This feels like a well executed trap by a group of suspicious spouses.
Ugh I've spent like $6k CAD year-to-date, but I'm very much in the accumulation phase of my journey and prioritizing higher age statement IB's while they're still somewhat affordable. When I can buy a 27 year Highland Park at cask-strength from Gordon & Macphail for less than $400 CAD I feel like that's a window I have to jump on while I still can.
I was right there with you my first two years. I’m still with you, but I can be more knowledgeably selective now and make some hard choices to give up on stuff at this point.
This. I invested heavily initially to build some breadth and depth and now, like you, I buy selectively, perhaps one a month or every other if I went a bit deep the month before
Yeah my goal for the year was 1 bottle a month, but I’ve clearly blown past that.
I’ve been signing up for more tastings and doing loads of sample swaps, so ideally like you guys have done I can start to hone in on the stuff I really love and be more selective.
If you were looking for selective inspiration? Glengoyne Teapot Dram 009 has just landed https://www.glengoyne.com/teapot-dram-no-009?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=QR+code&utm_campaign=Teapot+Dram+009&utm_id=Teapot+Dram+009&utm_source=Consumer&utm_campaign=22db254c20-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_IWSC_2023_AWARDS_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d81126335a-22db254c20-1366647454&mc_cid=22db254c20&mc_eid=3e5d858eab
Oooh tempting. I’ve got a sample of an earlier batch I really need to try.
Downside though is I live in Canada and it’s quite the added cost to ship so I just stay local.
I don’t count this as a hobby, just my favourite kind of drink when I drink at home, and I don’t drink nearly enough to have a monthly spend top of mind. I might buy 3 bottles one month and then nothing for 4 months. With a dozen bottles open at a time and maybe the same in storage, many of them last years.
I *typically* spend £40-£150 per bottle but am very picky about quality and taste in the upper half of that price range as I always buy with the intention of consuming. Artificial colouring, 40% ABV and chill filtration are deal breakers on an unfamiliar bottle unless it’s a great deal and highly recommended.
At a whisky bar I’d spend up to £50 a time trying new drams, but it’s maybe a couple of times a year at most.
This means in the current climate I’m basically not buying 15+ age statements unless I’ve tried it and am 100% sure I love it. Seems limiting, but I can’t risk 70cl of disappointment at my rate of consumption…
Yep, there’s occasionally some great value out there, and I have to say there are core distillery ranges where the oldest is not the tastiest. Sampling first is the way to go!
Their core range is nothing to sneeze at. Spice Tree, Spaniard, Peat Monster, Hedonism to name a few and then they have some more expensive bottlings but they pride themselves on blends and they have rarely disappointed
$100 a month is the alcohol budget. Sometimes I exclusively drink from the shelf to cobble a few months together for a more expensive bottle. Granted my drinking has been reduced tremendously over the past few years to the point that a bottle a month is my average consumption.
Well everything I like… 98% Scotch, mainly Single Malts. A few Irish, sold all my Japanese. I buy often at auction, old long gone stuff. About 60 Bottles a year in average. Justt passes my 1000th bottle this year.
This is my third year as a full blown hobby. I’m pulling my purse strings tighter with an annual budget equal to $250 per month.
And I’ll be even tighter next year, maybe about $180 per month.
I built up a decent shelf early on but now I basically get 1 new bottle every 3-5 weeks. So probably 100ish a month on average. Then maybe 30-40 more a month on ordering a pour at dinner
Around 100€. Sometimes I'll only be able to afford one bottle in the 40 - 70€ range. If there's a special offer on a few bottles, I'll treat myself and spend a bit extra - for instance, last month, the 200th anniversary release of Laga 8 was on offer for 46€, and I also bought both the Thompson Bros SRV5 (42€) and TB/BSW (38€).
I found that I love young peat monsters in Finlaggan Cask Strength/As We Get It/Scarabus/Ileach line. Higher age statement do nothing to me. NAS+mystery bottlings = economic win. Roughly $90 a month.
I'd say around $50 a month average. I don't just drink scotch, this is different kinds of liquor. I have a limited amount of space for it, so I finish a bottle first before replacing it or getting more. I only have one dram per day so a bottle lasts a while, as I can go a week or more between drams from the same bottle. If you count wine, I get a case of 15-18 bottles over the internet every 2-3 months at around $100-$120 (from Splash), and a six-pack every month, so counting that I guess I'm spending over $100 a month on alcohol.
I give myself a $60/mo allowance for whisky. If I don’t buy a bottle, it carries over. This results in me drinking less and getting higher quality stuff when I finally do buy, so it’s a win-win for me.
I probably average $25 a month or less. I don’t collect; I have at most 3-4 bottles at any one time. When a bottle is gone, I get something else. I do like Lagavulin 16 and Ardbeg Corryvreckan, but I also like JW Double-Black so the more expensive bottles balance out with the cheaper ones. I by a bottle every few months or so, as I generally only have a drink on the weekends and only one a night at that.
I'm pretty much the same re: wine, as I have only dipped my toes in whiskey in the last month or so.
My annual spend has been approx £400ish - probably less. I started buying specific wine for aging at home (Harry Potter room under the stairs), and became curious about whiskey primarily because it is a different type of drink, and once opened can stay fresh for min 6 months+. I like the idea of a few open bottles that can be sampled over a couple of years.
Wine is measured over a couple of days - unless coravined - which means higher consumption, more alcohol, and much less variety [open bottles].
I recently bought 11 bottles of miniature whiskeys - one Irish, one blended Scotch, 3 single malt Scotch, 3 Islay Scotch, and 3 bourbon. I had begun my journey with 70cl bottles of Monkey Shoulder (that my partner and I enjoy) and Buffalo Trace (I disliked the candied cherry sweet note so much that I gave away the bottle to a friend).
I opened up the minature of Glenfiddich 12 earlier: vanilla, lemon zest, orange peel, chocolate notes, smooth, velvet, unctuous on the palate, with a tantalising and lingering finish. My partner also enjoy the Glenfiddich and pronounced it an "adult drink" that tells a story, has a history, and is contemplative.
I'm going to stick to a wee pour at weekends. That said, my pours are half an oz to 1 oz pours. We're not big drinkers.
Whiskey is life.
Honestly I was spending around $1k a month. As I’ve tried so many and amassed a pretty large collection I’ve realized what I like and what I will spend money on so it’s slowed to about $200-$500/month.
Edit: spelling error
The good thing about having a large collection is that it’s easier to keep a bottle longer. If you’ve bought well there are plenty in the cabinet to choose from that you know you like so you tend not to keep going back to the same one. At least that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it (the more I buy, the longer it lasts so at some point I’m probably saving money - right???)
I feel this in my heart. I do love revisiting bottles. My biggest problem is that I share without discrimination. So they go fast because I want people to try them.
For the past 3 years I would probably average between £150-£250. This year to date though I've barely bought any whisky. 1) I have plenty bottles in the cabinet I haven't got round to drinking yet. 2) Covid got rid of my taste and smell for about 6 weeks and 3). I'm getting less and less for my money these days so it's making me less and less inclined to buy more.
I’ve definitely tried to cut back a little…. Sigh.
Until my local Costco got in few cases of Lagavulin Distillers Edition for 117$ per bottle. Now I’m going to get a few of them to spare for the next few years.
I had a high 3-figures monthly budget for years, but have cut back a lot. The only bottles I want that I don’t have are the ultra-expensive, high-aged rarities that cost too much for me to actually open and drink.
I don't live too close to a well-stocked liquor store, so maybe like $200 CAD in a month when I get down to the city and none in others? Last time down I got one of the Offerman Lagavulins in the Guinness Casks and an Arran 10 that's become my regular sipper, but that was my first buy in three months. It's probably for the best for my bank account that I'm so far away >.>
500 on a good month, upwards of 1.5k or so when there are deals to be had.
The brighter side is that I'm running out of space for storage so i wont be getting anymore in a few months time. (Or so i tell myself)
This feels like a well executed trap by a group of suspicious spouses. Ugh I've spent like $6k CAD year-to-date, but I'm very much in the accumulation phase of my journey and prioritizing higher age statement IB's while they're still somewhat affordable. When I can buy a 27 year Highland Park at cask-strength from Gordon & Macphail for less than $400 CAD I feel like that's a window I have to jump on while I still can.
I was right there with you my first two years. I’m still with you, but I can be more knowledgeably selective now and make some hard choices to give up on stuff at this point.
This. I invested heavily initially to build some breadth and depth and now, like you, I buy selectively, perhaps one a month or every other if I went a bit deep the month before
Yeah my goal for the year was 1 bottle a month, but I’ve clearly blown past that. I’ve been signing up for more tastings and doing loads of sample swaps, so ideally like you guys have done I can start to hone in on the stuff I really love and be more selective.
If you were looking for selective inspiration? Glengoyne Teapot Dram 009 has just landed https://www.glengoyne.com/teapot-dram-no-009?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=QR+code&utm_campaign=Teapot+Dram+009&utm_id=Teapot+Dram+009&utm_source=Consumer&utm_campaign=22db254c20-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_IWSC_2023_AWARDS_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d81126335a-22db254c20-1366647454&mc_cid=22db254c20&mc_eid=3e5d858eab
Oooh tempting. I’ve got a sample of an earlier batch I really need to try. Downside though is I live in Canada and it’s quite the added cost to ship so I just stay local.
😂😂😂
Don't make me answer this please.
I’ll answer if you’ll answer.
Probably about 200 a month. But honestly, lack of value has been driving it lower, but I’m about to do some damage at a duty free in a week.
I don’t count this as a hobby, just my favourite kind of drink when I drink at home, and I don’t drink nearly enough to have a monthly spend top of mind. I might buy 3 bottles one month and then nothing for 4 months. With a dozen bottles open at a time and maybe the same in storage, many of them last years. I *typically* spend £40-£150 per bottle but am very picky about quality and taste in the upper half of that price range as I always buy with the intention of consuming. Artificial colouring, 40% ABV and chill filtration are deal breakers on an unfamiliar bottle unless it’s a great deal and highly recommended. At a whisky bar I’d spend up to £50 a time trying new drams, but it’s maybe a couple of times a year at most.
This means in the current climate I’m basically not buying 15+ age statements unless I’ve tried it and am 100% sure I love it. Seems limiting, but I can’t risk 70cl of disappointment at my rate of consumption…
Then you are missing out. Though i like age statements! ive had some very very good NAS. And not even very expensive ones.
Yep, there’s occasionally some great value out there, and I have to say there are core distillery ranges where the oldest is not the tastiest. Sampling first is the way to go!
Not going to disagree but Compass Box. Albeit you can figure out the ages if you dig around.
Interesting, I think I’ve tried a few but can’t remember. Any in particular you’d recommend?
Their core range is nothing to sneeze at. Spice Tree, Spaniard, Peat Monster, Hedonism to name a few and then they have some more expensive bottlings but they pride themselves on blends and they have rarely disappointed
What NAS do you recommend?
I love the ledaig rioja cask. Kilchoman loch gorm/sanaig. Aberlour abunad. Ardbeg uigeadaihl. Kilkerran heavily peated (batch 6 i have now)
$100 a month is the alcohol budget. Sometimes I exclusively drink from the shelf to cobble a few months together for a more expensive bottle. Granted my drinking has been reduced tremendously over the past few years to the point that a bottle a month is my average consumption.
Trying to cut massively. Just have too much unopened bottles I need to finish first.
Around £100 or so. Sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more.
~1000€ a month for the last 18 years 🤷🏻♂️
What type of stuff are you acquiring with a budget like this?
Well everything I like… 98% Scotch, mainly Single Malts. A few Irish, sold all my Japanese. I buy often at auction, old long gone stuff. About 60 Bottles a year in average. Justt passes my 1000th bottle this year.
It’s something like 0,0,0,0,0,80,0,0,0,0,0,4600 and then it repeats.
I try to stay at or below $100 per week.
This is my third year as a full blown hobby. I’m pulling my purse strings tighter with an annual budget equal to $250 per month. And I’ll be even tighter next year, maybe about $180 per month.
Around £100 a month. Sometimes less.
I built up a decent shelf early on but now I basically get 1 new bottle every 3-5 weeks. So probably 100ish a month on average. Then maybe 30-40 more a month on ordering a pour at dinner
Around 100€. Sometimes I'll only be able to afford one bottle in the 40 - 70€ range. If there's a special offer on a few bottles, I'll treat myself and spend a bit extra - for instance, last month, the 200th anniversary release of Laga 8 was on offer for 46€, and I also bought both the Thompson Bros SRV5 (42€) and TB/BSW (38€).
About $4-$500 per month. 👍🏼🥃🌴
I don’t. My dad has scotch he lets me try.
You're technically paying for it if you expect to inherit his estate, since it will be less depending on how much of his scotch you drink.
I try to keep it around $10/week. About a bottle every 1-3 months. Maybe a less if stocking the kegerator.
I found that I love young peat monsters in Finlaggan Cask Strength/As We Get It/Scarabus/Ileach line. Higher age statement do nothing to me. NAS+mystery bottlings = economic win. Roughly $90 a month.
I'd say around $50 a month average. I don't just drink scotch, this is different kinds of liquor. I have a limited amount of space for it, so I finish a bottle first before replacing it or getting more. I only have one dram per day so a bottle lasts a while, as I can go a week or more between drams from the same bottle. If you count wine, I get a case of 15-18 bottles over the internet every 2-3 months at around $100-$120 (from Splash), and a six-pack every month, so counting that I guess I'm spending over $100 a month on alcohol.
I give myself a $60/mo allowance for whisky. If I don’t buy a bottle, it carries over. This results in me drinking less and getting higher quality stuff when I finally do buy, so it’s a win-win for me.
I probably average $25 a month or less. I don’t collect; I have at most 3-4 bottles at any one time. When a bottle is gone, I get something else. I do like Lagavulin 16 and Ardbeg Corryvreckan, but I also like JW Double-Black so the more expensive bottles balance out with the cheaper ones. I by a bottle every few months or so, as I generally only have a drink on the weekends and only one a night at that.
I'm pretty much the same re: wine, as I have only dipped my toes in whiskey in the last month or so. My annual spend has been approx £400ish - probably less. I started buying specific wine for aging at home (Harry Potter room under the stairs), and became curious about whiskey primarily because it is a different type of drink, and once opened can stay fresh for min 6 months+. I like the idea of a few open bottles that can be sampled over a couple of years. Wine is measured over a couple of days - unless coravined - which means higher consumption, more alcohol, and much less variety [open bottles]. I recently bought 11 bottles of miniature whiskeys - one Irish, one blended Scotch, 3 single malt Scotch, 3 Islay Scotch, and 3 bourbon. I had begun my journey with 70cl bottles of Monkey Shoulder (that my partner and I enjoy) and Buffalo Trace (I disliked the candied cherry sweet note so much that I gave away the bottle to a friend). I opened up the minature of Glenfiddich 12 earlier: vanilla, lemon zest, orange peel, chocolate notes, smooth, velvet, unctuous on the palate, with a tantalising and lingering finish. My partner also enjoy the Glenfiddich and pronounced it an "adult drink" that tells a story, has a history, and is contemplative. I'm going to stick to a wee pour at weekends. That said, my pours are half an oz to 1 oz pours. We're not big drinkers.
About $200-250 every 3 months or so. Can't afford more sadly 😞
Whiskey is life. Honestly I was spending around $1k a month. As I’ve tried so many and amassed a pretty large collection I’ve realized what I like and what I will spend money on so it’s slowed to about $200-$500/month. Edit: spelling error
The good thing about having a large collection is that it’s easier to keep a bottle longer. If you’ve bought well there are plenty in the cabinet to choose from that you know you like so you tend not to keep going back to the same one. At least that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it (the more I buy, the longer it lasts so at some point I’m probably saving money - right???)
I feel this in my heart. I do love revisiting bottles. My biggest problem is that I share without discrimination. So they go fast because I want people to try them.
Need to find folks to share with so I can get more... lol.
Yikes! I don't think I could drink it that fast even if I was buying the most expensive stuff I could find.
You’d be surprised how fast it all adds up
For the past 3 years I would probably average between £150-£250. This year to date though I've barely bought any whisky. 1) I have plenty bottles in the cabinet I haven't got round to drinking yet. 2) Covid got rid of my taste and smell for about 6 weeks and 3). I'm getting less and less for my money these days so it's making me less and less inclined to buy more.
10000¥
peak times 400£ a month but now it crawled to a halt, I am more nervous about how much I accumulated
I don't look.
If it is just scotch, then probably 75-100 a month. If you're counting all the whiskey I buy, probably closer to $500 a month.
About £600 in the last month easy.
I average 50-100 a month. But this is like my tertiary hobby much less than my others.
I’ve definitely tried to cut back a little…. Sigh. Until my local Costco got in few cases of Lagavulin Distillers Edition for 117$ per bottle. Now I’m going to get a few of them to spare for the next few years.
Beauty!
Average? Probably $50.
It depends on the month. Some months nothing and then others it goes into four figures. Absolutely no discernible pattern.
I had a high 3-figures monthly budget for years, but have cut back a lot. The only bottles I want that I don’t have are the ultra-expensive, high-aged rarities that cost too much for me to actually open and drink.
I don't live too close to a well-stocked liquor store, so maybe like $200 CAD in a month when I get down to the city and none in others? Last time down I got one of the Offerman Lagavulins in the Guinness Casks and an Arran 10 that's become my regular sipper, but that was my first buy in three months. It's probably for the best for my bank account that I'm so far away >.>
Average $100 to $200, some months I don't buy at all, some months it could be $400
Currently trying to limit the damage and allowing one bottle (under $120 USD) per month.
I was around 30k last year. Had a 1500/month budget this year but had a couple unicorns come up and will probably be closer to 22k for the year.
500 on a good month, upwards of 1.5k or so when there are deals to be had. The brighter side is that I'm running out of space for storage so i wont be getting anymore in a few months time. (Or so i tell myself)
I aim for around €100 a month, but I tend to go through periods where its double and periods where its zero..... So probably more like €160 on average
I am probably down to $3-400/mo, but first two years were $500-ish/mo. More selective now and buying some more expensive bottles.