pours and a lower-end for when I'm smoking some sticks (I prefer not to bother drinking a mid- or high-end bourbon when I can hardly taste anything other than the cigar). Just curious, since it seems some of you keep a fair amount of bottles around.

Also, I enjoy gin cocktails (martinis and Aviations) and some higher-end islay Scotches. So keep that in mind, since we have pretty limited cabinet space.

[callmeox]

...I'm curious as to what you all have convinced your significant others to let you keep around...

I edited the quote to pull out what I felt was the important part.

My wife doesn't need to "let" me keep bourbon around and I return the courtesy with her hobbies and interests.

It's how we roll, but YMMV.

[Restaurant man]

I try to keep it under 50 open. Married

[Bourbon Boiler]

Married: About 45, but I get a lot of grief for it. 25 is probably what would keep her quiet.

[BFerguson]

It use to be around 4-5 open. New bar area= less than 10 is the new goal. 8 currently open.

Bunkered, haven't approach the limit yet. Not sure what that may be exactly, but have't hit yet.

B

[White Dog]

Married, and my issue is what I stash away, not what I keep open.

I used to have over 70 bottles open, when I first became obsessed. Now I have about 15-20 open at any given time, many more stashed.

[Young Blacksmith]

I keep the cabinet stocked with Tequila, Rum, and Vodka for my wife and she turns a blind eye to my bourbon. easy peasy.

In that cabinet I have 15 or so bottles opened, with another 2+ dozen sitting around my desk shelves as sort of display with some opened for drinking. The bunker is below and comprises 5 cases.

[WAINWRIGHT]

I believe honesty and mutual respect is key,I being married feel I have to hide nothing from my wife and that helps lengthen the lease so to speak.That being said 29 open 123 in the hold.

[Tico]

Married, and my issue is what I stash away, not what I keep open.

+1 to that!

As long as the open bottles fit in the cabinet, my wife couldn't care less. Its the pile of boxes in the basement that gives her pause.

[BradleyC]

I keep entirely too many bottles around. I have a "bourbon buying problem." I have joined a group that meets on Wednesdays to help with this issue. Welcome to the club by the way. With very few exceptions, it only gets worse!