organization?

[Clay34]

How do you organize your stash?  By Distillery, by name, by price point, by what you like best or most often drink?

 

I don't have hundreds of bottles, but today I bought a metal cabinet, instead of storing the juice in a wooden cabinet.  A little more fire resistant but nothing like a $1000 fire cabinet.  Moving bottles from one location to another.  I start with one method then switch to another in the middle of the move. 

 

So what say you?

 

[TwoFingers]

Organize?  If they make it into a box, that would be the extent of my organization.

[Tony Santana]

There's a lot of ways to do it.  By size, by distillery, by type of bourbon/whiskey, rarest ones on top, by proof.  Absolutely no right or wrong here - whatever suits your fancy.  I kind of go by distillery with my bourbons and ryes, separate shelves for Scotch and Irish, but part of it is just what fits.  And sometimes I switch it up a bit, just to amuse myself.

[fishnbowljoe]

I organize my cabinet by wherever the plethora () of different sized freaking bottles will fit. 

 

Biba! Joe

[Kepler]

I line them up by proof, from lowest proof to highest.

 

Kidding. Nah, bottles just grouped by brand that's all. No rhyme or reason. One thing I do is to put only less expensive bottles up on the top shelf near the ceiling where the warm air rises. Even with good A/C it's damn hot in Texas in the summer and if anything happens to go wrong with power or A/C it's just peace of mind.

Edited September 12, 2020 by Kepler

[Skinsfan1311]

10 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said:

I organize my cabinet by wherever the plethora () of different sized freaking bottles will fit. 

 

Biba! Joe

Same here!

[Clay34]

I know we have it somewhere:  the list that says what Brown-Forman makes vs Beam Suntory (still shocking Japanese owned).  I couldn't find it here after several searches.  I did find this on Wiki:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_whisky_brands#Kentucky_bourbon

 

I started doing it by company, then some stuff:  Bookers as an example is a tall package so I moved all the Beam products to the bottom shelf  - the tallest one in the cabinet. 

 

I finished the whole thing and the wife says:  You going to move that other liquor into that cabinet too?  I didn't mind moving the Green Spot Irish in there or the Scotch but I really didn't want to pollute my new bourbon cabinet with (Vodka sucks) or Tequila, there was even a bottle of Captn in there that I haven't had in over 3 years.  If someone comes by and wants something to mix with a coke, I have something for you.  Bottom line, I spent WAY TOO LONG playing with bottles.  I never even poured anything but that is about to change. 

 

I know, this fretting about organization isn't for everyone, but for this anal old bastard, it made sense to try and do it right.  I need a pour after that.  Now the decision pick something will take too long too.

[Harry in WashDC]

Fascinating answers above - food for thought that I can knosh on for days.

 

Not including a half dozen decanters and stray liqueurs on a butler's tray, I organize the dining room stash on the floor under the tray by bottle footprint - get as many open bottles, including a half dozen amari and a handful of gins, sufficiently out of foot traffic space that I don't get yelled at a lot.  The basement bunker is, mostly, organized by brand as I try to keep like brands together so I don't think I'm short of something and mindlessly buy "extras".  Which has happened.  Utility/laundry room stash?  Stuff I want to "save" is on upper shelves toward the back in individual paper wrappers so I don't grab the "wrong" one by mistake in the dark.  [EDIT - If I feel paper, I pass by.]  Consumables are up front and almost reachable without a ladder.  Lower shelf (2' by 2.5') holds readily consumables that don't fit in a Chinese chest in the living room used as a liquor cabinet which is mostly non-whiskey booze.  Car trunk?  I have no idea what's in there right now.

 

Hhhhhmm.  I know I'm forgetting something/someplace.

Edited September 13, 2020 by Harry in WashDC

[smokinjoe]

31 minutes ago, Harry in WashDC said:

Fascinating answers above - food for thought that I can knosh on for days.

 

Not including a half dozen decanters and stray liqueurs on a butler's tray, I organize the dining room stash on the floor under the tray by bottle footprint - get as many open bottles, including a half dozen amari and a handful of gins, sufficiently out of foot traffic space that I don't get yelled at a lot.  The basement bunker is, mostly, organized by brand as I try to keep like brands together so I don't think I'm short of something and mindlessly buy "extras".  Which has happened.  Utility/laundry room stash?  Stuff I want to "save" is on upper shelves toward the back in individual paper wrappers so I don't grab the "wrong" one by mistake in the dark.  [EDIT - If I feel paper, I pass by.]  Consumables are up front and almost reachable without a ladder.  Lower shelf (2' by 2.5') holds readily consumables that don't fit in a Chinese chest in the living room used as a liquor cabinet which is mostly non-whiskey booze.  Car trunk?  I have no idea what's in there right now.

 

Hhhhhmm.  I know I'm forgetting something/someplace.

I have been waiting for this post since this thread popped up!  You didn’t disappoint Harry, but I feel you’ve only scratch the surface with us...

[PaulO]

I keep a couple boxes with the daily drinker (easy to replace) stuff handy in front.  I keep the rye in their own box.  The hard/impossible to replace has its' own boxes, categorized by the same brand or distiller together as much as possible.

[0895]

I try to group like stuff together in storage, sometimes even in their correct case boxes.

It doesn’t always work out for me.

Like seriously.... where am I supposed to put the 4th bottle of PWV 23 y, when the case box only holds 3?
j/k.

I know approximately where about 75% of stuff is.  The rest is constantly being shuttled around as boxes merge or get eliminated.

 

I’m always the guy at the liquor store, looking through the stack of empty boxes, then requesting a specific one for my purchases with storage needs in mind.

 

Colonel EH Taylor boxes are my absolute favorite, as the will hold the tallest bottles, there’s room for 6, the boxes look nice, and stack well.

 

The new weller cork bottles are wrecking my whole system, as they no longer fit in my Weller case boxes.

 

I don’t wish my problems on anyone...

[Jazzhead]

I don't have enough bottles to require organization.    There's less than a hundred,  and the rums and whiskeys, dusties and newbies,  unicorns and Dants,   are all stored together in a set of cabinets  in the basement.   I have a dozen bottles open in my music room.    Organization's a snap with whiskey compared to jazz records! 

[Kepler]

34 minutes ago, 0895 said:

I’m always the guy at the liquor store, looking through the stack of empty boxes, then requesting a specific one for my purchases with storage needs in mind.

 

Colonel EH Taylor boxes are my absolute favorite, as the will hold the tallest bottles, there’s room for 6, the boxes look nice, and stack well.

 

 

Me too!  I thought I was the only one.

 

Roughly 2/3 of my total collection are stored in boxes totally away from my 2 bars.

[0895]

1 minute ago, Kepler said:

 

2 bars.

Now you’re just showing off.

[Kepler]

1 minute ago, 0895 said:

Now you’re just showing off.

Haha.  Well, when one is upstairs and needs a pour of RRSiB, it just can't do for one to have to go downstairs for that.  Lol. 

[flahute]

1 hour ago, Kepler said:

 

Me too!  I thought I was the only one.

 

Roughly 2/3 of my total collection are stored in boxes totally away from my 2 bars.

2 bars! Everyone meet at Kepler's house.

[Kepler]

9 minutes ago, flahute said:

2 bars! Everyone meet at Kepler's house.

Come on down.  Help me get rid of some of these bottles.  The wife will appreciate it, Lol.

[flahute]

Just now, Kepler said:

Come on down.  Help me get rid of some of these bottles.  The wife will appreciate it, Lol.

Sounds like my wife will get along swimmingly with your wife lol!

When covid is behind us, I got some people in Texas to visit. 

[Kepler]

4 minutes ago, flahute said:

Sounds like my wife will get along swimmingly with your wife lol!

When covid is behind us, I got some people in Texas to visit. 

Well hell, you better add me to that list Steve.

[0895]

6 minutes ago, Kepler said:

Come on down.  Help me get rid of some of these bottles.  The wife will appreciate it, Lol.

I think I remember seeing In & Out burger in Texas...

(starts packing car)

[Kepler]

7 minutes ago, 0895 said:

I think I remember seeing In & Out burger in Texas...

(starts packing car)

You come on down too 0895.   And yes, In & Out Burger is here now so yes by all means put it on your list, but only if you also add Whataburger too.  It's a Texas thing...

[0895]

13 minutes ago, Kepler said:

You come on down too 0895.   And yes, In & Out Burger is here now so yes by all means put it on your list, but only if you also add Whataburger too.  It's a Texas thing...

I remember seeing Whataburger in DFW & Austin, but we ran out of meals on our 4 day trip.

Ive heard great things though!

 

 

[Wedelstaedt]

13 minutes ago, 0895 said:

 

Ive heard great things though!

 

 

We have What-A-Burger in Oklahoma. Great old fashioned hamburgers. Can't be beaten. 

[Wedelstaedt]

On topic, "I want to say one word to you." :  Cardboard.  

 

[flahute]

9 hours ago, Kepler said:

Well hell, you better add me to that list Steve.

You are definitely on the list.