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@wtrstrnghlt
wtrstrnghlt started a discussion

I started my Whisky quest almost a year ago. I started with one open bottle, bought another totally different bottle so I could vary. But then my cabinet grew rapidly. I do not want to open all bottles at once. I tent to have a maximum of about 10 open bottles, so I can basically cover all styles and regions.

I don't drink Whisky daily, but I do want to try as many whisky's possible. Thanks to Connosr I learned about oxidation. I guess you could leave a bottle open for an average of a year safely, but after that you can really notice the oxidation effect. Right?

A couple of months ago I ordered a hundred empty 10cl glass bottles. My plan is to fill at least 2 bottles of every new bottle I purchase. I'll fill up 3 bottles when it is a more special or expensive bottle. This way I can revisit the Whisky  after a year or even a few years without the damage of oxidation.

This way I can build my own Whisky library. I label the bottles with the info on the label of the bottle, plus the dates I bought, opened and decanted the Whisky.

With 20 to 30 cl out of a bottle already there is a positive and maybe a negative side to this. The positive is that my bottle will be empty quicker (without me losing this Whisky forever) so I can open a new bottle. The possible negative is that oxidation starts from day one, because there is already 20-30cl of air on the bottle from the start. Right?

Any of you do this, or something likewise?

11 years ago

10 replies

@cpstecroix
cpstecroix replied

I do, but I pour when the bottle is best and my library is 4oz bottles. In some cases, oxidization improves whisky...highland park comes to mind, I've have 2 bottles that needed at least 6 months to get good.

11 years ago 1Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@wtrstrnghlt - consider filling your 100ml bottles at various stages of the bottle life i.e. top and bottom half. This will allow you to capture and preserve a truer profile of your bottle.

11 years ago 0

@Nozinan
Nozinan replied

I consider my cabinet to be a library. I open it and say "what would I like to read this week"? WHat you'rre describing is more like an "archive". I've been archiving my A'bunadhs (though I didn't save some of the first bottle I tried - no worries I have another bottle of the same great batch).

for Bladnoch, because the bottles are single casks offerings, I actually archive an extra bottle...

11 years ago 0

@wtrstrnghlt
wtrstrnghlt replied

@Nozinan Archive is definitely a better description now you mention it. Archiving full bottles is a bit to expensive for me though.

11 years ago 0

@wtrstrnghlt
wtrstrnghlt replied

@cpstecroix @paddockjudge Interesting, because I decided I wanted to get it in the bottle as 'fresh' as possible. Also because maybe I would use one of them for a sample exchange in the future. Although I haven't found a soulmate in my area.

Maybe I should fill 2 bottles after opening and 1 at its quality peak.

11 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Onibubba
Onibubba replied

@wtrstrnghlt I do this often. Especially with more expensive bottles. I will pour and label 2 4 oz bottles on opening, then put them away to revisit later. You are right. It does help you burn through bottles quicker.

11 years ago 1Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@wtrstrnghlt - Samples are just that, samples.

Decanted bottles are a way of capturing an expression at a particular moment in time. You will seldom, if ever, capture a sample of whisky from a bottle at its 'peak', for to realise that moment you must be able to capture samples sequentially and revisit them... by the time you discover when the peak moment of that whisky occurred, you may have missed the opportunity to capture it - so yes, a couple of samples from different fill levels is a good way to compare an expression, especially against itself.

It can be fun to collect some samples for trading or future consumption. Decanting is a sound practice and much can be learned from it, especially how to prevent the decline of some expressions....it also may help to create space for additional bottles.

Whisky should be enjoyable.

11 years ago 0

@wtrstrnghlt
wtrstrnghlt replied

@paddockjudge Yes, Whisky should be enjoyable, absolutely!

For me there are different ways to enjoy it. Drinking it at a nice moment and/or with good company is a nice way. But for me the the selecting, buying and opening itself is also a big part of the fun.

I enjoy Connosr, Whiskyfun, Ralfy and other blogs. I enjoy making an ever changing whishlist. I enjoy searching for a good deal online or on a shop. And I enjoy opening a bottle and nosing and tasting it for the first time.

One other thing I now enjoy is to create a Whisky Archive. Catching a peak in a bottle is going to be difficult. "Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone" But I'll decant the third bottle when I think the Whisky has evolved to a better quality.

And if after a while I noticed I was to early? I'll just decant it again! The worst thing that can happen is that I'll have an Archive full of great Whisky ;)

11 years ago 1Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge replied

@wtrstrnghlt - I agree with your summation of 'Whisky Pleasure'. The hunt is a huge part of it for me. I have sourced bottles from many parts of N. America this summer and most of them have arrived through my small, but growing, 'whisky network'. Just today, Tobermory 15 arrived from another jurisdiction and it is not the same release as what is available locally; that is a sweet find.

I too spend time searching for value; however I sometimes forgo a bargain and instead focus on obtaining expressions that are not offered locally.

Recently I have obtained, for my Whisky Library, both HP25 and OP21 at a $100 discount/bottle; that was too much for me to ignore. Also available were Macallan15 Oak, Laphroaig18, and Uigeadail. All were at a $30 to $40 discount, but I opted for unavailable offerings instead - Octomore Comus 4.2, Laphroaig Cairdeas Feis Ile 2009 Bottling, Glenfarclas 105 10yr, Alberta Premium 25 yr Ltd. Ed 2007 release, and CR Limited Ed 1974. These and a few other recent purchases have allowed me to open bottles that I otherwise would not have put into play from my own 'library'.

Good thread @wtrstrnghlt, it can spin off in many directions.

Great whisky can be enjoyed by anyone; good whisky shared with friends becomes legend.

11 years ago 0

@wtrstrnghlt
wtrstrnghlt replied

@paddockjudge Thanks for your kind words. I saw your last sentence before on your profile, it's a great line.

The whisky's you're mentioning must be beautiful, but are way out of my league at this moment. And what a huge discount you scored!

For me there are so many good whisky's under €50 that I haven't tasted yet. It would be a huge exception for me to pay more than €100 at this moment. Surely this is going to change over the coming years, when I have tasted most standard whisky's. But I don't want to go up the ladder to fast and spoil myself.

However I have bought some 6cl samples for around €10 each. These are whisky's like OP17 and OP21, Balvenie 15 and 21 and Octomore Comus 4.2

My special occasion bottles at this moment are bottles of around €75 euro. I do buy them, but won't open them until I have a very good reason. I still have my Laphroaigh 18y closed for instance.

11 years ago 2Who liked this?

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@Onibubba@paddockjudge