How to Start Whiskey Collection & When to STOP Buying More!

[@gabesailer1171]

Great video. I started about 1.5 years ago with a four roses yellow label. Almost a year in, I fell victim to the allocation hype and spent a ton on harder to find bottles, and usually being disappointed once I tried them. Now that my selection has passed 40 bottles, I’m finding that I don’t visit stores as often, and when I do, I will pass on things that I would’ve never thought about leaving 5 months ago. I’m to to the point now that private selects of standard shelf options seem to be the most interesting since they bring new light to some already stellar options without inflating the price to ridiculous levels like what happens with allocated products

[@StevenScone]

This is a must watch for a new enthusiast. I started around January of this year. I stick to American whiskey. You have to make rules. I have around 30 bottles and I know what I like now. I'm lucky that I missed the hype. I'm not chasing hard to find stuff. I am now looking at small distilleries, and I'm finding some really good ones.

[@whiskeyuncut]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@steveno7058]

If you only drink America you are missing out big time. Scotch, Irish, Japanese, Armagnac, Indian, Tequila, Mezcal.

[@pedrorivera9779]

Of all the Whiskey videos I have watched over the last year, I am happy I stumbled on your guy's video. Thank you for sharing what I believe to be a very informative and helpful video. Thanks, you have earned a new subscriber.

[@whiskeyuncut]

Fantastic thank you for the support!

[@SaltyCuban]

This really hit home . Great topics. I too have spreadsheets of the bottles and fill levels, vintages, tasting notes etc. One tip is to decant to a smaller bottle when you open something really good. That way it’s saved and you dont feel bad drinking it. If you love it , buy two. This year I’ve purchased the fewest bottles I’ve ever bought (4) since starting my “hobby”. I’m in Florida and the bars mainly have bourbon and a crap selection of single malt scotches. For me FOMO is real. But even worse is fear of not being able to get that bottle that you prize ever again (discontinued /price). So many of these bottles sit in the dark. Now I just had my 25th anniversary. Did I celebrate with any bottle? No. Mainly because my wife doesn’t drink. I had my 50th BD. Didn’t open any bottles. I’m saddened to realize this . Like you say so many “special” bottles and none are THE bottle. I had way more fun in my early yrs of collecting. I have @100 SM bottles. And then there’s the blends , bourbons and rums. My wife can’t imagine why I still buy bottles and don’t drink them. I actually do. But I open cheaper ones. Of course I’ve had good bottles over the years but I’m reluctant to open one unless I have a “back up”. I think this kind of thing isn’t talked about by other reviewers. I find it fascinating that we all have one issue or another when it comes to our , yea excessive collections. Thanks guys for the video.

[@Stew_Burner]

Absolutely fantastic video. This is in line with the advice i give people in the store when they are new to whiskey.

[@ryanvh14]

I agree with all of these comments. You guys gave great advice for new enthusiasts. When you first start out, it’s easy to feel like you have to try everything, particularly if you are researching via KZbin, podcasts, etc. These are great guidelines to combat that.

[@whiskeyuncut]

Finding the balance of trying lots of things and not giving into thr zeitgeist isn't easy!

[@jamiebrandon8475]

When I first started collecting, I would purchase things experienced drinkers recommended. I have realized now I do not like proof, and so I might take their advice on a brand however, I always go down below 100 proof. So I would say to new collectors know your happy proof point.

[@SaltyCuban]

Good point. I do think online reviewers obsess about cask strength. Yes it is a unique way to enjoy and have more control of the abv and even get the most out of a bottle. But you need to develop the skill to do this or you’re wasting your money to a certain degree. Some offerings are great at CS. I however prefer @46 abv tbh. I will add that a positive of CS is they keep for a much longer time opened with out losing much of the profile. I’ve also found out I prefer my sherried scotches to not be at cask strength. I enjoy those at much lower abvs as opposed to peated scotches which I like more at higher proof.

[@durzagon88]

Awesome video. Alot of great wisdom here. This is what more people need to talk about.

[@whiskeyuncut]

Wisdom might be a stretch, but we appreciate the sentiment 😁

[@durzagon88]

@@whiskeyuncut nope too many you tubers dont discuss limiting purchases or give negative reviews due to being scared they wont get samples, etc by offending distilleries. The hunt can get crazy being in FL is crazy I keep finding high end bourbons after I saw I am gonna take a break. Just found 3x russels 15 for msrp .....what to do.

[@whiskeyuncut]

@@durzagon88 Yeah we strongly hope that Buffalo Trace and Macallan don't listen to our show too closely for exactly that reason 🤣 We wear our opinions on our sleeves a little too much to get samples of some of our favorite whiskies

[@mattfalk8493]

I would suggest joining a Whisky Bottle Subscriber Club that send you a bottle a month as a good starting point as well... you get a variety of bottles styles and tastes thats how I started mine and im still in the Club but im also out and about buying what know and what to want try, plus watching WhiskyTube helps in what I want to try, and yes not finshing bottles is hard but smart

[@davidbill3987]

I got into Whiskey about six or seven months ago. I get what you’re saying about not drinking an entire bottle so you can compare later. The problem I have with it is that I’m living in an apartment in Japan. That limits my collection size to maybe 40 bottles max. So I can’t really do that but I can have ten or so bottles open at any one time so that’s kind of where I have to go with it. Getting a new bottle means an old one has to go

[@steveno7058]

Go buy some 8 oz boston rounds or 2 oz bottles. You can save alot of space on almost empty bottles

[@davidbill3987]

@@steveno7058 I've already been doing pretty much that. Amazon has a bunch of 4oz bottles that are pretty cheap and I've got several of the 3oz bottles from Aged and Ore that I also use to bring some whiskey while traveling.

[@whiskeyuncut]

@@steveno7058 This is the way. Somewhere around 10 open bottles is honestly a great balance between not having too many options and also giving yourself some room to compare and contrast

[@SaltyCuban]

Buy sample size bottles for future reference. Kind of like a bottle library.

[@Liz_DrB]

Enjoyed the content. The tips were solid from 2 whiskey guys w experience

[@whiskeyuncut]

Thanks liz!

[@henrieliot]

Great video. Hello from New Zealand . My go to bottles are Four Roses or Elijah Craig or JD cask strength single barrels as a scotch drinker normally Any other recommendations?

[@steveno7058]

Open bottles don’t go bad. Just decant them into an 8 oz bottle once its below 25%.

[@whiskeyuncut]

Oxidized whiskey changes flavor. Good or bad can be preference and on an individual whiskey basis but open bottles do change, and they change faster the emptier they are. Decanting into small bottles is the best method to preserve your flavors 👍

[@TaterDom]

This was really awesome, thank you for posting this! 🥃🥃

[@whiskeyuncut]

Glad you liked it!

[@Voodicus]

The first scotch i bought is a 14yr glen fiddich that has all the character of dish soap. Wondering if i should just stick with the japanese suntory/nikka’s instead of moving into scotch. Thanks from a very new guy, perfect discussion for us folk.

[@steveno7058]

Glendiddich is weak stuff. Yes definitely try more Scotch. But good quality stuff. Keep in mind Japanese whisky is an off shoot of Scotch. The founders of Japanese whisky learned to make whisky in Scotland

[@whiskeyuncut]

What are your 3 favorite japanese whiskies right now? I'd be happy to make some suggestions. I will say that most Nikka has a LOT of character while Glenfiddich sells so well exactly because it is very 'maintstream' and boring but is acceptable to pretty much everyone.

[@Evil-Rod-Farva]

Glenfiddich is the most basic of basic Becky scotch. It’s like the most The cool thing with scotch is there’s a lot to explore. If you haven’t ventured into peat, give Tamdhu, Glendronach, or Glenmorangie a try. If you’re peat-curious, Johnny Walker Green label is a great start and if you’re game that’s when your Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbegs come in.

[@jamiebrandon8475]

Is (peated) that moldy barrel funk taste?

[@100puremustard5]

@4:50 "If you like Speyside or Highland scotch you will probably like Irish whisky" Nope. I've tried multiple Irish including the "popular" Red Breast 12 and just don't like it. And I love the Speyside profile in particuler (which is a type of Highland by the way). I would say Irish is more like Japanese whisky, especially since some Japanese used to source from Ireland back in the day.

[@steveno7058]

Red breast is single pot still. Meaning it has unmalted and malted barley. Very different from single malt Scotch. Try some single malt Irish (Whistler) and it will be more similar to Scotch

[@whiskeyuncut]

A lot of japanese whisky is sourced from Scotland and re-labeled, and they learned whisky making in scotland so it makes sense they emulate the style. Thankfully Japan has some new regulation in that regard, so hopefully we will start to see a lot of progress in that area for consumer transparency. Redbreast has a pretty distinct heavier character. If you haven't tried Yellow Spot or Green Spot I would check them out. They are what James was referring to in 'similar' to highland in style as far as flavor profiles go. But obviously they are different styles for a reason. Their mashbills are different, and their distillation process is different. Taste is subjective and just because many people who like one style find the other appealing doesn't mean it will be true for you. Cheers!

[@henrieliot]

Yellow Spot is amazing!

[@saltycat262]

I bought port Charlotte and lapghroig a while back thinking I needed it in my collection because it was on most peoples lists. I can't drink either of them lol. It's smoked bandaid and rubber tires. Why is that appealing to most? 😅 what am I missing?

[@whiskeyuncut]

Haha its definitely not appealing to 'most', and James would say you're not missing anything but at some point it just "clicked" for me. Laphraoig is particularly offputting however 🤣

[@steveno7058]

If you like Texas BBQ you will probably like Peated Scotch

[@francisoconnor2392]

It definitely takes some time getting your taste buds to come around to peated scotch,just take small amounts a few times a month and see if that works

[@SaltyCuban]

🤔. Very early on, my first peated scotch was the worst for many. Laphroaig quarter cask. I most definitely thought it was weird. Then I found myself craving the flavor afterwards. I believe it’s because I am particularly fond of the burning wood smoke smell. That and BBQ smell always remind me of vacations and relaxing times. Especially if the weather is cool. If you don’t like those odors, or the smokiness in bbq meat, I don’t think you’ll like peated scotches.

[@saltycat262]

@@SaltyCuban I think the rubber and bandaid is what's so off-putting for me. Slightly smokey I can handle cuz I get that a little in the non-peated scotches. Every once in a while I'll take a sip, waiting for that switch to turn on but hasn't happened yet. Maybe just not for me ever lol

[@jackthepickledhound]

You're not wrong at all. A little cynical but but not qrong. I've got a decent collection of Scotch and ECBP and local NY 100% rye and American Single malt etc. My buting has dropped off in 2024 to 10% of what it was in 2019 and 2020. When yhey aniunced the tarrifs on Scotch I was a little worried. Today I continue to check out 2 or three web shops to see what's new and i take the drive to hunt when i have 2 hours to kill. If i get lucky yo find something new at MSRP great, if i find a store pick that's interesting, great. But i dont care anymore. Its just whisky and if my kids find the collection valuable when I'm dead, great. They could drink it or auction it off. My problem is that with so many bottles open i rarely find the need to open a new score. And if I do the chances of being disappointed are 50/50. It's never quite as good as the hype and its worth more sealed. The only solution is to buy 2. Its an interesting hobby and i got into it simply to learnabout the market. Why are there 250 different bottles of whisky at the store amd one is $25.00 and one is $25000? WTF? Thansk to whiskeytube I now know .

[@ILuvRum]

Great content with great insights. Too good to have less than 400 subscribers???

[@johncloud8161]

Exactly what I was thinking

[@whiskeyuncut]

Thank you. You can help us change that, share with your friends!

[@timkozlow5258]

I only buy whiskey as an investment. I actually do not drink. I buy three to four bottles a year. I buy only MacCallan. The 12 ,18,25 year old Cherry oak of that year. I normally can't swing the 30 year old financially . That's really it. I have a couple other MacCallan randoms but that's it. I am sure if I did drink I would have a lot more to taste.