Quintessential bottles for regular enjoyment?

I like to have a lot on hand. It never hurts to stock up on your favorites. Prices will only go up you know. I have multiple bottle of all of these, but I tend to only keep about 10-12 bottles open at a time. But these are almost always in the lineup:

2 Bourbons. A higher end and a cheaper one. I have been favoring Four Roses of late, and a 2000 Evan Williams Single Barrel that is cheap and plentiful around these parts.

2 peated whiskies. I like to have one younger, and one older peated whisky open. Right now that is Laphroaig Triple Wood, and Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist. Again, both are plentiful where I live.

1 blend. Hibiki 12 or JW Green usuall fill that slot.

2 honey whiskies. Currently Balvenie 15 and Clynelish 14.

1 spicy whisky. I alternate between Oban 18, highland Park 18, and Talisker 18. When my current stock of Talisker 18 is gone, I will no longer be buying it. It has become too expensive. Side note: I see that HP 18 is creeping up there also. Saw it priced at 129.00 this weekend. If you can still find it for 99.00, stock up.

1 sherried whisky. I like the Glendronach 12 YO

1 Japanese whisky. Either Yamazki 18 or Yoichi 15. When my current stock of Yamazaki is gone, I will no longer be buying it. It also has become too expensive. I've gotten kind of stingy with these. They are no loner opened as frequently.

For regular enjoyment I would recommend the following:

Aberlour A'Bunadh. Almost any batch will do, though there are some that are said to be extraordinary (ordinary for A'Bunadh beats most other extraordinary). Other good sherry drams include Bladnoch 55% if you can find a way to get it. A slightly more expensive dram, Amrut intermediate Sherry, is probably priced to be a special occasion dram.

I like to go to Highland Park 12 occasionally. I agree that it's a solid malt, and even though not in my top 10, it's a well made branded Whisky.

For peat, I was impressed with laphroaig quarter cask, and Caol Ila 12 for single malts. If you would consider a malt blend then Peat Monster is a great bang for your buck.

Others that may not fit into a specific category: Amrut Fusion, Springbank, Bruichladdich ( the laddie classic is good and the 10).

I may have selection skewed to pricier drams. I'm not rich. It's a matter of choosing quality over quantity. At my point in life the opportunities to have even one dram are limited. I am impressed at the amount some posters seem to experience, but if I can have 1-2 20 cc measures in a week that's a lot. So my "go to" or everyday drams end up being special occasion ones... I need a scotch that I will as our from the first to last drop, and that can stay "fresh" for a few hours if not help over to the next night. So I've trended away from branded whiskies to the cask strength, fuller flavour, non-chill filtered craft presentations.

If I were going through 1-2 bottles a month I might do things differently, but at a throughput of 3-4 per year...

Uggghhhh, iPads. Meant to say in the second last paragraph, savour , not as our, from first to last drop...

Like @Onibubba, I like to have a big variety, but the favorites I replenish regularly are based more on local availability than any "must-have" status. HP 12, Lagavulin 16, Glendronach 12, Caol Ila 12, Ardbeg 10...the usual suspects, if you will. Ardbeg Uigeadail is certainly a "quintessential bottle," however. If I could afford it, I'd keep a truckload of Oogie in reserve.

@Onibubba -- Airigh Nam Beist is plentiful where you live? Enough to make me consider a move to Kentucky.

@WhiskyBee

You don't need to move there to buy it.... Just visit. Go by car. Buy a few cases. Drive home. Make your friends jealous, or better yet, share.

@Nozinan - The first part of your suggestion is worth considering. Only my Connosr friends would be jealous, however. The last time I shared some Scotch with a local friend, he asked, "So, is this American Scotch or imported from Europe?"

@WhiskyBee, hahaha! 'Is this American Scotch or imported from Europe?'... Fantastic!!

@CanadianNinja - Just be glad you weren't there for the 20-minute lecture that followed. ;-)

For me and not in preferred order - Aberlour a'bunadh, Talisker 10yo., Ardbeg 10yo., Lagavulin (either), Caol Ila 12 DE., Springbank Cask (any), Wild Turkey 101 Rye, 1 bottle of a new (to me) Whisky. I would say these represent the backbone of my small cabinet, have rarely, if ever, let me down; and there are other Whiskies but these are essential.

I don't keep a big cabinet, but I find the only "categories" I must have around are: 1) a good "drinking" bourbon - Maker's Mark, Buffalo Trace, Knob Creek, etc, and 2) something with peat! Doesn't have to be a monster - something like Highland Park or Springbank will pass. Also you'll note that I don't pick one in particular that is a must-have; I get bored and need to mix it up.

@Onibubba, Which store around where you live has the Ardbeg ANB in stock? Do they ship out of state?

I enjoy bold and complex flavors so I like Laphroaig, Aberlour 12 & 16, Rare Breed by WT, Elijah Craig 12. Im sure Im missing others but these would be my quintessential bottles.

@DevD It is just a small local store that lucked into a case or two. They do not ship. That's why you should always check out the smaller stores. Never know what they might have.

An Cnoc 12 yr, Balvenie 15 yr Single Barrel, Balvenie 14 yr Caribbean Cask, Talisker 10 yr, Oban 14 yr, Clynelish 14 yr, Old Pulteney 12 yr...Probably 3, or 4 others that I cannot think of right this moment.

The Quintessential Classics in my cabinet are numerous, and growing in number, as my thirst for world whiskies continues to grow.

As a whisky enthusiast, I endeavor to maintain offerings of as many grain varieties and regional expressions as reasonably possible. Availability and affordability limit the scope of my selection, but I find my self constantly recalibrating to satisfy my evolving tastes and to also maintain a manageable collection.

Whisky makers are known to re-gauge barrels of aging whisky to maintain consistency in their products and to maximize storage capacity. We as consumers are also managers of our inventories; some of us use a similar technique by decanting open bottles or employing inert gases to preserve declining balances. Some do not have a concern with partially filled bottles as they may limit the number of open bottles in their cabinet or consume the contents before change can occur.

Benchmark Expressions are an absolute necessity for one's "drinking collection". My whisky cabinet does not yet harbor selections from every region or country, and it may not, ever; yet the journey of discovery is nonetheless enjoyable while the consumption of scores of expressions, from around the globe, continues.

Here are my considerations for Quintessential Classics (on a blue-collar budget). Simply put, these are whiskies that I own, and would not be embarrassed to serve on a special occasion; they are also easily identifiable with a grain or region. The bottles listed in upper case are my go-to drams and are held in multiples...

FORTY CREEK JOHN'S PRIVATE CASK NO.1, WISER'S LEGACY, CENTURY RESERVE LOT 15/25 , Alberta Premium 100% Rye, ALBERTA PREMIUM LTD ED 30 YR-OLD.

EAGLE RARE, BOOKER'S TRUE BARREL BOURBON , WL WELLER 12 YR-OLD, Blanton's Gold, Rittenhouse Straight Rye Bottled in Bond.

MACALLAN CASK STRENGTH, Highland Park 18 yr-old, ARDBEG CORRYVRECKAN, Macallan 18 yr-old, Laphroaig Quarter Cask, Glenglassaugh Peated Spirit Drink from Malted Barley.

Jameson Gold Reserve, Bushmill’s Malt 21 yo Madeira Finish

Anyone can enjoy great whisky, but good whisky shared with friends becomes legendary.

Salute!

At the risk of being repetitious, it will be a sad day when I cannot have a bottle of Caol Ila 12 in my cabinet. Laphroaig QC is a close second. Since trying Caol Ila I have become an Islay fan, even to the point of vatting a half dram of peated whiskies with my speyside and highland whiskies. Not always but more often than not. So I consider these 2 as must haves.

Here are the ones for me...

Glenlivet Nadurra Glenlivet 18 Talisker 10 Balvenie 15 Single Barrel Balvenie 12 Doublewood Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban Glenmorangie Nectar D'or Glenmorangie Original

Lets try that again with spacing...

Glenlivet Nadurra

Glenlivet 18

Talisker 10

Balvenie 15 Single Barrel

Balvenie 12 Doublewood

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban

Glenmorangie Nectar D'or

Glenmorangie Original

I keep a sweet, peat, smoke, and savory open at all times. Here are some of my favorites:

Sweet: Aberlour A'bundadh, Glenfarclas 15 or 25, Hibiki (blend); Bookers (bourbon)

Peat: An Octomore; Uigeadail; Laphroaig Cask Strength or Quarter Cask (CS is better on my buds)

Smoke & Salt: Talisker 18 (but it is getting too expensive for me, nearly doubling in price, lame lame lame!!!) A scotch that emphasizes smoke above peat is a worthwhile distinction and often overlooked. Yes, I know that burning peat creates smoke, but you know what I mean. To me a salty smoky scotch lacks the tar and creosote type heaviness of an Ardbeg, for instance, which, due to phenols (pollution) does indeed give one a different sort of head buzz, so to speak, that can border on psychedelic.

Savory: Clynelish Signatory or other smaller boutique bottlings; a Hazelburn 12 or CV. If you can find a nice glazed ham flavored Clynelish, it will be most welcome in autumn and winter. This will require deftness on your part. Such bottlings require patience to track down, but they are worth it for they are the modern "next best" equivalent to the Brora's of yesteryear. yes, the savory scotch was quite big in the 60's and 70's. Today, it's fading to a lost art form with all of the emphasis on sherry and port. The comforting charms of savory scotch is not to be underestimated, especially as the weather turns from warm to cool and comfort food begins to reemerge from the hearth.

Thanks for all the great suggestions!

I hadn't thought about breaking the selections into sweet, peat, smoke/salt and savory. Been thinking about adding a Clynelish to my cabinet for a while now...and that would fill a need as I don't think I've got anything that qualifies as savory. Was looking at this 16 year old from K&L actually.

www.klwines.com/detail.asp

This is tough. I feel like I'm still a relative beginner, and since I'm on a budget, I rarely re-purchase the same whisky, even if I love it. I want to keep trying new things! That said, as long as I have something sweet (probably from Glenmorangie) and a big Islay (Ardbeg, Lagavulin, or Laphroaig), I'm in pretty good shape.