I recently added the 75^th bottle of whisk(e)y to my home collection. It seems like just yesterday that I was excited to reach bottle number 50 but since I regularly host private whiskey tastings my whiskey cabinet seems to grow exponentially these days. I am often asked, “What will you do when you get to 100 bottles?”… My answer, “Get more shelving” with a laugh and a grin.

Lately I’ve been questioning my burgeoning whiskey collection. I am running out of room and often wonder if I should be finishing open bottles… That is until I stumbled across a Facebook Group where people from all over the globe were posting pictures of their home whisk(e)y collections and was able to see that my collection is not only in good company but frankly much smaller than a majority of the more serious collectors. Multiple shelves of the Pappy Van Winkle line, hoards of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, hard to find Willets, Colonel EH Taylor, Hirsch, Jefferson’s Presidential, completed only by a ton of bottles made at the infamous Stitzel-Weller distillery that I wasn’t even aware existed.

Seeing that I was in good company, I feel affirmed in my decision to drink but not feel forced to finish bottles from my collection. There are so many fantastic bottles of whiskey out there and it’s always fun sharing with friends and family as well as advocating for the resurgence of whiskey and whiskey cocktails.

Without further ado – here are some pictures of my whiskey collection. Pardon the dust on some of the bottles; some are getting left out of the drinking rotation more than others. If you see something you have been curious about, please drop me a line and I’ll tell you what I thought, write a review or potentially get you a sample to decide for yourself.

Also, if the labels are too difficult to read, here is a running list:

1.    13th Colony Southern Corn Whiskey
2.    Angel’s Envy Bourbon
3.    Baker’s Bourbon
4.    Balcone True Blue Corn Whiskey
5.    Balcone Brimstone Whiskey
6.    Balvenie DoubleWood 12yr
7.    Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
8.    Bernheim Wheat Whiskey
9.    Black Maple Hill Small Batch
10.    Blantons’ Single Barrel
11.    Booker’s Bourbon
12.    Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey
13.    Breuckelen Distilling 77 Wheat Whiskey
14.    Bulleit 10yr Bourbon
15.    Bulleit Boubon
16.    Bulleit Rye Whiskey
17.    Candian Club Small Batch 12yr
18.    Cleveland Whiskey Black Bourbon
19.    Collingwood Candaian Whisky
20.    Colonel EH Taylor Rye Whiskey
21.    Colonel EH Taylor Single Barrel Bourbon
22.    Colonel EH Taylor Small Batch Bourbon
23.    Death’s Door White Whiskey
24.    Eagle Rare 10yr Single Barrel
25.    Elijah Craig 12yr Kentucky Straighr Bourbon
26.    Elijah Craig 18yr Single Barrel Bourbon
27.    Elmer Tee Lee Bourbon
28.    Few Spirits Bourbon
29.    Forty Creek Canadian Whisky
30.    Four Roses LTD ED Single Barrel 2011
31.    Four Roses Single Barrel
32.    Four Roses Small Batch
33.    Four Roses Yellow Label
34.    Hudson 4 Grain Whiskey
35.    Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey
36.    James E. Pepper 1776 Straight Rye Whiskey
37.    Jameson Irish Whiskey
38.    Jefferson’s Bourbon
39.    Jefferson’s Presidential 18yr Bourbon
40.    Jefferson’s Presidential 21yr Bourbon
41.    Kansas Clean Distilled Whiskey
42.    Kinnickinnic Whiskey
43.    Knob Creek Rye
44.    Knob Creek Single Barrel
45.    Koval Lion’s Pride Oat Whiskey
46.    Makers Mark Bourbon 84 Proof (x2)
47.    Makers Mark Bourbon 90 Proof
48.    Masterson’s Rye Whisky
49.    Michter’s Small Batch
50.    Middle West Spirits – OYO Bourbon
51.    Middle West Spirits – OYO Whiskey
52.    Old Forester 2013 B-Day Bourbon
53.    Old Forester Classic Bourbon
54.    Old Overholt Rye Whiskey
55.    Prichard’s Double Barrel Bourbon
56.    Rebel Reserve Bourbon
57.    RedBreast 12yr Irish Whiskey
58.    Rich & Rare Candian Whisky
59.    Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey 100 Proof
60.    Sazerac Rye Whiskey (x2)
61.    Seagram’s 7 Canadian Whisky
62.    Smooth Ambler Old Scout
63.    St George Single Malt Whiskey
64.    Suntory Hakashu Single Malt Japanese Whiskey
65.    Thomas H. Handy 2012 Rye Whiskey
66.    W.L. Weller 12 Year Bourbon
67.    Watershed Small Batch Bourbon
68.    Wathen’s Kentucky Bourbon
69.    WhipperSnapper Oregon Whiskey
70.    WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey
71.    Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Bourbon
72.    Willet Pot Still Reserve Whiskey
73.    Woodford Reserve
74.    Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
75.    Woodstone Creek Single Barrel Bourbon

2012 was a huge year for WWR and for trying and buying Whiskey, Bourbon and Scotch at every turn. Between traveling for my day job and vacation I was able to experience a lot of great (and not so great) Whiskey, Whiskey Bars and Distilleries. While I don’t have an exact figure for the amount of whiskey I sampled over the year (I stopped counting a long time ago) I did pick up roughly 50 bottles just for my personal collection.

There have been a ton of “best of” posts and blogs from 2012 listing what they consider the Best Whiskey of 2012 but I’m not ready to make such bold claims and some of the Whiskey that I really loved this year wasn’t made in 2012. So what I would like to share are a few of my favorite Whiskeys that I tried this year and a few cool Whiskey Bars that I enjoyed visiting and encourage you to visit too. Perhaps a better title for this article would have been “Adventures In Whiskey”…

Whiskey With Ryan’s 2012 Favorites

#5) Sazerac Rye Whiskey
“Sazerac Rye Whiskey symbolizes the tradition and history of New Orleans dating back to the 1800’s. Sazerac Rye Whiskey was used to make the original, first and only branded American Cocktail—The Sazerac.”

#4) Woodstone Creek Single Barrel
“Woodstone Microspirit Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a single barrel bottling with a few numbered releases. A brilliant Bourbon that is non-chill filtered, no color added double pot stilled from sweet smash of rye, barley, wheat and 51% corn.”

#3) Four Roses Single Barrel
“A premium Single Barrel Bourbon with a taste you’ll want to savor again and again. Complex, full bodied and surprisingly smooth with a delicate long finish that’s unbelievably mellow.”

#2) Rock Hill Farms Single Barrel
Rated extremely high and tasting even better, this single barrel is produced in Kentucky at the scenic Buffalo Trace Distillery home to other fine whiskeys including Blanton’s, Eagle Rare and Elmer T. Lee. This bottle is also a very sharp looking addition to your bar with a decanter style bottle and nice inlays for the logo and type.

#1) Black Maple Hill Small Batch Bourbon
I think this was by far my favorite Whiskey I tried in 2012. Like a few other bottles I enjoy, this one comes from the renowned Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky and is worth picking up if you see it on the shelf. There are also higher end bottles that I hope to get my hands on very soon.

Whiskey Bar Recommendations

#3) Barrel 44 Whiskey Bar
Located in Columbus Ohio they have something for everyone and a great food menu (I recommend the duck flatbread). Out of the 2 locations I prefer the bar in Bexley, the staff seems a bit more friendly and knowledgeable. They also randomly had some bottles of Pappy Van Winkle available to try.

#2) Branch Whiskey Bar
I stopped in at Branch while visiting Portland and was pleasantly surprised by their selection including a bottle of my #1 find of 2012 Black Maple Hill (first time sampling it). I didn’t get any food but it looked fantastic.

#1) Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar
I am often in Southern Ohio and heard about this great Whiskey bar just over the border in Covington Kentucky. I was blown away the first time I visited as well as each time I came back. They offer an amazing selection as well as extremely friendly and knowledgeable bartenders. I follow them on Facebook and wish I could stop by their tastings and talks that they have on occasion. If you are in the area, don’t pass this place up!

If you’re lucky enough to live near a large liquor store like Party Source or Binny’s then you’re more than likely able to find enough Whiskey, Bourbon or Scotch to satisfy your craving for a new bottle at your leisure. However, for the rest of us that aren’t so lucky (and don’t want to spend hours in the car) I have found a few good websites that not only sell online but ship to our dear state of Ohio.

Shipping Tips
A few notes about buying booze online – make sure you check the website to see if they ship to your state. Also, I would recommend having it shipped to your work address because it can’t be left on a doorstep and must be signed for by someone over the age of 21. Lastly, keep an eye out for free shipping offers if you purchase over a certain dollar amount. On occasion adding another bottle will earn you free shipping on both and almost covers the cost of the extra bottle. Below are a few online stores that I have had ordered from or plan to in the very near future…

*** UPDATED March 2013 ***

The Liquor Barn
Offering 2 locations and the ability to ship to Ohio these guys have over 4,000 different spirits, an easy to use website and some harder to find bottles. Their customer service is fast to respond to issues and I have placed several orders with them, all of which have been packaged and shipped quickly. I highly recommend ordering from The Liquor Barn.

Binny’s Beverage Depot:
Not to beat a dead horse but this store is amazing and fortunate enough for those not near the store you can order online.

The Party Source:
Similar Binny’s if you can get to the store it’s amazing but fear not, they do sell online but I have had folks mention that the shipping can be a bit pricey. I guess it just depends on how bad you want the bottle.

Marketview Liquor
I haven’t ordered from this retailer yet but they have a 27,000 ft Warehouse which allows a solid selection and ship to 37 different states (including Ohio). Another good option while you are searching for that hard-to-find bottle.

Wines For Today:
Manhattan based Wine & Spirit Retailer with a huge selection of value wines and spirits. I managed to find 2 bottles of the elusive Sazerac Rye Whiskey 6yr.

Love Scotch:
LoveScotch brings to you the best range of scotch and spirits at lowest prices. Select from a vast range of liquor brands and also include a personal note with your gift package.

For Whiskey Lovers:
This site has all kinds of good information not just the online store including blogs, reviews and information on distilleries.

Pacific Online Spirits:
This place has a killer selection but some of the usually hard to find bottles go out of stock quickly. It still carries some unique options especially for Scotch lovers.

Have A Suggestion?
So that’s my list but I am always on the look out for great places to buy Whiskey online. Leave your suggestion in the comments and I will add it to the list!