OB OR IB

[woodhill]

Looking through my collection this weekend I noticed most of my bottlings are OB's in fact besides for the a few of the RM series and some Dewer Rattray stuff and some odd ones I have very few IB's.
I have many different expressions of single distillerys for example 7 different Balvenie's and 5 Laphroaigs 6 Glenlivet's 6 Glenmo's etc. etc.

So what is it? am I a OB snob?

or are most people like that?

[Muskrat Portage]

Good query Woodhill:
I tend to purchase OB's in general as I find that the distillery offering is a fairly good presentation of what they can do.

I pick up the odd IB when it is a bit unusual or when I happen upon it and have some spare cash in my jeans. Usually when there's nothing else in the shop that I don't already own or have tried in the OB lines.

The nice thing about IBs is they will tend to select an age that the distillery doesn't offer. It's obviously a good marketing strategy for them, but also I like the fact that I can taste something in a different year and see where an older OB has come from or where a younger one is going. Especially if I have an OB to do a head to head with.

And finally, it is more likely that I will see an OB in my market than an IB. Signatory makes it over here most often and the large share of my IBs are theirs'.

Muskrat Portage

[Drrich1965]

I have come to enjoy young Islays very much, in the 6-9 year range, and love the cask strenght offering of the IBs. That said, I have more OBs than IBs, by two to one. The IBs I have around tend to be somewhat hard to find (or expensive) in OBs, Brora, Port Ellen, Linlithgow, ect.

[les taylor]

OB for me very much for the same reasons as the guys above. Also I like to have the packing of the distillery which marks the bottle out as different from others. Where as an IB bottler will have its look irrespective of whats inside the bottle. Which in itself is not a bad thing. But it differentiates the bottler rather than the distillery.

I do have a few IB's but in proportion to the rest of my collection its under 5%. I quite like for drinking the G & M Private Collection series.

[SoMK]

OB mostly.. I think IB gets very interesting when you can compare it to the original expression. I really appreciate G&M or Signatory (and their packaging is rad as well )

[I_SPEY]

OB mostly.. I think IB gets very interesting when you can compare it to the original expression. I really appreciate G&M or Signatory (and their packaging is rad as well )

I agree fully with you,SoMK, but nevertheless, as you wrote too, I do drink IB'S too.

[Wave]

I tend to collect more IB's than OB's mainly for the fact the I am highly fond of cask strength whisky and I find much more variety amonst the IB's in that area.


Cheers!

[mikeymad]

I purchase much more IB than OB's these days. I have a lot of OB's, and there are not many new ones coming out compaired to the many every year, that can be gotten from the IB market. But I buy both (my vote).

If I were to truly 'collect' it would be all OB's. That is were you would make money.

Cheers,

[mikeymad]

It is very true C57.

I find that it comes down to the older and rare IB that can have the kind of jump that you mentioned.

And the mini's... they are just crazy....

Cheers,

[mikeymad]

I have seem some crazy things with mini's, OB's mostly.

$200-300USD for a 50ml... ouch...

Take a look at ebay sometime for mini's

I do agree though, does not build up much stock for a rainy day....

Cheers,

[K-Mile]

Mainly OB's. I think it looks and feels a lot better if you have the bottles lined up nicely by distillery, clearly showing similar expressions... A lineup of IB's can consist of a single bottler, covering most popular distilleries. This doesn't appeal to me from a drinking collector's point of view...

[irishwhiskeychaser]

OB's definitely for collecting.

Then when it comes to drinking... the advantage of OB's is that you are fairly sure of what you get.

With IB's it can be a way to get something different from what the distillery OB can offer. However sometimes you can possibly get a slightly bottle but much more exciting in my opinion.

[badgerbrown]

Up until recently I've bought only OB's, but I had a great Royal Lochnagar from Signatory on LFW's suggestion, and am now thinking of collecting an IB series as they are much more reasonably priced.

[Lawrence]

My inventory is mostly OB's although I have a good percentage of SMWS bottlings, Signatory Unchillfiltered Collection and a small spatterings of G&M and Dewar Rattray. My preference is for the OB's.

I just did a quick count of OB's vs IB's and to my surprise I have 25% IB's.