monte Posted April 25, 2005 Share Posted April 25, 2005 I don't have a bunker. I open every bottle I buy.What I do, though, is save the best bourbons for special occasions. Unfortunately, I am starting to get low on some of my best bourbons, many are "out-of-print." Darn!It ain't cheap, but if you decide you like a particular spirit, you can buy backup bottles after you've opened and tasted your first bottle and decided that you like it. That way, you'll have some "proven to be nice" spirits around....I do this with limited release bottlings quite often since I know that if I don't buy it now, I may never be able to buy it again.Another nice thing is that if I know I have a backup bottle, I'm less hesitant to share the open bottle with friends.Best of luck,-monte- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorCalBoozer Posted April 25, 2005 Share Posted April 25, 2005 i hear ya! thanks for the recommendations! I will check them out for sure. I'm going to scout around and see what i can find at my local liquor stores. i've been a JD drinker for years and still love the stuff. Looking forward to learning a lot more about bourbon from this board! . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmas Posted April 25, 2005 Share Posted April 25, 2005 Well, If you love JD, which no disrespect intended is not even in the same universe as the better bourbons discuss here, you're gonna BE IN HEAVEN once you start tasting great bourbons!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorCalBoozer Posted April 25, 2005 Share Posted April 25, 2005 yup and when i got that first bottle of Bookers, it was like unearthing a big ol' gold nugget! the flavor and depth was astounding to me. i'm really excited to taste more great bourbons. this board is a great resource! thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepcycle Posted April 25, 2005 Share Posted April 25, 2005 Aptly said. Note taken. I was kidding about myself and apologize if I offended anyone else but me. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmas Posted April 25, 2005 Share Posted April 25, 2005 Yeah, me too, I've read about a bunch of bourbons here that I never knew existed that I'm now gunning for! Booker's is definitely real fine, try Baker's and Old Rip Van Winkle 10 yr 107 proof and the 15 yr, they'd make a nice flight with the Booker's! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clayton Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 I don't really "bunker" anything, but I'm just now getting to the point where I'll buy multiple bottles of something if it happens to make an unscheduled (and therefore fleeting) appearance at our state liquor stores. I'll buy as much Stagg as I can mail-order, and when I'm lucky enough to find something like VWFRR (one of my favorites, and I've only seen it once in these parts), I will again buy as much as I can.I have no intention of keeping it locked up for years, though. I'm going to drink it. I made a promise to myself when I started getting into whisk(e)y that I would never not drink something I owned just because it was rare and/or expensive. If I own it, I'm going to drink it. Admittedly, some things are "special occasion" drinks that I won't pour casually while watching a movie. But they DO all get opened and poured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratcheer Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Admittedly, some things are "special occasion" drinks that I won't pour casually while watching a movie. But they DO all get opened and poured. Same here. I still have three (non-bourbon) bottles from 1990 that are so special I have one drink or so, per year. Only on very special occasions. But I am drinking them and someday they will be gone.Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesbassdad Posted April 27, 2005 Share Posted April 27, 2005 Tim,Hopefully we will all take the last sip of our last treasured bottle just seconds before the meteor hits. At least that's my hope.In regard to the original question, I wonder whether a request for a definition is in order. If I buy two bottles of something, open one and set the other on a shelf to await its turn, is the second bottle bunkered? Is the answer the same if I were to buy a case and open one bottle immediately, with the intention to open the others in due course? What about a purchase of a single bottle of some rare or expensive bottling, which is set aside to be opened on some unspecified special occasions?I can't even imagine buying a bottling, whether one bottle or a case, with no intention of opening and enjoying it. I suppose I might make an exception where there is a strong, personal element involoved. For example, if I were to manage to attend the KBF and if all the SB'ers present signed a sealed bottle for me (never mind which bottling), I might decide to leave it unopened forever (or the end of my life, whichever comes first). Then again, if the contents were sufficiently appealing, I might just polish it off and keep the empty.Yours truly,Dave Morefield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camduncan Posted April 27, 2005 Author Share Posted April 27, 2005 Dave, I tend to think of all of your examples as 'bunkered'. All of my current bottles are one off. Of the 24 bottles currently on my shelves, 11 are not available in Australia and only 3 remain unopened - 2004 Stagg which I'm saving for my wedding day in August. Wild Turkey Freedom - was only picked up last month - I'm waiting for an opportunity to open it. Blantons Original - haven't felt like drinking it, but will open it soon. Most of my bottles are kept for 'occasions'. I don't consume the good ones on my own watching TV In my original post, I used Evan Williams SB as the example because a) it's available Downunder and each bottling is easily identified due to it vintage dating. I think I've posted later in the thread that my purpose in bunkering a couple of bottles of EW is so I can sit down and taste 4 or 5 different vintages in a few years time. To achieve this, I was thinking of purchasing 2 bottles of each vintage as the new ones are released. As the years progress and tastings occur, the older ones will eventually disapear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyc Posted April 27, 2005 Share Posted April 27, 2005 Hopefully we will all take the last sip of our last treasured bottle just seconds before the meteor hits. I didn't know about this, How long do we have? I may need to change my consumption to time this better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camduncan Posted April 27, 2005 Author Share Posted April 27, 2005 Hopefully we will all take the last sip of our last treasured bottle just seconds before the meteor hits. At least that's my hope. Then hopefully by the time it hits, I'll be well and truely passed out from consuming all of my Van Winkle & Stagg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesbassdad Posted April 27, 2005 Share Posted April 27, 2005 Bobby, My reference to a meteor was only a metaphor for that cosmic eventuality that awaits each of us. (Please pardon my phraseology; I'm on my fourth drink this evening. I get even more verbose when under the influence. ) Yours truly, Dave Morefield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamber Posted April 27, 2005 Share Posted April 27, 2005 Life is for living and Bourbon's for drinking, not keeping. BUT, when you know something is in limited supply and you can only drink so much in a week , then I do stock up, within reason. My current bunker: VWFRR 13YO x 2 GTS 2003 x 1 Compared to around 30 opened bottles of Bourbon at the moment. I also plan to buy another bottles of the 1985 Van Winkle Rye to open at Xmas or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbyc Posted April 27, 2005 Share Posted April 27, 2005 My reference to a meteor was only a metaphor for that cosmic eventuality that awaits each of us Good thing! I'm not ready for a pensive summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratcheer Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Yes, I also believe we are going on two definitions of "bunkered". To some, it seems to refer to bottles that are put away more or less permanently, as collectibles. To others, including me, it is just those bottles that haven't come to their time to be opened, yet.Thanks for pointing that out. I had already thought about it, but didn't feel like mentioning it.Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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