Slowly or quickly?

I've rarely had a bottle that I loved so much that I was really sorry to see it go. I'm generally an out the old, in with the new! kinda guy.

So I guess I'm with you, @Wierdo: Except for the (very) occasional bottle that I sentimentally cling to, the better it is, the faster it's empty.

If it's something that I can readily replace or that I have spares of, such as A'Bunadh or Amrut Peated CS, I don't mind letting the volume deplete quickly. I'm happy to give away samples and work through the bottle in a rapid manner.

On the other hand, if it's something I'll likely never see again, like the Caol Ila IB CS bottle I have or other bottles that I really enjoyed in the end (The Laddie Classic), I want to wait until the perfect tasting mood to finish it. And I often hang onto things too long. The last 30-60 cc are hardest to let go of unless I have plenty more. I really wish I were more like some of my friends who drink it, enjoy it, and move on.

On my right foot (as I don't have a third hand), I don't drink very often and I like to try new things so I've accumulated a large open cabinet (it's the one I keep updated on my profile). So whether I want to preserve tit for a long time or don't care, many of the bottles are around for years. I have a bottle of HP 12 (a good one) that I opened in 2011! Still over 1/4 left.

On the left foot (this better be the last one...) I am trying to pare down my open cabinet in the hopes of getting through things more quickly.

@Wierdo I'm very similar too you. I have around the same number of bottles open at one time. Those which I love (or cost a bit more) I tend to eek out and make them last, and those less impressive are usually the first to go. As I have limited opportunities for sampling, I tend to focus on Scottish single malts so that I can explore them more thoroughly. As a result I've had very few bottle repeats - but it does create a certain uncertainty when buying something new and unknown when I know which bottles really tick my boxes already.

If I love a bottle and cannot replace it I try to make it last. If I love it and can replace it I am happy to go through a bottle and buy another. If I don't like something a lot, it sits for years without being touched. That's a large cabinet approach, however. If you confine yourself to just a few bottles, under 10, I can see why you'd want to eliminate the weaker ones to make room for something better.

Making a favourite bottle last a long time is also a large cabinet approach. If you have just a few to choose from it makes every bit of sense to drink the best stuff you own as often as you can.

@Victor Or if you have only a small number of open bottles, make sure they're ALL really good.

@Nozinan, sure, in a perfect world. In a world of products of varying quality, that is highly improbable.

@Victor That would make for a good whisky movie trailer:

In a world of products of varying quality...

I there's still enough good quality to have everything in a small cabinet really good. And reasonably priced.

@Nozinan - I don't know if you get Top Gear but I couldn't resist reading the italicized bits in a Jeremy Clarkson style voice

I'm similar to you @Wierdo in that I have about the same number of malts open with maybe a bourbon or two as well and usually a blend. As a general rule if I like a whisky it will go quicker than the others but I do try to pace myself and make an effort to mix it up a bit.

Case in point is the Corryvrekan I opened recently: I'm limiting myself to weekends as otherwise I'd drink nothing else until it was gone. I'm going to open a 10 as well to share the burden as it were! On reflection, If I've paid a bit more I will make more of an effort to eek out that bottles life. I remember drinking my last SB10 in about a month though!