Bottle opening routine

All naked, all the time for me!

@Hewie, great topic for a post, it can be fun to get a peek into people's rituals.

You're not strange, I prefer the half clothed look, I like to leave some to the imagination. The only time I remove completely is if I don't have a clean tear or if it's one of those bottles that just dribble no matter what...I even try if possible to keep the foil cap on the cork.

I sniff and give my corks a visual appraisal, is it too wet/dry, is it a an agglomerated style cork or nice chunky one.

Funny you should ask . . .

I was always a half naked kind of guy up until recently when my Talisker 57 North ripped all the way accidentally. I was a bit peeved at first but then had a breath, another look and decided I liked it better with the bottoms off as well!

I practically tore off the dressings of my Balvenie 12 Single Barrel the other day . . . Grrrrrr!

Oh and yes I like to give the cork a sniff. First thing after the pop, It's like a little tease before you actually get your nose to the bottle and inhale more deeply. And then you purr, sorry, I mean pour . . .

@RianC hmm well so far it makes it look like I'm in the minority. Maybe I should take the plunge and rip those wraps right off. Yes, I love that preliminary sniff of the cork - hints of what's to come.

@Hewie don’t succumb the pressure. Keep fighting the good fight. I like the foil that is on top of the cap. Perfectly shaped. Sturdy. Fun to play with. And, yes, I smell the cork.

I definitely prefer the half-naked look. I'm a pleasure-delayer. Wait, are we still talking about whisky? The image of those bottles of Talisker has me all hot and bothered...

I use to carefully try the half naked approach, then after a few rips leaving unsightly white paper, I just rip them all off.

Also, the labels that really get my goat are the ones where the paper runs up the neck over the top of the cork and down to the other side. It looks rather classy, but once opened I've got a few tainted pours like licking the back of a postage stamp. Wild Turkey was my last offender! Now I carefully pour between the lines (think of it like, swimming between the flags).

@Frost, staying in your lane is good advice! I sometimes cut around the high part of the neck with a dry wall blade and remove the paper/foil/wax to avoid interference on the pour. Armagnac bottles are the absolute worst with that stiff wax hood over the stopper and around the neck.

@Hewie - To be fair I'll probably mix it up a bit. Variety is the spice of life they say!

There is something quite satisfying about completing a perfect tear across the perforations. I also quite like squashing the zinc wrapper afterwards - and assessing it's thickness and durability . . . I have rule of thumb - the stronger the zinc the better the whisky

@RianC " I have rule of thumb - the stronger the zinc the better the whisky" well so far that seems to be holding true. It always seems a shame to throw the foil from over the cap out - it is so thick and weighty, but I'm not one to keep putting it back on top of the bottle.

Questions is, does anyone pout the bottle into another container and then into the bottle again to air it?

@RikS, only red wine of primitivo varietal...and seldom back into the box...bah ha hahaha

In all seriousness, I do pour out and refill into the original bottle if the whisky is a bit tight. More likely to be a bourbon, such as WL Weller 12 YO, but one malt comes immediately to mind, Oban Little Bay. OLB took two years for me to recognise it for the brilliant piece of work it is. I would give this one a juggle. Another: G&M Mortlach 15 YO.

No, no, no. I just gave the fully naked bottle look a trial run and it just doesn't sit well with me. I will continue to open each new bottle with the appropriate pomp and ceremony, ensuring that the foil separates along the perforation, and leaving the perfect bottom half still on the bottle.

I'm really surprised how many people here leave that foil wrapper thing clinging to their open bottles! To me, it just looks like garbage.

@MadSingleMalt But I'm sure you're not surprised how trying to explain the fact that this discussion even exists and is going on to a 'normal person' is almost impossible and most likely to be met with eye-rolling, frowning and "Seriously, that's what you guys are discussing on there!?!" :)

When your not allowed to keep empty bottles in the house. You can bake the bottle on a baking tray for 3 minutes at 350'f. This activates the glue and with oven mitts and box cutter or razor peel label off. Then transfer to sheet of paper and add your tasting notes.