How Many Opened Bottles of Whisky Are Standing on Your Shelf?

It’s Friday and gloriously sunny. Which probably means not many whisky bottles will be getting opened in this weather. Today’s question: how many bottles of whisky do you have open at home? We all know whisky keeps well. But does that mean plenty of bottles are standing open?

The number of open bottles swings quite a bit. I regularly split bottles into samples to free up space in the cabinet. At the moment, for medical reasons, I haven’t been drinking for a while and I’m not opening anything new either. In concrete terms, that means I’ve got 27 open bottles and an infinity bottle. - Hessel

I had to stop and count, and the outcome is exactly what I feared: too many. Right now I’ve got 29 bottles of whisky open and, though they don’t really count for the question: two bottles of rum. From a few Irish bottles like Boann Distillery and The Legendary Silkie to a couple of Japanese whiskies and, of course, a heap of Scotch. Islay distilleries are especially well represented in my collection, including Caol Ila, Ardbeg, and Laphroaig. But it’s about time I actually finish a few before adding any new ones. I’m, uh… out of space. - Ralph

Oof, I’m afraid we have well over thirty bottles open at home. Or afraid… maybe pleased? Depends how you look at it, really. What’s open? A mix of Japanese whiskies, Scotch, a few Dutch whiskies. too many to list. In any case, Yamazaki and Hakushu are open, which I do pour fairly often.

I also try to avoid having too many bottles with just a tiny bit left. That’s apparently not ideal.

So those get finished a bit faster, while I take it slower with the bottles that are still quite full. I treat whiskies like arthouse films: there’s so much choice, and it all depends on your mood. And of course, the weather plays a part too. I’ve just remembered we’ve got a specific Game of Thrones whisky (only one of them worked that way) chilling in the freezer, though I don’t find it particularly tasty. - Rox

We currently have 25 bottles open in our cabinet. A bit of everything: Scotch, Dutch, Irish, and American. Within that, there’s a mix of blends, single malts, cask strength, and blended malts and both peated and unpeated expressions. Plenty to choose from, though with this lovely summer weather the lighter styles are front and center. A few bottles are down to the last pours, which is nice, it frees up space for something new once they’re finished. - Ilse

Whiskybase tells me I currently have 10 bottles open. That’s about my average. I always make sure there’s something peaty, something light and floral, something a bit sweeter, a cask strength, and a bourbon. That way, there’s something open for every mood. - Daan

And you? Share it in the comments and let’s keep the conversation going.

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