Do Neck Pours Exist? An Exploration
Do Neck Pours Exist? A Buffalo Trace Comparison
by: ALEX WANG
Founder, writer
Founder, writer
Let's Talk About "Neck Pours"
The term “neck pour” gets thrown around pretty often, so if you’re not sure what it means, wondering why it’s important, and/or whether it matters, then you’re in the right place to learn more.
Most important of all, I’m going to compare the bourbon from a freshly opened bottle to one that’s been open for weeks to uncover any differences and learn more about this neck pour mystery, and if I can even detect a difference.
What is a "Neck Pour"?
The most basic definition of a neck pour is that it’s the first (more realistically the first few pours) from a freshly opened bottle. The term “neck” comes from the fact that the liquid in the first pour usually comes from the thin top part of the bottle that sort of looks like a neck.
The reason why there’s a special term for it is because the first pour(s) are often perceived to be abnormally harsh and rough around the edges. That’s why you might be put off from the first pour from a newly opened bottle, think you don’t like it / the bottle sucks, then discover that it’s actually much better at a later time.
The key to overcoming the neck pour(s), or at least what is believed to be the right way, is to decrease how full the bottle is in order to let more air in to mellow some of that heat over time. It’s kind of like letting a steak sit for a few minutes after cooking. It takes time to get it right.
With whiskey, I find that it usually takes at least 2 weeks to properly mellow, although I’ve never actually tested if longer or shorter is the same / better.
Does It Actually Exist?
The actual existence of the neck pour is debated because it’s such a subjective experience. I personally believe that it exists given all the whiskey I’ve reviewed and drank over the years, but I’m curious to try it out and smell / taste what I find.
That’s why I’m doing this comparison, so bear with me as I lay it out. I’ll honestly go into this comparison hypothesizing that neck pours exist, primarily based on personal experience. I’m open to being wrong though, so I’ll truthfully tell you if there are no detectable differences.
But here’s one experience I had that makes me believe neck pours are real. I remember a time when I freshly opened a bottle of Stagg Jr and smelled the first pour seconds after pouring it. The heat and harshness just sucker punched my nose. The flavors were quite harsh and hot as well. Thankfully it got so much better and I greatly enjoyed it later, giving it a “Top Shelf” rating.
That’s why for reviews such as Wild Turkey Rare Breed bourbon and Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon to name a few, I didn’t review the first pour from a newly opened bottle. I wanted to make sure they had enough time to “get ready” so they could be properly evaluated.
Let’s validate this neck pour conundrum for real now.
Trying out a "Neck Pour" In real life
For the neck pour comparison, I’ll be comparing two 375mL bottles of Buffalo Trace that are the same size (not done blind). One’s been open for a few weeks (and I reviewed it) and one is unopened, so any differences between them should be attributed to the bourbon airing out / not airing out in the bottle, providing more insight into whether the neck pour is real or not.
I didn’t pick Buffalo Trace for any specific quality-related reason. I happened to have an open 375mL bottle and could easily get another one, so it was the best option for the situation. Thanks 7 Eleven Japan for stocking this for $12.
Here’s the setup.
- Glencairn 1 – pour from the freshly opened bottle. Swirl, and rest for 10 minutes
- Glencairn 2 – pour from the open bottle (aired out for over 1 month). Swirl, and rest for 10 minutes.
For the sake of giving both bourbons a chance to shine, I’m intentionally adding rest time in the glass to let them mellow out. I’m not pouring them and immediately smelling. It adds another variable that may affect how they smell and drink, but I’ll accept it for what it is. I can’t completely remove all uncertainty.
As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for my reviews and comparisons (because they’re the best): Glencairn Crystal Whiskey Glass, Set of 6, Clear, 6 Pack. Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
Here's how they compare
Whoa, I actually prefer the neck pour Buffalo Trace. That comparison didn’t turn out how I expected, but there’s a lot to unpack here.
I expected that the neck pour would be more harsh and closed-off, and the aired-out one would be more mellow, nuanced, and developed. I wasn’t entirely wrong, but everything gradually changed right in front of me and the differences became a bit more obvious, just in an unexpected way. It’s weird that they turned out to smell and taste different too, as if I were doing a single barrel pick.
Scents
On my first sniff of the aired-out Buffalo Trace, I smelled darker honey, caraway seed, licorice, apricot, cherry, pineapple, vanilla, roasted oak, cinnamon, and clove. It smelled fine and normal like I expected from my review. After the initial 10 minutes of rest, the neck pour Buffalo Trace didn’t even smell harsh. It just smelled like nothing, which was bizarre. I thought the answer would be very obvious.
Things took a weird turn when I went back to smell the aired-out one and couldn’t smell anything either. It crossed my mind that something about the neck pour was affecting my sense of smell. Maybe the heat I couldn’t detect was having an effect.
After refreshing my nose by smelling coffee grounds, I started to notice that the aired-out bottle smelled a bit brighter, fruity, and herbal. The neck pour continued to improve with time, as caramel, maple syrup, nougat, caraway seed, ginger, toasted vanilla, hints of dried cherry, and gingersnap cookie started to emerge.
The neck pour started to give off darker, sweeter, and more earthy scents that gave it a richer personality. It wasn’t noticeably harsher at all. Once the neck pour aired out more, after around 20 minutes, the scents in the aired-out one mostly disappeared as the neck pour’s denser scents overpowered it. It’s really strange.
Tastes
The flavors are where the differences stuck out more. The aired-out pour started with darker honey, caraway seed, licorice, apricot, cherry, pineapple, vanilla, roasted oak, cinnamon, and clove. But sip after sip, the neck pour had dark honey, caraway seed, pumpernickel, brown sugar, cardamom, toasted vanilla, ginger, roasted oak, licorice, dried cherry, cinnamon. It was more dark, earthy, spicy, and viscous, and not really harsher after 15 minutes of air.
The aired one one noticeably missed the heavier, darker, and sweeter notes. Jumping back and forth, the aired-out pour was always a bit more fruity and herbal, which may be the more delicate traits that emerge with more air. It’s all really strange to me, because I don’t have any experience doing this type of opened vs freshly opened bottle. I’m finding this all out as I go.
If this were a barrel pick (it’s not I know), I would “pick” the neck pour because of its darker and heavier flavors. These are my honest findings, as weird as they might be.
Did I miss something?
After doing the comparison, I realized that I possibly made a mistake – I didn’t control for potential batch variance.
- Batch code 14:56 06820
- Batch code 19:39 06620)
It’s entirely possible. Ideally, I would have bought two bottles from the same store at the same time (I didn’t). I can’t say for sure, but it’s something that comes to mind.
What does this mean?
Solely based on this experience, I think there are two key takeaways about neck pours.
- It’s existence is still inconclusive, although there may be other factors involved that I didn’t control
- Letting whiskey air out in the glass seems to make a big difference, neck pour or not
To the first point, the neck pour may exist, but only within a certain timeframe that I can’t definitively say. And maybe it’s not really a “neck pour”, it’s the “first pour” or something like that.
For this comparison at least, Buffalo Trace may have sufficiently aired it out after 15+ minutes so that the harshness disappeared and the scents and flavors opened up. I just can’t say if the neck pour bottle would transform into the aired out bottle with more time.
Nonetheless, this comparison reinforces that whiskey benefits from airing out in the glass, neck pour / first pour or not. The first pour from the new bottle opened up and improved so much over time, give or take 15-20 minutes after pouring.
So when you open a bottle for the first time, try letting the first pour air out for 15+ minutes (the longer the better if you can) so the whiskey can breathe and open up, and you may be good to go. Otherwise, the whiskey may not be adequately ready if you rush into it.
No matter what, I think the results will vary by whiskey, as everything tends to. I still suspect that higher ABV whiskeys will have more intense neck / first pours and benefit from more air because there’s more alcohol to wrangle. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you how every bottle is going to behave.
As for how it affects how I approach reviews – nothing will change. I’m still going to let my bottles air out for at least a week before I review them, and then let the whiskey rest in the glass for at least 30 minutes before starting to smell and taste. I’m still too afraid of the downside, as unsubstantiated as that might be.
Nonetheless, consider this as an input the next time you open up a new bottle, and the debate over neck pours will continue.
Meet the Author: Alex
I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. I’m proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese.
There are no sponsors, no media companies, and no nonsense. Support The Whiskey Shelf by Buying Me A Shot.
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BrüMate NOS’R, Double-Wall Stainless Steel Whiskey Nosing Glass – 7oz (Matte Black)
