Foil Neck Wrappers

[Dave_in_Canada]

OK, call me the pollmeister!

Call it what yo uwill (neck label, cork wrapper, neck wrapper, etc. etc.), when you open a new bottle that has a foil or metallic neck wrapper, do you remove the whole thing? When it's paper, I always leave them on, but when it's metallic, what do you do?

[Dave_in_Canada]

OK, I'll start. I always remove my foil neck wrappers. I like to see the full shape of the bottle with cork in, and I especially like to watch my favourite bourbon as it leaves the bottle, into the glass.

[CL]

When you say take the wrapper off, are you referring only to the portion remaining on the bottle?

I always take the remaining wrapper off the stopper, but normally leave the bottle portion in place.

[Paradox]

I only pull off the piece of foil that needs to get torn off to get to the bourbon. On a bottle from say the 'Antique Collection', I leave the foil on the neck of the bottle and also try and leave the foil on the cap until it is either too loose or mangled.

[bluesbassdad]

Your poll doesn't address the neck covering that vexes me the most, the heavy plastic ones -- Booker's and Knob Creek come to mind.

I finally opened my long-ago first-purchase of Booker's a few days ago. After zipping the tab I discovered that the portion of the covering that remained on the bottle extends all the way to the top of the bottle, making a neat pour even more difficult than usual.

I decided to remove it, only to discover that it turns freely, making removal all the more difficult, even with tools. I have resigned myself to sloppy pours for the forseeable future.

In contrast, Knob Creek's neck covering sticks like a cross between a barnacle and a Pit Bull. At least I am able to chip away some of it to expose a bit of the pouring area.

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield

[Dave_in_Canada]

Good point Dave. But I can't edit the post now. While those neck accoutrements are nice to look at (and probably move bottles off the shelf) they are annoying when it comes to pouring! And those are the only ones I leave on (especially Knob Creek or Maker's)

[pepcycle]

Dave,
As they say in Lawrenceburg, KY, "I'm a with ya". I nearly gave myself a hernia opening an Elmer T. Lee. What type of wax is that, Kryptowax? I've had similar wrestling matches with Knob Creek and Bookers. Last time, I tried to use a heat gun (really a hair dryer) to soften the material and that helped. I think this is a version of the Heinz Ketchup Anticipation Effect. The next thing will be childproof caps and I'll never be able to open bourbon again.

[Paradox]

I've read about many people having trouble opening some of the wax topped bottles... Though I do admit some bottles have alot of 'indesctructible' wax on them I must say I've never really had a problem. If during opening a see there may be a problem I simply run a VERY sharp straight edged knife around the wax on the top and bottom of where I know the 'pull tape' to be and they open just fine. Even if you don't go all the way through, just scoring it is enough to make the tape pull with relative ease. Maybe that's something to try next time, I remember for a fact I did that with my bottle of Elmer T Lee and it was an enjoyable pour each time.

[Ambernecter]

Reading Mr. Ed's comments reminds me of an old and quite bad joke. According to some, when one is badly hungover and suffering from a headache, getting into the child proof bottle of aspirin is nearly impossible. The kids are the only ones who can help you. Give them the bottle and off flies the top!

[OneCubeOnly]

I checked choice #3--I've never really given it much thought. Looking at my habits so far, I traditionally leave any residual foil, wax, etc. as long as it doesn't interfere with the pour. If it tears and becomes unsightly during the uncorking, I might take the time to remove the whole deal.

Wishy-washy answer, but that's about it.