The Bottle

[Harry in WashDC]

9 hours ago, SebastianLloyd said:

I like the style of the short-fat bottles such as RHF, Stagg Jr. and such. The tall bottles are making it hard for me to find the right cabinet to purchase. 

Adjustable shelves.  I bought a Chinese chest many years ago - thick black shiny lacquer inside.  I carefully chiseled the one shelf loose, painted the bare spots with black shiny lacquer, installed flat black dual-track shelf standards (the uprights with two columns of slits so I could put u-shaped shelf brackets that wouldn't fold or flop), and trimmed the black shiny lacquer shelf to fit on the brackets.  Tall bottles go on the bottom; medium and short on the top - the extra space on the bottom holds bulbous liqueurs and bourbons.  Of course, that was years ago.  I now have bottles under dining room chairs and behind the swinging door to the kitchen, in boxes in the basement, and in the trunk of my car.  AND, on a butler's table.  And in the laundry room of which I am in charge, anyway.  I don't think I have any in the attic right now.

For decanting, I keep OGD-shape screw-top bottles on hand (over the fridge where my wife can't reach or see very well).  I used to keep the bulbous ones, too, for decanting, but the bulb just takes up too much room so I don't use them for decanters anymore.

[SebastianLloyd]

11 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said:

Adjustable shelves.  I bought a Chinese chest many years ago - thick black shiny lacquer inside.  I carefully chiseled the one shelf loose, painted the bare spots with black shiny lacquer, installed flat black dual-track shelf standards (the uprights with two columns of slits so I could put u-shaped shelf brackets that wouldn't fold or flop), and trimmed the black shiny lacquer shelf to fit on the brackets.  Tall bottles go on the bottom; medium and short on the top - the extra space on the bottom holds bulbous liqueurs and bourbons. 

I've found a few that I've liked but the issue were fixed shelves or the unit was too large. I'm not sure if you can imagine the size of a Singer sewing machine with the iron legs, it has to be about that size (I live in a apartment). But that was pretty crafty of you, I'll look more carefully at the shelves to see if they can be cut out easily on my next search.

[Harry in WashDC]

7 hours ago, SebastianLloyd said:

I've found a few that I've liked but the issue were fixed shelves or the unit was too large. I'm not sure if you can imagine the size of a Singer sewing machine with the iron legs, it has to be about that size (I live in a apartment). But that was pretty crafty of you, I'll look more carefully at the shelves to see if they can be cut out easily on my next search.

I'm of an age when home sewing machines were operated by a treadle (a pedal that moved back and forth) so, yeah, I know of what you speak.  I also scrounged an old radio shell (one of those 4'H by 2.2'W by 12"D; somebody else took out the electronics) and put a movable shelf in it - carefully cut the speaker grill grid and made it the lift-out door. Not enough room inside for today's stockpile.  Have you considered buying just the upper half of what some people call a "Hoosier" and modifying it?  Also, some kitchen places have nice cabinets - with a little imagination, you could "build your own" bar cabinet.  If space is a consideration, look at "upper" cabinets and put your own 4" footer under it and sit in on the floor.  You could even stack them; anchor them to each other and to the wall, though - I speak from experience.

If you don't mind decanting, you could, of course, pour stuff in tall bottles into shorter, non-bulbous ones.  I don't do this because I kind of really like looking at labels as I consume - except for handles, of course.   I'm a chronic spiller.

Edited February 7, 2016 by Harry in WashDC
to add "I don't do this, of course"

[SebastianLloyd]

22 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said:

...look at "upper" cabinets and put your own 4" footer under it and sit in on the floor.  You could even stack them...

That is a fantastic idea. Thanks for that!

[GeeTen]

On 10/18/2015, 11:41:22, B.B. Babington said:

booker boxes work well for shelving rifle scopes

Me likee!   

[OldFitzWithTheGoldLabel]

On 10/19/2015 at 4:54 PM, BourbonGuy said:

For example, I recently saw a bottle of J. R. Ewing bourbon and thought, that is one pretty bottle. Members here don't think much of what is in the bottle.

J. R. Ewing does have an attention grabbing bottle. I blind tasted 7 bourbons (all under $40) with a friend and the J.R. Ewing was my second favorite. I have yet to buy a bottle, but the empty would like good atop my kitchen cabinets.

[OldFitzWithTheGoldLabel]

On 10/18/2015 at 0:03 PM, Tony Santana said:

 

I'll confess part of the allure of the I.W. Harper 15 year was that I could use the bottle as a decanter later when I finished with it. But I did want to try the bourbon inside.

What did you think of the I.W. Harper 15? I have family who are going to put $60 towards the bottle of my choice and I must admit that the I.W. Harper 15 is a bottle that I am considering as I also want to use it as a decanter (and I want to try a 15 year bourbon). 

[OldFitzWithTheGoldLabel]

On 10/21/2015 at 4:07 PM, ThirstyinOhio said:

 I am a big fan of the Orphan Barrel labels and hope to be able to figure out a way to print a high quality image of said labels to hang in my man cave. 

I also love the Orphan Barrel labels. They are so artistic. I have yet to have an opportunity to find any bottles to buy locally. 

My father-in-law has a bottle of Lost Prophet. He doesn't keep his empties (except for his Van Winkle a and some of his high dollar Scotch), so hopefully he will gift the Orphan Barrel bottle to me.

I must admit that I wasn't floored by the taste of the Lost Prophet, but my taste buds are unrefined.

[BDanner]

I think most of us, at some time or other, would have to admit we chose one bourbon over another based on bottle/label, cork/screwcap, etc. That's why companies spend millions on marketing research to help design their packaging. As a newbie, the first thing I can remember picking based on bottle was Bulleit. I also remember not purchasing OWA because I thought the bottle looked cheap. My, how that has changed. I'm not a fan of the box, but I do like the cardboard tube. Eventually I think we all discover what we like, label be damned. My favorite everyday pours are EW BIB, HenryMcKenna 10yr, OWA and OGD114. Not a "looker" in that bunch. I do like to share some of my fancier bottles (Blantons, CEHT, WTRB) when I have company. Seems to make it more of an "Occasion". I'm still a sucker for a good looking cork, though. I save all my corks in a very large glass Old-Timey pickle jar and display them in my office. I'm trying to see how fast I can fill it up.

[flahute]

2 hours ago, BDanner said:

I think most of us, at some time or other, would have to admit we chose one bourbon over another based on bottle/label, cork/screwcap, etc. That's why companies spend millions on marketing research to help design their packaging. As a newbie, the first thing I can remember picking based on bottle was Bulleit. I also remember not purchasing OWA because I thought the bottle looked cheap. My, how that has changed. I'm not a fan of the box, but I do like the cardboard tube. Eventually I think we all discover what we like, label be damned. My favorite everyday pours are EW BIB, HenryMcKenna 10yr, OWA and OGD114. Not a "looker" in that bunch. I do like to share some of my fancier bottles (Blantons, CEHT, WTRB) when I have company. Seems to make it more of an "Occasion". I'm still a sucker for a good looking cork, though. I save all my corks in a very large glass Old-Timey pickle jar and display them in my office. I'm trying to see how fast I can fill it up.

Absolutely agree. As a designer, when I don't know anything or know very little about the contents, I am greatly swayed by well executed bottle and label designs. This led me to buy a number of bottles when I first started that I'd never buy now, and led me to avoid some for a while. I always did like the OGD114 bottle though! It has a retro 70's look to it that appealed to me. Though I'm still attracted to nice labels (it's in my nature) I of course know better now. It can still get me though when I stray into other spirit categories that I don't know well like rum and armagnac. Luckily I catch myself and do some research before buying.

[tanstaafl2]

3 hours ago, BDanner said:

I think most of us, at some time or other, would have to admit we chose one bourbon over another based on bottle/label, cork/screwcap, etc. That's why companies spend millions on marketing research to help design their packaging. As a newbie, the first thing I can remember picking based on bottle was Bulleit. I also remember not purchasing OWA because I thought the bottle looked cheap. My, how that has changed. I'm not a fan of the box, but I do like the cardboard tube. Eventually I think we all discover what we like, label be damned. My favorite everyday pours are EW BIB, HenryMcKenna 10yr, OWA and OGD114. Not a "looker" in that bunch. I do like to share some of my fancier bottles (Blantons, CEHT, WTRB) when I have company. Seems to make it more of an "Occasion". I'm still a sucker for a good looking cork, though. I save all my corks in a very large glass Old-Timey pickle jar and display them in my office. I'm trying to see how fast I can fill it up.

 

At least now when I do that, I know that I am doing that! It wasn't always the case as my little collection readily proves.

[BottledInBond]

19 hours ago, OldFitzWithTheGoldLabel said:

What did you think of the I.W. Harper 15? I have family who are going to put $60 towards the bottle of my choice and I must admit that the I.W. Harper 15 is a bottle that I am considering as I also want to use it as a decanter (and I want to try a 15 year bourbon). 

For what it's worth I think the Harper 15 is a decent buy for $60. I am an admitted Diageo hater, but the Harper 15 tastes OK and as noted it is a cool bottle. Don't expect the juice to blow your mind but I've seen people pay more for worse product

[OldFitzWithTheGoldLabel]

59 minutes ago, BottledInBond said:

For what it's worth I think the Harper 15 is a decent buy for $60. I am an admitted Diageo hater, but the Harper 15 tastes OK and as noted it is a cool bottle. Don't expect the juice to blow your mind but I've seen people pay more for worse product

 

You just helped me to decide against the I.W. Harper 15. It costs over $80 here in Lexington, which is a jump from the $60 you paid. I am thinking of picking between Blanton's, Old Scout Single Barrel, and Four Roses Single Barrel Private Selection.

 

If the I.W. Harper were only $60, I'd get it as I would like to have a 15 year old bottle, but I could spend the $22 that I would pitch in on something better.

Thanks for the response.

[Clueby]

17 minutes ago, OldFitzWithTheGoldLabel said:

 

You just helped me to decide against the I.W. Harper 15. It costs over $80 here in Lexington, which is a jump from the $60 you paid. I am thinking of picking between Blanton's, Old Scout Single Barrel, and Four Roses Single Barrel Private Selection.

 

If the I.W. Harper were only $60, I'd get it as I would like to have a 15 year old bottle, but I could spend the $22 that I would pitch in on something better.

Thanks for the response.

If i was choosing among those I think i woukd have to go with 4RSBPS..as long as it was a recipe I liked.

[BottledInBond]

4 minutes ago, Clueby said:

If i was choosing among those I think i woukd have to go with 4RSBPS..as long as it was a recipe I liked.

I would probably agree with this. I do love Blantons as a nice and easy drinking standby pour, but it's never going to deliver what a really good PS Four Roses can sometimes. I've had some good SAOS cask strength single barrels too, but the good Four Roses picks beat the good SAOS picks most of the time. 

[OldFitzWithTheGoldLabel]

7 minutes ago, Clueby said:

If i was choosing among those I think i woukd have to go with 4RSBPS..as long as it was a recipe I liked.

Clueby, what 4RSBPS recipes do you recommend?

[OldFitzWithTheGoldLabel]

2 minutes ago, BottledInBond said:

I would probably agree with this. I do love Blantons as a nice and easy drinking standby pour, but it's never going to deliver what a really good PS Four Roses can sometimes. I've had some good SAOS cask strength single barrels too, but the good Four Roses picks beat the good SAOS picks most of the time. 

It looks like I will need to get a bottle of Four Roses Single Barrel Private Selection as it is consistently recommended.

[BottledInBond]

On the topic of people buying bottles for the packaging, I wonder how many extra bottles of Blanton's have been purchased over the years by collectors just wanting to complete the set of the different horses? 

 

Also, I really don't think I buy much based on packaging at all. Although I will say that I ussually like to have a bottle of Baby Saz around in my rye selections I suppose partially because I have always liked the bottle. Not my very favorite rye so another BT packaging win.

 

I will also chime in to say that I like a handsome bottle just fine, but I hate the bottles that come in extra packaging. I can't help but feel like I'm paying extra for something I don't want. That includes the bags/boxes for Blantons, wood boxes for Booker's, the crazy box packaging that Turkey has used for all of their recent LEs, Blood Oath (not that I would ever buy this), the box for RY10, etc. Just give me the bottle at a slightly lower price, please.

Edited February 2, 2017 by BottledInBond
Spelling

[JTaylor]

On 10/18/2015 at 10:45 PM, Trappersim said:

Just about every time I go to the liquor store with my wife she purposefully looks for cool looking bottles no matter what liquor is in it. I go with a purpose to find a bottle I want to drink, she buys for how it will look in our bar. So far as my wife is concerned the looks is important. My wife and a bunch of her friends are always trying to one up each other to find the coolest bottle.

Enjoy your Crystal Head Vodka! 

Edited February 2, 2017 by JTaylor

[fishnbowljoe]

24 minutes ago, BottledInBond said:

I will also chime in to say that I like a handsome bottle just fine, but I hate the bottles that come in extra packaging. I can't help but feel like I'm paying extra for something I don't want. That includes the bags/boxes for Blantons,

 

I don't mind the extra packaging, especially with Blantons. I save the bags. My 4 year old grandson loves playing with dice. We bought him a large pack of dice for Xmas, and the dice fit nicely in a Blanton's bag. I also keep the bags for myself. I use them to hold my glen cairn glasses whenever I go to the KBF or Sampler. The bags protect my glen cairns, and keep them from rattling around in my gazebo box. 

 

Cheers! Joe

[Guest]

One of my favorite things about the whiskey hobby is the beauty of the old labels (and some of the current ones).  I bought a book "The Art of American Whiskey" and was very disappointed by how few labels it had and how poor the reproductions were.  I would really love to see a deeply researched "coffee table" (bartop?) book about all of the old labels.  Forgive me, I'm a design freak.

 

This is my favorite of the label designs I've seen on line, to me this is as good as commercial art gets -- would love to see what other folks have in their archives.  The dusty threads here also have a ton of great stuff...   

 

Right now I think the Compass Box folks are doing fantastic stuff.  Their "Spice Tree Extravaganza" label is a thing of beauty, as is "The General."

 

 

[Kepler]

I appreciate the boxes because it makes it easier to get the contents home safe and sound.  Especially when I am out making several purchases, the boxed items stay put in the car and don't clink around.

 

I transport my bourbon probably more then most people do (to drinking buddies' houses and back) and I found that an old Booker's box protects my Pappy 15 perfectly during transport.  I just wish a BTAC would fit inside too!

[Kepler]

On 10/21/2015 at 4:36 PM, bullitt said:

what would you say is the most iconic bourbon bottle?

For iconic bottle shape, I'd say Jack Daniels.  For labeling/packaging, it would have to be Maker's Mark.  That parchment paper label style and the dipped red wax definitely is iconic.  Even if the juice inside is unremarkable.

[Clueby]

2 hours ago, OldFitzWithTheGoldLabel said:

Clueby, what 4RSBPS recipes do you recommend?

I have not tried all 10 and the ones I have tried have not been SBS, but typucally like the B's over the E's but have had both that were good. The standouts I remember are OBSK and I recently tried an OESF that was very good.

In regards to labels, I think the Orphan Barrell bottles are works of art, irrespective of the contents.  As far as the bottle itself, I like the Weller/Barton style and the "old" Elijah Craig bottles. The Baby Saz bottle is a nice "old tyme" looking bottle that seems like it would be at home in an old west saloon.

[Kepler]

My favorites have been the OESK, OESV, and the OBSV