The Challenge of Stocking A Bar Part 3 – Whiskey



To be Whiskey can be the trickiest item to stock your bar with. Unlike the first two parts of this series, Vodka and Gin, Whiskey breaks down into several different classes.



Scotch
Bourbon
Tennessee
Irish
Rye


As I have already gone into the characteristics of Whiskey at depth in a previous Blog, In a Word Whiskey I will not dwell on them.


I also previously blogged on getting more for your money when purchasing Whiskey in a Blog titled, Get More Bang for Your WhiskeyDollar. This is an important point as you can run into large dollar amounts stocking your bar with Whiskey if you are novice in this field.


And last but not least, Scotch Whisky 101.


So what is left, well if you are a Whiskey drinker like me you will want to try as many as you can in your lifetime so stocking your bar is simple. However, if you are just looking at stocking a bar with a few “Big Brown” alcohols, here is some things to consider.

Your Audience


Who is your audience of Whiskey Drinkers? Carry what your group of Usual Suspects drink. The exception of course if you are having a party and have some ne’er-do-wells mixed into your audience you should always carry at least a couple of bottles of less expensive Whiskeys. I like to carry both a Scotch and Bourbon as you may be surprised at all the Scotch/Bourbon and Water drinkers you will encounter. I generally carry Jonnie Walker Red



 and Four Roses Yellow Label Bourbon 



for these occasions. Both are good quality general purpose Whiskeys and both relatively inexpensive. 


What Cocktails are you going to be Serving?


I like to have a menu when I have company coming over and a few different options. Classic Whiskey Cocktails such as the Manhattan, Old Fashion and the Rob Roy are making a comeback and it will be great fun for you to master the cocktails on your menu while impressing your guests.

Whiskey Party


This is an excellent idea if you have several friends that already enjoy Whiskey. Simply have all the guests attending to bring a bottle of their favorite and then have a sampling with each guest in turn presenting the Whiskey they choose and why.

Blind Tasting


You can either do a Blind Tasting Separate as we did here at MySideOfTheBar or combine with the Whiskey Party and have everyone try a small sample not knowing what they are drinking. With each participant taking notes on taste, the favorites and a guess at what type of Whiskey they are sampling. As you will see from our tasting it is not as easy as you might expect.

These are just a few ideas and be sure to let us know some of yours

Cheers
The Professor




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