Stocking a liquor cabinet from scratch

I have over 50 bottles of liquor on hand at all times. Mostly the ones you prefer of whisky, rum and cognac. I think the cabinet is better developed to what your tastes are over time.

If you went the other path of liquors for mixing then stocking a cabinet to make any cocktail makes more sense.

So, what taste profiles do you like?

No Frills wrote: ↑I have over 50 bottles of liquor on hand at all times. Mostly the ones you prefer of whisky, rum and cognac. I think the cabinet is better developed to what your tastes are over time.

If you went the other path of liquors for mixing then stocking a cabinet to make any cocktail makes more sense.

So, what taste profiles do you like?

Definitely not interested in stocking a cabinet for drink mixing.

Mainly looking for after dinner drinks, late evening sipping while spending a night with family, reading a book, in discussion, etc

I haven't tasted that many, but what I can say is, I do enjoy brandy and whiskey. Cognac is a type of brandy, correct? Like that too. I also like the, I think they're called 'amari', those after dinner drinks typical in italian households (e.g., amaretto/nut flavour, or grappa), which supposedly aide in digestion.

I hope that helps. Is there a better way to determine a 'taste profile'? Just looking for some drinks to relax to, nothing about hammering down shots or partying like an animal. ;-)

Heres a list of my favorites. I would highly recommend tasting anything before you buy a bottle especially if you dont intend to mix. Everyone has their favorites and could argue forever about which liquors are best. It all comes down to your preference. I mix most of my drinks with the exception of cognac, scotch, tequila and sometimes rum or whiskey.
first off i always have a bottle of baileys beside my coffee machine
cognac - hennesy , remy martin, mcdowells no1(brandy)
amaretto - disaronno
gin- bombay saphire, ginebra san miguel, tanqueray,
vodka - grey goose, absolut,
rum - matusalem, captain morgan spiced,
scotch - johnny walker blue$$$,
whiskey- jameson, wisers, gibsons, forty creek,
tequila - patron, hornitos plata(white)

Hmm, maybe just get each of your 6 starting spirits distilled by something different. Grapes (brandy/cognac/grappa), rum (sugar cane), tequila (agave), scotch (malted barley), bourbon (corn), and a high content Rye whisky.

Make sure to grab these:
Disaronno Amaretto
Sambucca Ramazzotti
Courvoisier cognac
Grey goose pear vodka
Ciroc spirit beverage (they can't call it Vodka in Canada)
Chivas Regal
Hennesey
Martini & Rosi Asti (champaigne just in case)
Appleton estate rhum
Patron Tequila

If you are looking for 6 bottles and mostly drink straight and this is more for you then guests I'd recommend the following break down.

3 Whiskeys - One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Canadian.
1 Rum
1 Amaro/Bitter(Could be anything from Campari to Green Chartreuse)
1 Gin

With in this it all comes down to preferences. Based on my likes this is what I'd recommend. None of these are high, high end, but I think give a nice rounded selection.

Whiskey
Something like Collingwood 21 Year Old(One if the most reasonably priced Canadian Whiskeys, especially with that kind of age statement)
An Isle Scotch on the lower end Bowmore 12 Year(Currently $5 off at the LCBO) I think its a great start if you are just getting into this, but if you want something more pricey try the Ardbeg 1o year. Although for almost double the price right now, I'd start with the Bowmore personally.
For Bourbon, Eagle Rare 10 Years Old or Buffalo Trace if you want to save a few dollars.

Rum
I find the selections almost as diverse as Whiskey, so with only once choice this is very hard. This is on what I think is the higher end for rum, its a molasses based rum which is my preference Ron Zacapa 23 Centenario Rum. If you want something cheaper try something like Kraken, its also from molasses, and actually pretty decent.

An Amaro or Bitter.
This is the biggest range. I'm going to include everything from Campari to Green Chartreuse in here. Chartreuse I don't technically count as a bitter but fits for what I'd say can a digestif or aparitif. So other then the two mentioned above you could go for something like Montenegro Amaro or Varnelli Sibilla Amaro. I'd stay away from something like Fernet-Branca unless you know thats your thing. I like Fernet-Branca in a cocktail that uses it sparingly such as The Toronto, but on its own...no thank you.

Gin
Its not traditional but I'd go with Dillons. Its an Ontario Gin, easy drinking, less Juniper than traditional.

If you want to extend beyond this and want to get into Cocktails I'd add Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, a Vermouth like Fratelli Branca Carpano Classico, or if you come across is somewhere Carpano Antica. The LCBO has had Carpano Antica in the past but it doesn't last long and I'm an idiot never to buy enough.

With 6 of those bottles, you can make most of my favorite cocktails and actually have a pretty decent setup with as few bottles as possible.

your basic liquors are gin, vodka, rum, rye, scotch.

i'd add tequila as the sixth

if you're not into making mixed drinks or cocktails, i'd take the gin and vodka out. replace with a bourbon and a blended scotch. Johnny Black?

get an aged rum for sipping

c_snapper wrote: ↑your basic liquors are gin, vodka, rum, rye, scotch.

i'd add tequila as the sixth

if you're not into making mixed drinks or cocktails, i'd take the gin and vodka out. replace with a bourbon and a blended scotch. Johnny Black?

get an aged rum for sipping

Angostura rum is great for sipping. Very smooth.

To be at 50 bottles I'd have to drink half of my stash.

Thank you for your replies. It seems building this is more of a marathon, than a sprint. I'm happy to start with a few bottles.

I still have an immature palette, so I won't truly appreciate the nuances just yet. However, here is what I now have in my cabinet.

- Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Whiskey
- Collingwood (21 year old Canadian Whiskey)
- Bowmore 12 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch
- Luxardo Amaretto Di Saschira (family likes this, preferred over Disaronno)

I'd likely want to get a brandy or cognac next. But since the better bottles are pricey, I can hold off for now and taste test at homes I know have a couple different brands.

So, that's where I am now. I think I'm good for the time being. I'll try a rum before buying a whole bottle.

onlineharvest wrote: ↑Thank you for your replies. It seems building this is more of a marathon, than a sprint. I'm happy to start with a few bottles.

I still have an immature palette, so I won't truly appreciate the nuances just yet. However, here is what I now have in my cabinet.

- Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Whiskey
- Collingwood (21 year old Canadian Whiskey)
- Bowmore 12 Year Old Islay Single Malt Scotch
- Luxardo Amaretto Di Saschira (family likes this, preferred over Disaronno)

I'd likely want to get a brandy or cognac next. But since the better bottles are pricey, I can hold off for now and taste test at homes I know have a couple different brands.

So, that's where I am now. I think I'm good for the time being. I'll try a rum before buying a whole bottle.

Did you get the Bowmore on sale? Is $5 off regular price at the LCBO right now

http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/bowmor ... nCoQ7_XHIM

CheapScotch wrote: ↑Did you get the Bowmore on sale? Is $5 off regular price at the LCBO right now

http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/bowmor ... nCoQ7_XHIM

Yes I did!

Funny thing, both the Bowmore and the Collingwood were recommended to me at the LCBO, the same as a poster above.

Made walking out with those easy.

That JD SB is a very good buy at LCBO. Very good whisky, I think all JD offerings got a lot better over the last 5-10 years and that one is a standout...no matter what the barrel#...I usually try to go for a clearer bottle...I did get a lot of looks the times I hold JDSB bottles up in the air one by one to let the light shine through it before purchase...lol

No Frills wrote: ↑That JD SB is a very good buy at LCBO. Very good whisky, I think all JD offerings got a lot better over the last 5-10 years and that one is a standout...no matter what the barrel#...I usually try to go for a clearer bottle...I did get a lot of looks the times I hold JDSB bottles up in the air one by one to let the light shine through it before purchase...lol

Lol, interesting. I did notice a difference in color, but assumed it was a difference in the glass.

Do you really want to shock some friends? Offer them a tequila.

I discovered tequilas a few years ago traveling in Mexico and they've won me over. But stay away from that Jose Cuervo crap. I'm talking about GOOD tequila, and right now I have four or five bottle of various brands.

On one recent trip to Mexico, I picked up a bottle of Don Julio 1942. I paid about $40 Cdn for it and it sells in BC for about $150. To this day, I have never had a whiskey of any brand as good as this. And believe it or not, I did have a bottle of tequila that was even better than the Don Julio. It was given to me and I believe it cost the equivalent of $65 Cdn.

I've been know to bring back up to four bottles in my suitcase, declaring only one and keeping my fingers crossed.

Offer your friends tequila and they'll think you're nuts, or simply give them a sample and don't tell them what it is.

Btw, I drink it straight.

The Luxardo is nice. It uses actual almonds (as opposed to apricot pits). My family members who are familiar with other Amarettos say this is leaps and bounds better than the bottom shelf syrupy, too sweet stuff.

All this tasting is a treat. I've tried to have the occasional wine, but I never really enjoyed it. I'm enjoying all these liquors from the outset. Been on the wrong spectrum! :-)

crown on the rocks is good…drank scotch when i was in grade 11 during a summer…not sure of the brand my uncle had but it wasn't bad…the next one i tried when back home was bad
never tried brandy

El Jimador 100% Agave tequila (I prefer the reposado over silver for sipping) is the best value authentic tequila you can get at the LCBO.

Not sure if you're into bourbon or not, but here are some i tried recently and like.

-woodford reserve
-makers mark
-bulliet

Out of the three, i like woodford reserve the best.

For whiskey, i like crown royal monarch, but it is $65. Not sure if you want to spend that much. Theres also crown royal northern harvest, which is nearly impossible to find. I havent tried this, but it should be worth the $30 price tag.

phuviano wrote: ↑Not sure if you're into bourbon or not, but here are some i tried recently and like.

-woodford reserve
-makers mark
-bulliet

Out of the three, i like woodford reserve the best.

I second this. I am going through the Woodford quickly. Very reasonable priced. One word. Butterscotch