I just wanted to clarify that. Once in a while I want to try something new, so I will choose from which 'family' of spirits to sample, then from within that group, which brand, then which flavor.
If I like it straight, I make a note of it. If it mixes well, and with what etc...
The finished notes can then be used to figure what to buy in the future, keep in stock, or even make the investment in a larger quantity from which to offer guests while entertaining. That is why you see the 750ml bottle of Grand Marnier--because I discovered that my guests really liked that as a straight shot after dinner, or mixed with hot tea in the winter, or as part of a cocktail requiring an orange-flavored liquor with a warm, sweet finish.
Finally, when a guest comes over, they can literally 'choose their drink' from the variety I've got, and being a 50ml bottle, perfectly suited for mixing a single drink, or 'shot', and they go about thier business knowing that they consumed responsibly.
I am just being a responsible host.
Those five families: Bourbon, Gin, Rum, Tequilla, Exotics
Top Shelf: Exotics, Liquers, Creams, Coffees, dessert types
Top Shelf, Bottom Tier: Bourbons/Whiskeys/Scotch, Cognacs
Middle Shelf: Rums, Gins
Middle Shelf, Bottom Tier: Intrigue/Hypnotiq (Blended Cognacs) Tequillas
Bottom Shelf: Vodkas, Grand Marnier(750ml) After Shock, Dekypers
This is not a hobby for the lazy. Each time I introduce a new minature, I purchase four of them, and have to literally rearrange within that grouping, so as to keep them in alphabetical order within that family of spirits. It also can get rather expensive, because the Patron, a rare tequilla, costs up to $9.00 per bottle, and when you take 140 spirits in groups of four, at $3-$9 per bottle, it adds up really quick!
Remember, friends don't let friends drive Apples! (You eat them)