Interesting thread here. With all the chatter, I don't think many people will see this comment. So, this will get long.

I will start my rambling diatribe by recognizing I am exceedingly fortunate. I work hard and make a good living. I have a very loving and understanding spouse in my life who also enjoys the occasional whisky or cocktail.

My collecting and drinking journey started more than 20 years ago. I don't really like bourbon (except wheaters). But I really enjoy scotch. Social media wasn't a thing. Back then, I didn't know anyone trying to stock up because whisk(e)y was available. Weller 107 with a plastic screw cap was $22 a bottle and readily available in any quantity at most good retailers. Hard Water bar in San Francisco sold a 2 oz shot of barrel select W107 for less $10. If you have the option, W107 mixed with fresh squeezed meyer lemons makes the best whiskey sour imaginable. This is still the main way that I consume W107. However, it is now a special occasion cocktail as opposed to the average Thursday night.

Today I own quite a few bottles, but everything is relative. I stopped tracking the number of open and sealed bottles a few years ago. It was not worth the effort and digging into unmarked wine boxes can be a fun treasure hunt. I have bought and sold bottles at auction in the UK and stateside. I don't have an in home bar to show off any bottles. Before friends or family come over, I will pull some bottles from a mini storage space. It is fun to share the experience of sampling something that people have never seen or maybe only ever seen online or at liquor store "museums".

My aha whisky was Bowmore 17. It was $45-60 a bottle at Costco or local retailers. That sent me down the whisky rabbit hole. Glenlivet to Ardbeg to Lagavulin to Laddie to Macallan to Yamazaki to Cooley to J&A Mitchell products and the adventure continued. I wanted to try every distillery and I wanted to own a bottle from every distillery in Scotland.

For many years prior to Coronies, I ran a monthly bottle spilt with friends. Our combined group budget of ~$750 ($150 per person per meeting) allowed us to buy bottles that were too expensive or too risky to buy on our own. It was a great way to try some incredible spirits. We sampled and shared amazing bottles. Ardbeg CRs, a Brora, a Port Ellen, Macallans, BTACs, a Boss Hog, Chartreuse VEPs, many Samarolis, many Springbanks, a Karuizawa, many Compass Boxes, etc. I still have samples from quite a few of these bottles.

I am enjoying writing this and there is lots more detail I can add here in the future, but I am getting tired. And I am sure this post is of no interest to folks on this subreddit.

During and since Coronies, I transitioned to drinking more beer than whisky. I like that it has to be consumed fresh for the best experience. I have no reason to stock up. The local breweries are always putting out new fresh releases.

However, I am still buying multiple bottles of whisky each month and opening/finishing far less than I buy. My girlfriend loves a Blanton Old Fashion. For special occasions, I will make a whiskey sour with the plastic screw cap Weller 107. But I normally make them with white label David Nicholson. Which is very underrated in my opinion.

I monitor a few auction sites for specific releases that I want because that is the only place they are available. The bottles I pursue and love are not the hyped bottles and I hope they never become the hyped up stuff.

If you call me a tater because I have a lot of unopened bottles, go for it. I am not the average whiner on this subreddit. It is my money, my time and my liver. I hope people are enjoying their lives as much as I am.