Do you drink the whisky you like?

Your tale, for me, relates to that one question people ask that is truly unanswerable: "What is your favorite whisky?"

My answer to that question has evolved to this: "I have 25 in my top 5." While there is no favorite for every situation there's always one that calls in a given situation, and it might not be one of those 25. A non-peated, bourbon-barrel matured whisky might be just the ticket before dinner (Glenrothes Alba Reserve, Glenlivet Nadurra, Tullibardine 1993--none of which are in my top 5) and after a meal it might be a big sherried whisky or a light smoky one. So in answer to your title question, yes, I drink what I like based on the situation. I must add that it's taken a l-o-n-g, patient time for my tastes to evolve.

My point in saying all this actually does correlate to your quandary (if it is that). Neither the Great King Street nor the Uigeadail might call to you on a given night, but by having one bottle open you've forced that one whisky to be your every-situation whisky. Sometimes it might not fill the bill at all, right? There is a great efficiency in opening one bottle at a time so my response here is by no means a criticism of your scheme, but rather simply a response to your curiosity about others' thoughts. Hope it helps.

@two-bit-cowboy Great response, thanks, and I think you've got a good grasp of the situation. That is, in fact, part of the reason I set the one-bottle-rule. I found that trying to always have the "right" whisky makes me too greedy and obsessive about whisky. This way, if I'm in the mood for "scotch" I can enjoy "scotch" without looking to it as an object that I can rely on to make my happy, if that makes sense.

@valuewhisky I know what you mean. I am drinking Ardbeg Uigeadial tonight and I love it. However, this is only the 3rd time I have drank it even thought it is my current "favourite" open bottle. I tend to flirt with it and drink others instead. I assume it is to stretch out its enjoyment and so to have it available should I desire it for as long as possible. I have had a Lagavulin 16 open for around a year and have one good glass left. If I drink it then I will HAVE to buy another bottle because i like it so much. Whilst I still have it i can buy different bottles instead. I hadn't really considered it before but I suppose it means I have a range of "usual suspects". When my Laphroaig 10 and Ardbeg 10 ran out I bought replacements.

I can see the logic in the single bottle idea but I do like to have choice as well as my "usual suspects".

@valuewhisky: Interestingly enough, you and I are in opposite situations. You're paring down your cabinet, I'm building mine up. I've been a scotch drinker for many years, but it's only recently that I've decided to try and really expand my horizons and get to know some really good stuff -- at least in my world. I'm still exploring those Islay malts, and though I love them to death, I feel like I have a long way to go.

I guess all I can really say is much like the heart wants what it wants, so it goes with your palate. No matter what the score a given whisky has, if you personally like or dislike it, that should be all that's relevant to you. I use the scores as a system of waypoints -- I take it for granted that I probably won't agree with every single one to the letter. I do find that they seldom lead me astray, but hey, that's just me.

So if you like something, I say don't overthink it. Just drink it and like it! That's all that really matters, isn't it?

@tjb Right on - I am struggling with the balance between wanting to have choice and not wanting to be "dependent" on favorites. I also have grown tired of over-analyzing it as you describe: "when can I drink this one?" "What do I need to replace this once it's gone?" etc. I always like to simplify things when I can. It drives me nuts to have a bottle in the cabinet sitting around for months on end.

@HeartlessNinny You are not living up to your name - that did not seem to be a "heartless" reply! Yes you're right. What confuses me specifically about the scores are that my own scores don't even seem to make sense in this case - I would always take a dram of Uigeadail over a dram of GKS, but I would take the bottle of GKS over the bottle of Uigeadail... if I only had one bottle that is.

@valuewhisky Thanks. :)

And I think I understand. I don't have any Uigeadail (in fact I haven't tried it yet, though I've been meaning to for a while now), but when I get my hands on a bottle it probably won't be my daily driver. I save cheaper -- and dare I say simpler -- whiskies for that.

By the way, there's one thing we haven't talked about. You mention you like to keep a bottle of bourbon on hand as well. What's currently in the cabinet? I like to keep a couple of varieties of that on hand as well. I wouldn't want to drink Booker's every day, either. But once in a while, it really hits the spot.

I can certainly relate to what you are going through. I often find myself agonizing more than I should over picking the perfect whisky to suit the day or mood rather than just enjoying a dram of something. To this end I have most of my bottles open at the same time. I am certainly trying t make an effort to just pour and enjoy rather than overthinking before I pour.

@HeartlessNinny Yes Booker's is exactly analogous - I couldn't drink Booker's day in and day out. Right now I have Knob Creek Single Barrel. Really good but I watered down the bottle from 120 proof to about 105 proof to make it an anytime bourbon. It stood up well to the dilution and is still way better than standard Knob (which I do like).

@RoganFox Yeah I could only take so much of the agonizing. Some folks here seem to be able to keep a large cabinet and just enjoy it but I don't seem to be able to. I'm hoping that less agonizing will be worth the reduction in choice.

Awesome question, and the responses have been great. I'm with two-bit cowboy, and would also add that there are some drinks that I absolutely adore, but they're very challenging or something to that effect. Of my 'favorite' whiskies, one is a heavy bomb that requires a ton of attention. I'd love it whenever I have it, but I'd miss out on a lot if I went to it just to have something. Another favorite is less astonishing to me, but I could drink it and love it every day. So, I guess, there's an element of just the ease of getting the most pleasure out of drinking it.

@valuewhisky I have added a few 20cl bottles to my cabinet recently. This lets me shop around for new Whiskies without having to sell a kidney to fund my habit. I have only just started with the quarter bottles but they are helping me manage my desire to keep trying lots of new Whisky but also manage my budget at the same time. If these are available to you it is worth a go. You do pay more per litre but it lets you change things up without having agonise as they are all fairly short lived. I don't find the desire to stockpile these smaller bottles is the same.

@numen Just out of curiosity, what are the two whiskies you're talking about?

@valuewhisky Great discussion. I am still learning a lot about whisky so the discussion has made me think a lot about my collection and how I approach my drams on a regular basis.

My first take on your question led me back to a discussion started by SquidgyAsh (connosr.com/wall/discussion/…). In re-reading that discussion, I think it is similar as I think of session beers as ones that I would drink on a regular basis or ones that I would drink if I had to buy 12-pack. Ignore the part about the ABV which I guess may be relevant but not the main point of my thoughts on how the two discussions are related.

I agree with your thoughts on Uigeadail which I love but can only drink in moderation and on occasion. If I was told I could only have one bottle, it would not be Uigeadail. My "session" whiskies are ones such as HP 12, Talisker 10, Compass Box Oak Cross, or OP 12 which I am more to happy to drink multiple times a week. I wouldn't say OP 12 is my favorite but it certainly is a great every day whisky and one that if I only had one bottle would be happy to say I am having a whisky tonight.

@HeartlessNinny My favorite is the 1976/2009 Karuizawa Noh (6719), but it's heavy, thick, and challenging. The other is the Compass Box Flaming Heart 10th Anniversary; almost a like a lighter, sweeter Brora.

I do drink what I like which is why I have over 100 bottles open. I sometimes wish I liked it less........

Great discussion. I'll provide my 2c in the form of an analogy.

Great whisky is a "treat" - like a bowl of super rich Belgian chocolate ice cream. I wouldn't eat it every day - if I did, it would lose its appeal pretty quickly I think. But if I have it infrequently, every time is a "Wow!" experience.

On a daily basis, I'd rather have a piece of chocolate (a very good whisky but not super special) as it is satisfying and enjoyable and requires less work or attention - and sometimes, or most times, that's all I'm after.

@systemdown Excellent - and enlightening - analogy!

Some good points made already but I echo the sentiment that most nights, I'm not looking to put the time and focus into enjoying a really complex, powerful whisky. However those times that I am, it's the best whisky experiences I have. So the best bet is to have one or two really nice bottles, and a few cheaper bottles that don't require the patience, focus, etc to enjoy at their potential. Also of course it's a budget thing - drinking the expensive bottles only occasionally makes sense for anyone - just what 'expensive' means changes from person to person.

I commend the 1-bottle thing. The most extreme I can imagine going is 3 bottles - of which, 1 would be 'expensive' and the other two more reasonably priced. However, I keep myself at a 12 bottle inventory, all of which are open - I can't have unopened bottles, just too impatient.

I completely understand your sentiment. When I am traveling for work or something and I get a bottle for the hotel room, I usually get something simple and easy drinking, and sometimes a blend. I find it is sometimes the best option when it is the only option. It doesn't mean that those biggies aren't your favourites, but I know I have times when I just can't handle a glass of Corryvreckan.

Great responses, everyone. You have helped me understand my thoughts on this matter. I think that I do usually just drink "'passively" while reading a book or something; I was feeling guilty drinking my good stuff all the time for this. So I think I'll try and stick to the one-bottle-of-scotch approach for most of my drinking, but maybe I will add in a nice bottle for those times I really want to focus on something good. The problem I end up having with that is that even if I only have 1 good bottle like that - it'll probably last a whole year in the cabinet! Too bad we don't have more options of 20cl bottles as @tjb pointed out.

Another facet to this I find happens to me is that the more powerful and exciting (and usually more expensive) whiskies are what I tend to investigate and subsequently buy, so my collection becomes lop-sided by the old 80/20 rule - 80% of my whiskies are the ones I drink 20% of the time, and I'm going to the same 20% of them 80% of the time.

@valuewhisky That seems sensible to me. And what's wrong with having a bottle stick around in your cabinet for a long time? I have stuff that I hang onto for a year or more. Just means you appreciate it! :)

@HeartlessNinny Yes I need to change my attitude about that. There probably isn't anything wrong with keeping a bottle for a year, but I've never had the patience to do it. I do worry about the whiskies losing some flavor over time - esp. since these are the ones I'd be specifically selecting for their special flavors. Luckily cask-strength whiskies hold out pretty well and those are mainly the "special occasion" whiskies that I enjoy.

@valuewhisky I'll readily admit I'm no expert, but I would imagine that any given whisky wouldn't change much in the bottle, provided the cork is in good shape.

Maybe if you drink most of the bottle, so there's a lot of air in it -- maybe then it might change a bit? I have to admit I have no idea.

But personally, I find that when I come back to something and find it different than I remembered, it's me that changed, not the whisky.

Good evening, friends!

With respect...I gotta dissent.

Variety is good. To me whisky is no different than any other sensory experience. Repetition breeds complacency. Mix it up...challenge your taste buds...enlighten through experience. Especially if you are in any way voicing a public opinion. How can you ensure your senses are attuned to nuances?

In my humble opinion, sipping the same dram every night is rather mundane. I don't eat the same meal every day...why would I drink the same malt each night?

Just my two cents.

@antihero fair point. I won't really argue, but I will say that I drink the same OJ every morning, the same coffee probably 5-7 days a week, and when I'm in a tea phase I'll drink the same tea until my box of 20 is gone. But, whisky is not these things, true. And with beer I never finish a six-pack without starting my next one first, so that plays to the multiple-bottle idea.

@antihero Not sure that anyone is saying that they will drink the same dram every night. I certainly could not do that - but at the same time, I'm not busting out all my top shelf whiskies on a regular basis and/or recklessly opening every bottle that I own at once.

I sample as many different whiskies as I can when out and about and when the opportunity presents itself and I'm sure I'm not alone.

I think there's a nice moderate approach where you can enjoy the best of all worlds, I guess it's up to each of us to discover what that nice happy medium is.

@valuewhisky Ahhh, touche, sir. Well played. Without my familiar cuppa joe in AM...this kid doesn't function on all cylinders.

@systemdown Fair. I'm speaking more to the whole 'only having obe bottle open' thing. Maybe it's just me. I need that variety.

Right now I have about 80 open and another solid 150 or so steal sealed on shelves.

I have fickle moods, I think. ;)