Drink or Not?

[FacePlant]

Everyday's a Holiday. Every meal a banquet.

[NDN98]

Im mostly a drinker, but I do have a few bottles that I will save for a special occasion.  The one that comes to mind is the 2016 4R Elliott's Select, which is one of my favorite limited editions to come from 4R.  I plan on drinking it at some point with a buddy that also loves 4R, but we don't get to see each other as much since he and is family moved to a different continent.  

[JvW]

To the contrary of my brother who has dozens of rare and expensive Scotch bottles which he enjoys staring at on a daily basis, I never purchase anything I won't open (eventually)...I usually always have a more expensive bottle i the vault that I enjoy on special occasions (birthday, 4th of July, etc...).

 

 

[Dango]

I have opened and finished or nearly finished everything I have bought. I do have some bunkered, like 3 bottles, but I will get to them. I do have a EC 12year (red 12 on front of bottle) that I plan on saving. I honestly don't know why, probably because I will never likely get another one of those. Its in my safe with a weller 12 and 107 and my toys that go bang bang. At least i'm ready for the zombie apocalypse. 

[mikeydk]

On 8/27/2018 at 6:05 AM, Cranecreek said:

Open them ! The only intact bottles on my shelves are duplicates.

I'm in a slightly similar situation.  I am an "opener" when it comes to whiskey collecting.  I know that my collection will evolve and change in time.  For instance, I just killed off a Michters 10, KY Owl batch 1, Jim Beam Bonded, Weller red, Rabbit hole rye and bourbon.  I will only replace a couple of them, and I have some back stock on KY Owl and Michters.  I have a couple of things I haven't opened yet (Pappy Van Winkle 15yr, Elijah Craig 23), saving them for VERRRRRY special occasions, as I have a lot of special whiskey already opened for regular special occasions.  

[TunnelTiger]

I used to stash but now I just buy and drink.  I still have some bunkered in the basement but that's because I rarely go down there anymore.  My tastes have also changed over the last couple of years and the majority of my purchases are limited to labels I truly enjoy.  Not much experimenting going on anymore and at my age everyday is a special occasion.

[Harry in WashDC]

On 8/29/2018 at 11:54 AM, BigSkyDrams said:

Sounds like I’m in the minority here. I only keep 3-5 open at a time, and those are typically bottles I know I can go out and immediately replace. I’m still relatively new to this hobby (5 years or so?), but I intend for it to be a very long term thing. It kind of goes hand-in-hand with that “do you drink above your pay grade” thread awhile back; my budget for whiskey is rather slim, so I drink in-line with my pay grade, but I collect above it. That means everything that I can’t just go out and replace right now is staying closed, and I will keep adding to that higher-end collection as I drink the plethora of good stuff that’s <$60 and generally available.  I will open and drink it all someday, but my plan is in a decade or so, when I’m in my 40s, my collection will be deep enough that my ordinary sippers will all be bottles that, as of right now, I would consider splurge buys or special occasion pours.

 

That said, i have tasted (at bars or through previous purchases) almost everything in my collection right now. I will also open something particularly good for a special occasion or celebration, and if I do find replacements, I will open something I was saving. For example, I’ve kept at least 3 Blanton’s at all times for the past two years or so, but it’s becoming harder for me to reliably find. So, when I find a new one, I can open one, but otherwise I’ll leave them sitting. In this manner, I’ve replaced 3 regular Blanton’s I’d had bunkered with 3 store pick versions that are phenomenal. 

Upon reflection after a neat OGD BIB before dinner and a gin and Sicilian lemon during and after dinner, your post got me thinking (normally a dangerous and surprise-ridden enterprise) about my own experiences.  Your approach - bunkering those few LEs you covet (while not buying every bottle you see) and consuming readily available offerings - makes sense.  If I'd done that instead of assuming EVERYTHING would ALWAYS be available, . . .

 

Your under $60 threshhold made me chuckle, though.  Back in the day, "we" thought spending more than $20 on bourbon was stupid.  Imagine my surprise when I saw a "new" brand called "Rip van Winkle Lot B 12 year" selling for $54 a 750.  I tried one on a whim.  Honestly, I felt guilty popping for a replacement 750 every three weeks or so - until I couldn't find it anymore.  Then, I wished I'd done what you are doing - buy a few rarities for the bunker and for occasional drink and replace while consuming readily availables (SOME OF WHICH I LOVE BTW) for casual, basic consumption.

 

IOW - I think your approach makes perfect sense, and I sort of wish I'd followed it.  Congrats.

[BigSkyDrams]

23 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said:

 

IOW - I think your approach makes perfect sense, and I sort of wish I'd followed it.  Congrats.

Thanks Harry. Don’t get me wrong, even the $60 bottle pours are few and far between for me. That OGD BIB sounds great! I prefer to keep my regular pours in that realm. The Blanton’s and OF1920s still gets somewhat allocated in my cabinet ... In any event, no denying that prices are not what they used to be, even in the shortish time I’ve been buying bottles. Have a good LDW!

Edited September 2, 2018 by BigSkyDrams

[uncork_it_already]

I have just recently started collecting more serious (despite drinking bourbon for years, I mostly cracked everything when I got home). While I still have some disposable income, I’m trying to stock up as much as I can. I know when the house/kids come, I won’t be able to go out and spend so much, but hopefully I have a decent collection to last me awhile (until they are teenagers and think about stealing some when I’m not around).

 

I’d say in the last two years I’ve bought about 150 bottles (ranging from $10-250), finished about 20-30 of those, and opened more than half of the rest. I bought right around 100 this year, which got a little out of hand. 2019 I have vowed to not go as crazy. I’d like to add only about 35-40. 

 

Really not scared to open anything, and never bought anything to sell (never made even a buck off a bottle). So whether I open now or in a decade, I’m definitely consuming what I buy. I just hope I can finish off the BTAC and Pappy sets before I settle down, but that seems unlikely (still need a few, and the toughest ones at that).

 

I usually drink $30-60 bottles as my dailies and that wouldn’t change. Stuff like BT, EHT, WTRB, 4R, etc will definitely keep me happy.

 

If I didn’t question oxidation (and evaporation) over decades, I would open every last one now.

[GeeTen]

On 8/30/2018 at 7:21 PM, Dango said:

I have opened and finished or nearly finished everything I have bought. I do have some bunkered, like 3 bottles, but I will get to them. I do have a EC 12year (red 12 on front of bottle) that I plan on saving. I honestly don't know why, probably because I will never likely get another one of those. Its in my safe with a weller 12 and 107 and my toys that go bang bang. At least i'm ready for the zombie apocalypse. 

 

You have room in your safe for whiskey?????   

 

[EarthQuake]

I open virtually everything as soon as I buy it, unless it's a duplicate. I probably have 40 whiskies open and maybe 10 unopened backups of stuff I really like (Stagg Jr, Barterhouse, Whistlepig Store picks, 1792 BIB, Rebel Yell 10). Plus countless more brandy, rum and other misc spirits. Why bother buying booze if you're not going to try it is what I say. 

 

I think the only thing I held on to recently was a nice bottle of Armagnac that I had my wife hide for me so I could find it on a rainy day and get excited.

[BDanner]

I have unopened bottles in my collection. Ones I simply have not gotten around to trying yet (ETL, Forged Oak, Jefferson's Reserve spring to mind). The rest are backups. But I would say that over 80% of my bottles have been opened.

[lcpfratn]

 
You have room in your safe for whiskey?????   [emoji3526]
 

I was thinking the same thing. I struggle to find room for everything else...no room for whiskey.

[Tennessee Dave]

I save mine for very special occasions like Tuesday or Wednesday nights.  Drink 'em up fellas.  Life is short and you never know what tomorrow brings.  There will be more bourbon tomorrow but when your time is up you have no more tomorrows.

[Dango]

On 11/10/2018 at 7:09 AM, GeeTen said:

 

You have room in your safe for whiskey?????   

 

yeah, been meaning to work on that. Thanks for the reminder.