There is no right or wrong way of creating an infinity bottle, and there is certainly no limit as to how many you keep! The idea is that you simply keep adding whiskies after you’ve had a sip from the bottle. You don’t need a blender’s nose, a fancy decanter or an alchemist’s outfit (even though we highly recommend acquiring one for the purposes). The basic recipe for an infinity bottle is the one that your senses and feelings dictate.
Perhaps you are this rare breed who starts an infinity bottle to really try and create your own perfectly personal dram, and will follow all the 'best practice' tips. We bow to you and wish you luck!
The rest of us might take the fairly popular approach and go with regions or types of whisky, such as “peated and smoky”, or “Speyside single malts”. Or why not praise the moods each season brings and create your own “winter sherry galore” potion or “grain-y grassy summer” blend? Just be gentle and careful when you play with fire - adding the peated, smoky guys to the mixture could go either way, fast.
Or maybe you are like me and you treat your bottles like family, talk to them (we know you do) and classify them not by region, distillery etc. but with endearing (or sometimes plain rude) category names to fit all extremes of your feeling? Then you might decide to create your infinity bottle by marrying several drops from “the special one you’d go out for a luxurious meal with” bottle, with a bit more of “what’s left from my special Christmas bottle from 5 years ago and I have to let go” and add a generous splash of “the one that I always have next to the fireplace (or the TV fireplace screensaver…).
Another more economical and efficient infinity bottle idea lets you include the outcasts: “the one I regret buying”, “the one I’d give to the annoying guests”, “the one my stepmother gifted me”… The great thing about this approach is that you can start by adding small and various amounts of each of your least favourite bottles until:
1. You end up with a drinkable blend. No man/whisky was left behind and there are less bottles to dust. Yay!
2. Whatever this is that I've created is not terrible, but you feel lucky/brave and decide to sacrifice some of that special one - and voilà!
3. You end up with something you can bring out mid-party when everyone’s tastebuds have gone home?
4. The result is way out of your whisky-drinking comfort zone but somebody, somewhere, someday might try and cook with it.
One piece of advice is to give your creation a bit of time and test it a few days after you’ve done the deed (i.e. added a new drop) before you judge it. There is a reason they call it “marrying” the whiskies; it cannot be expected that the liquids immediately fall in a romantic, loving relationship. Your tastes and senses also alter over time. However, whatever you choose to do, keep adding and experimenting and most importantly - have fun!