Bourbon Arranging 101

[Nebraska]

My wife thinks I'm a nut. Fortunately that's one of the things she loves about me.

I spend a fair amount of time trying to figure out how to display my bourbon. What looks good, what makes historic sense, what makes distiller/distillery sense, what bottles compliment each other (looks/color), do they line up in a straight row or do I stagger the depth? I'm trying several different ways, bottle height weighs into it for me too. I have varying shelf heights. Does what I reach for most have a baring, or what I'm proudest of? What, if any, factors determine the way you arrange and in what parts of the house you have your bourbon?

I currently have bourbon in 3 different locations. After all, what if there was a fire?

[tgriff]

well, that is interesting. i have two young kids, so displays of anything breakable are not really in the cards for me for a while.

my bunker is on a shelf in my clothes closet, behind my long sleeve shirts to be precise. my wife thinks i am a nut too -but really, we are short on storage space even for my rather meager collection.

i keep my current "go to" bottle on a shelf in the kitchen pantry.

[barturtle]

I used to be able to claim that my collection was quite well organized by distillery. I had it on some nice built in shelving. Unfortunately, now, it has outgrown that shelving and has been relocated to some crappy shelving and an unused desk and the floor under it and some boxes surrounding said desk. I have simply divided it between two groups-readily available and not. The crappy shelving holds the available stuff (about 30 bottles or so) as well as holding whiskey related books. The desk is completely full front to back and end to end, as is the space under it. The desk for as messy and ugly as it looks is sorta organized: the back two rows hold VW L'burg-bottled stuff and Antique Collection bottles. The next row contains EWSB and BHC bottles. the rest of it is crammed full of whatever fit with overflow and multiples of anything in the boxes and on the floor. Also scotch and irish are on the floor as well.

Kinda embarrasing, really. At least my glassware is properly put away in the kitchen cabinets-though there is only one upper cabinet left for dishes, with the other six taken up with the glasses.

Of course that is my condo in Louisville, my apt. in Louisiana is much less full of whiskey-one kitchen cabinet and a case in the livingroom.

As for what I would suggest: I would think that if you have lockable areas, put some of the more collectible stuff there. It is nice to put sets together (Antique Collection, EWSB, etc) I like to put the Hirsch stuff with my VWs as they were bottled there and are in matching bottles. I would keep the open stuff together so you know what's open and don't open a second by mistake. But this will all depend on how much space you have to spread it out.

[Joeluka]

My wife thinks I'm a nut. Fortunately that's one of the things she loves about me.

I spend a fair amount of time trying to figure out how to display my bourbon. What looks good, what makes historic sense, what makes distiller/distillery sense, what bottles compliment each other (looks/color), do they line up in a straight row or do I stagger the depth? I'm trying several different ways, bottle height weighs into it for me too. I have varying shelf heights. Does what I reach for most have a baring, or what I'm proudest of? What, if any, factors determine the way you arrange and in what parts of the house you have your bourbon?

I currently have bourbon in 3 different locations. After all, what if there was a fire?

I do the same thing and MY WIFE loves to just look at me a laugh. It can be real funny sometimes when she catches me rearranging everything yet again ( new bottles can throw off the whole display, like that new Rittenhouse 21, Rye? HH?? Display??? Bunker????) My daugter calls the dining room where I have the bar set up "DADDYS BOTTLE ROOM". Oh well

[jburlowski]

My wife thinks I'm a nut. Fortunately that's one of the things she loves about me.

I spend a fair amount of time trying to figure out how to display my bourbon. What looks good, what makes historic sense, what makes distiller/distillery sense, what bottles compliment each other (looks/color), do they line up in a straight row or do I stagger the depth? I'm trying several different ways, bottle height weighs into it for me too. I have varying shelf heights. Does what I reach for most have a baring, or what I'm proudest of? What, if any, factors determine the way you arrange and in what parts of the house you have your bourbon?

I currently have bourbon in 3 different locations. After all, what if there was a fire?

You clearly aren't drinking enough....

[FlashPuppy]

I find my bourbon in three places. The cupboard above the refrigerator, this is where most of my open bottles stay along with my daily pours. I have a set of shelves in the living room which is built into the wall. I find that this is where most of my variety is at. There appears to be about 35-40 different bottles there. And of course, my bunker. My bunker is also known as the garage. I got myself a big airtight locker (the kind the military might use... :cool: ) that holds all of my duplicates.

[luv2hunt]

Jons out of town for the weekend so tonight I decided to finally dust the "drinkable" shelves in the office. I've finished one shelf and I quit! Do you know that on the Wild Turkey shelf alone we have open:

RR 90

RR 101

Tribute

Rare Breed

12 yr old in 3 different labels

Tradition

Legend SB

Kentucky Spirit

8 yr old

Sherry Signature

Jeese! And I thought we were doing a better job at not having so many open bottles!!!

Dawn

[Nebraska]

If they aren't open,...you're not drinking. variety is a good thing.

[wadewood]

Do you know that on the Wild Turkey shelf alone we have open:

RR 90

RR 101

Tribute

Rare Breed

12 yr old in 3 different labels

Tradition

Legend SB

Kentucky Spirit

8 yr old

Sherry Signature

Jeese! And I thought we were doing a better job at not having so many open bottles!!!

Dawn

Jim, I want to change my handle to Jeese!

[luv2hunt]

Wade.....what's the matter with "Jeese"?! I've been trying not to say OMG because my 12 yr old is constantly reminding me that I'm using the Lords name inappropriately! Even when I say Gosh.....she has a fit.

Anyway, I re-did the china cabinet today.....it's all the Antique Collection. I'm still waiting on a few bottles to have the entire collection....but OH....it looks good!

Dawn

[barturtle]

Wade.....what's the matter with "Jeese"?! I've been trying not to say OMG because my 12 yr old is constantly reminding me that I'm using the Lords name inappropriately! Even when I say Gosh.....she has a fit.

Anyway, I re-did the china cabinet today.....it's all the Antique Collection. I'm still waiting on a few bottles to have the entire collection....but OH....it looks good!

Dawn

What no pics?

[luv2hunt]

You seem to have forgotten that I'm "computer illiterate". I don't know how to use Jon's digital camera, and I certainly don't know how to resize it to post. I tried to get him to do it for me with the VanWinkle collection in the cabinet....it never happened! I'm asking for a digital camera for Christmas.....I'll also need a "Picture taking for Dummies" guidebook. Then watch out.....I'll be like Bettye Jo with the camera in my purse at all times!

Dawn

[barturtle]

You just tell him "no pictures, no pours!" He'll have that camera out so fast, you won't have time to get out of frame.

[wadewood]

Wade.....what's the matter with "Jeese"?! Dawn

I was trying to imply with that WT lineup; I'd like to change my name to Jeese to have the same since you attributed it to him.

So, my post had no hidden meaning towards any religious implications.

[OscarV]

I wish I could respond to this with at least a little bit of intelligence and wit. The "Bourbon Arranging" subject that is.

I have 134 different bourbon labels, and I think my system, which displays rarity, and best tasting, as the centerpieces,...as it were.

I do wish I would have paid more attention in Wood Shop 101 in JR. High School, then I could have a better shelf system.

[camduncan]

I tried to arrange my bourbons by distillery, but it didn't really work.

So now I've arranged the top shelf to be bottles I've picked up overseas, and the bottom shelf is bottles I've picked up locally.

They are sort of sub-grouped into disillery though :skep:

[cowdery]

I arrange my bourbons the way I arrange everything else in my home. Wherever it lands when it arrives, that's where it stays until it leaves. (Needless to say, I live alone.)

[BourbonJoe]

I put em wherever they will fit and I'm running out of room. If you want a certain pour it might take me hours to find it.

Joe :usflag:

[bigtoys]

Two cabinets in my den bar. Scotch and Bourbon on one side. Everything else on the other-gin, vodka, rum, tequila,....

Spare and extra (?) bottles in the basement. I'm thinking of enlarging the bar, but it will be $$. Oh, and a few bottles here in my office, like ryes.

[gr8erdane]

In my new temporary digs of an apartment, I tired very quickly of just stacking the cases upon cases along the shelves and decided that some just had to be shown. So, on the top of the kitchen shelves where many homes have decorative cookie tins, figurines, and knick knacks out the paddywhack, I've lined up the BTAC offerings, Van Winkles, and other open rarities that gobbled up the space rather quickly. On the ornamental fireplace mantle (there's a gas fireplace but NO VENTING so I can't really use it) are my signed bottles of RR101 and Tribute with all the WT Glassware and other baubles I've collected. And on top of the TV cabinet are the daily pours and other non-bourbon spirits. My top notch unopened bottlings are safe under the bathroom sink which is my current bunker and everything else is still in cases scattered all over the place! Did you know you can make a nice coffee table out of bourbon boxes? No pics at this time because there's no room between the boxes for a camera....