How many bottles do you have open at any one time?

[DBM]

This is a _very_ open ended question with many angles. As I browsed my available options for drinking tonight, it made me wonder what other's logic, reasons and decisions are to decide which, and how many, different bottles to have open and ready to consume.

I've tried to maintain a few basic rules:

1. Variety without duplication - I like having options, but I avoid opening more than one bottle of a particular style or a profile I find very similar.

2. No more than two barrel proof bottles - It may take a while to empty these (1+ year) and I don't want bourbon to get too much air before I finish them. I recognize this may not be entirely valid for some or all bourbons, but it makes sense in my head.

3. Don't pay twice - If a bottle is not being consumed for whatever reason, find a creative way to make the bottle disappear through consumption or gifting to make room for something else I may enjoy better.

With these rules, I currently have 14 open bottles. I suspect it would take me about 10-12 months to consume the currently open bottles and I share about 20-25% with friends, so this stock will cycle through in approximately 8 months.

[OutlawSW]

About 65 open, no real rules just try not to open dupes.

[MauiSon]

Four. It used to be three and I'm sure it'll grow to five, but for now - four. Two ryes, two bourbons.

[macdeffe]

60-80 open, always working on some dregs :-)

Steffen

[deathevocation]

Too many open, though a lot are not style duplications. In saying so, I commenced a bottle kill off last week and have knocked off four or so.

[Alden]

How many are here?

[B.B. Babington]

great selection there Alden. Shows good taste!

I have a lot open, but others on this board have quadruple that number (4x "a lot" is a whole lot, but we've got professionals here). The larder is mostly whiskey but includes other stuff, like: tequila, rum, scotch, brandies, and NOT A SINGLE VODKA!

I do keep duplicates from different years for comparison

This topic crops up periodically and discussion usually goes to pros and cons. Cons revolve around whether or not it will change or go bad. Pros revolve around benefits of being able to sip different bottles to cross compare.

[Alden]

Mostly what I hear and read is that it changes subtly from exposure to air, but not that it ever goes "bad" -- unless it sits for many years.

[WsmataU]

Generally, I try to keep it under 10. I don't sample enough to kill 10 bottles a year. Sometimes it may balloon a bit (up to 15) as I approach the end of a bottle and sample more or have a party. But I'm a novice compared to most guys on this board.

[Danger]

All of them. I know I'm in the minority, but man, I want to try them. I suppose this is only possible because I don't have a bunker, so it's only about 10-12.

[Wryguy]

17 bottles of whiskey, about 6 are SM Scotch. Always have an older bottle of rye open and I have about 12 unopened bottles for every one that is open.

[Enoch]

Currently 104 Bourbon, 15 rye, 1 wheat, 5 corn, 12 blends, 6 scotch, 2 Irish. And then there are the non whiskeys....

[AGarrison]

104 bourbons, all open? That sure caused a double take till I saw your link. I'm assuming you mean your bar has this number open at present?

Oh and for me its 3. I try to only have 3 open. It forces me to get rid of the bad choices eventually.

Edited April 28, 2013 by AGarrison

[PaulO]

I keep only around four or five open. This usually includes a wheated bourbon, a high rye bourbon, and a rye whiskey. Of course if I find something interesting that I've been waiting to try, that gets opened as soon as I get home.

[gburger]

I have 125 bottles in my "Bourbon Room". Most are bourbons, with a couple scotches and of course Ryes, and other whiskeys. I of course do not open dupes so at this time I have 115 opened.

That way when friends come over they can try anything I have without feeling bad that it has not already been opened.

[Special Reserve]

8 bourbon, 1 rye, 1 Irish, and 2 scotch; several of these are ready for the recycle bin.

[Enoch]

104 bourbons, all open? That sure caused a double take till I saw your link. I'm assuming you mean your bar has this number open at present?

Oh and for me its 3. I try to only have 3 open. It forces me to get rid of the bad choices eventually.

The main reason I have so many open is that I like to do comparison tastings at night...ie. different WTs, or FRs, or wheaters, etc. AND my compulsive need to taste something as soon as I get it.

[keith18]

Too many and not enough.

[smknjoe]

15 bourbons (4 of them wheaters) and 1 rye.

[GaryT]

Almost everything that I don't have a dup of (so 40ish?) Only a couple exceptions of ones I haven't opened because they were just recently acquired (and my head was stuffy - I feel like I'm wasting the good stuff if I can't really taste it that well, and will focus on targeting either low-fills or something I'm just not as excited about). No rules other than avoiding opening dups (unless vintage makes a difference - ie I might have two Staggs open to compare one year to another).

[WAINWRIGHT]

26 open currently,4 ryes,18 bourbons and 4 single malts,I try to keep a good variance in what I have open.I have begun to dwindle down my number of opens,which not long ago was near 40. I am going to try to hold right around 20 from here on out,just much easier to manage and hopefully will keep me a little more focused on certain bottles and drastically cut down their open time.

[savagehenry]

Average is around 12-15. Highest at one time was 28, which I dwindled down to 4 at one point.

[black mamba]

Right now 18 bourbons (including 2 wheaters), 2 ryes, 7 scotches, 2 irish. About 15 more unopened whiskies in the basement.

[HighInTheMtns]

Too many and not enough.

I was just gonna say "too many" but this is a way better answer.

[fishnbowljoe]

Most of the time, I have 12 or less open. Once in a great while there me be a couple more, but 12 or under is where I try to maintain.