Back in 2020, there appeared a post on Reddit.com that claimed you only need five (5) bottles of bourbon in your collection at any given time. You really only ever need 5 bottles of bourbon at a time. : bourbon (reddit.com)
The Reddit Five bourbon collection consists of:
- Daily Drinker – Your “Go-To” bourbon for enjoying daily and not worry about replacing it after a week because it’s inexpensive to pick up, usually within the $20 to $30 price range but can be more based on your budget.
- Guest Impressor – The type of “fancy” bottle that will raise eyebrows but not too fancy to where you’re worried about getting the bourbon stolen at the end of the night. This bottle may cost anywhere from $50 to hundreds based on your… (wait for it)… “fancy.”
- Cheap Mixer – One that you can buy cheap, personally drink neat, and your guests will never know and appreciate. Usually, a cheap mixer is a bottle of bourbon that costs anywhere from $15 to $30 in the price range.
- Friday-Night Bourbon – That once-in-a-week pour you bring out to enjoy and not worry about killing the bottle too fast to where you have to buy more – and it costs you more than $30 to $40.
- Special Occasion – That bottle you bring out once in a while for precisely that, celebrating a special moment with something on which you spent a “pretty penny.”
For most of us that have been collecting bourbons for years, we snicker at such a thought. There shouldn’t be a suggested limit on how many bourbon bottles one should have in their collection; that ultimately depends on them. Many have hundreds of bottles in their collection from which to choose.
However, for those entering the world of bourbon, they may be unsure of where to start. More importantly, a new bourbon drinker may not want to start with bottles priced within the $20 to $30 range. Therefore, a list like this might be a good start for those who may not want to fill their home with 100s of bottles… at least not right away.
For those considering this approach, here are some “suggestions” for each of the bottles in the collection you can attempt to purchase.
Daily Drinker – Wild Turkey 101, Wyoming Whiskey Small Batch, Buffalo Trace
Guest Impressor – Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Series, Weller Antique 107
Cheap Mixer – Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond, Old Forester 100
Friday-Night Bourbon – Old Forester 1920, Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, Makers Mark 46 Cask Strength, Belle Meade Reserve
Special Occasion – Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Series, 1792 Twelve Years Old, Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond, Weller 12, Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year
While many of us will continue to buy bottles at will without worry about how much space they take up, where the Reddit approach finds usefulness in the ability to determine which bottles in a collection fall into one of these categories.
