Bourbon Arranging 101

[Nebraska]

My wife thinks I'm a nut. Fortunately that's one of the things she loves about me.

I spend a fair amount of time trying to figure out how to display my bourbon. What looks good, what makes historic sense, what makes distiller/distillery sense, what bottles compliment each other (looks/color), do they line up in a straight row or do I stagger the depth? I'm trying several different ways, bottle height weighs into it for me too. I have varying shelf heights. Does what I reach for most have a baring, or what I'm proudest of? What, if any, factors determine the way you arrange and in what parts of the house you have your bourbon?

I currently have bourbon in 3 different locations. After all, what if there was a fire?

[tgriff]

well, that is interesting. i have two young kids, so displays of anything breakable are not really in the cards for me for a while.

my bunker is on a shelf in my clothes closet, behind my long sleeve shirts to be precise. my wife thinks i am a nut too -but really, we are short on storage space even for my rather meager collection.

i keep my current "go to" bottle on a shelf in the kitchen pantry.

[barturtle]

I used to be able to claim that my collection was quite well organized by distillery. I had it on some nice built in shelving. Unfortunately, now, it has outgrown that shelving and has been relocated to some crappy shelving and an unused desk and the floor under it and some boxes surrounding said desk. I have simply divided it between two groups-readily available and not. The crappy shelving holds the available stuff (about 30 bottles or so) as well as holding whiskey related books. The desk is completely full front to back and end to end, as is the space under it. The desk for as messy and ugly as it looks is sorta organized: the back two rows hold VW L'burg-bottled stuff and Antique Collection bottles. The next row contains EWSB and BHC bottles. the rest of it is crammed full of whatever fit with overflow and multiples of anything in the boxes and on the floor. Also scotch and irish are on the floor as well.

Kinda embarrasing, really. At least my glassware is properly put away in the kitchen cabinets-though there is only one upper cabinet left for dishes, with the other six taken up with the glasses.

Of course that is my condo in Louisville, my apt. in Louisiana is much less full of whiskey-one kitchen cabinet and a case in the livingroom.

As for what I would suggest: I would think that if you have lockable areas, put some of the more collectible stuff there. It is nice to put sets together (Antique Collection, EWSB, etc) I like to put the Hirsch stuff with my VWs as they were bottled there and are in matching bottles. I would keep the open stuff together so you know what's open and don't open a second by mistake. But this will all depend on how much space you have to spread it out.

[Joeluka]

My wife thinks I'm a nut. Fortunately that's one of the things she loves about me.

I spend a fair amount of time trying to figure out how to display my bourbon. What looks good, what makes historic sense, what makes distiller/distillery sense, what bottles compliment each other (looks/color), do they line up in a straight row or do I stagger the depth? I'm trying several different ways, bottle height weighs into it for me too. I have varying shelf heights. Does what I reach for most have a baring, or what I'm proudest of? What, if any, factors determine the way you arrange and in what parts of the house you have your bourbon?

I currently have bourbon in 3 different locations. After all, what if there was a fire?

I do the same thing and MY WIFE loves to just look at me a laugh. It can be real funny sometimes when she catches me rearranging everything yet again ( new bottles can throw off the whole display, like that new Rittenhouse 21, Rye? HH?? Display??? Bunker????) My daugter calls the dining room where I have the bar set up "DADDYS BOTTLE ROOM". Oh well

[jburlowski]

My wife thinks I'm a nut. Fortunately that's one of the things she loves about me.

I spend a fair amount of time trying to figure out how to display my bourbon. What looks good, what makes historic sense, what makes distiller/distillery sense, what bottles compliment each other (looks/color), do they line up in a straight row or do I stagger the depth? I'm trying several different ways, bottle height weighs into it for me too. I have varying shelf heights. Does what I reach for most have a baring, or what I'm proudest of? What, if any, factors determine the way you arrange and in what parts of the house you have your bourbon?

I currently have bourbon in 3 different locations. After all, what if there was a fire?

You clearly aren't drinking enough....

[FlashPuppy]

I find my bourbon in three places. The cupboard above the refrigerator, this is where most of my open bottles stay along with my daily pours. I have a set of shelves in the living room which is built into the wall. I find that this is where most of my variety is at. There appears to be about 35-40 different bottles there. And of course, my bunker. My bunker is also known as the garage. I got myself a big airtight locker (the kind the military might use... ) that holds all of my duplicates.

[luv2hunt]

Jons out of town for the weekend so tonight I decided to finally dust the "drinkable" shelves in the office. I've finished one shelf and I quit! Do you know that on the Wild Turkey shelf alone we have open:

RR 90
RR 101
Tribute
Rare Breed
12 yr old in 3 different labels
Tradition
Legend SB
Kentucky Spirit
8 yr old
Sherry Signature

Jeese! And I thought we were doing a better job at not having so many open bottles!!!

Dawn

[Nebraska]

If they aren't open,...you're not drinking. variety is a good thing.

[wadewood]

Do you know that on the Wild Turkey shelf alone we have open:

RR 90
RR 101
Tribute
Rare Breed
12 yr old in 3 different labels
Tradition
Legend SB
Kentucky Spirit
8 yr old
Sherry Signature

Jeese! And I thought we were doing a better job at not having so many open bottles!!!

Dawn

Jim, I want to change my handle to Jeese!

[luv2hunt]

Wade.....what's the matter with "Jeese"?! I've been trying not to say OMG because my 12 yr old is constantly reminding me that I'm using the Lords name inappropriately! Even when I say Gosh.....she has a fit.

Anyway, I re-did the china cabinet today.....it's all the Antique Collection. I'm still waiting on a few bottles to have the entire collection....but OH....it looks good!

Dawn