Comparison of Bar Carts and Liquor Cabinets: Which Is the Superior Choice for Storing Spirits?

Having a strong spirits collection can be a source of pride. But if you have an ever-expanding number of bottles, you might not know where to put them all. Of course, there are two common options for showcasing your selection of alcoholic spirits: the bar cart and the liquor cabinet. While it can be tough to decide which one is better for your needs — since there are significant pros and cons to each — I’m here to help guide you through the process.

As a spirits expert, I’ve had numerous liquor collections of varying sizes over the years, and used both bar carts and liquor cabinets at different times. This gives me great insight into the practicality and living experience of both options, including how well each is suited to everyday bottles, as well as those rarer liquors you want to take great care of.

Now, declaring which of these two storage options is better for your spirits is surprisingly tricky. It comes down to a number of factors, after all, including the shape of your home, your lifestyle, and your personal preferences. Thankfully, by the end of this article, you’ll have all the answers you need to decide whether a bar cart or liquor cabinet is better for you when it comes to storing spirits.

Before picking one of these options, it’s important to know how to correctly store your spirits. Distilled spirits are quite robust and can be preserved, even after opening, for many years. But there are still ways for the flavor and aroma of a spirit to diminish. The key factors to consider are light, temperature, air exposure, and bottle position.

Now, air exposure shouldn’t be an issue, since your bottles should have a sealed screw top or a cork. But the other factors can be influenced by where you store your bottles. Direct sunlight can cause both oxidation and evaporation, for instance, which will alter the taste of the alcohol. Meanwhile, storing a bottle sideways can degrade the cork, leading to both leaks and off flavors. 

In this respect, a liquor cabinet is usually the clear winner. Even if they have glass doors, they’re more likely to keep spirits away from direct sunlight and at a more stable temperature. Since bar carts are usually out in the open, they’re more likely to be hit by light, though these effects can be mitigated by moving it into a spot that’s shaded and away from windows. This is also less of an issue if you go through your bottles quite quickly, or if most of your bourbons are affordable options. But any rare or high-end bottles are best stored in a more secure and secluded location, such as a liquor cabinet, so it’s an important issue.

A key question to ask yourself is how much liquid you plan on storing. If you only want to have several bottles available at a time, you won’t need much storage space. However, for a budding enthusiast looking to collect a wide number of bottles to enjoy over many years, a liquor cabinet is again the clear winner.

For starters, there’s no real limit to how big your cabinet can be; whether you need to store 10 bottles or 100, you can find a way to accommodate them. Conversely, only so many bottles can be stored on bar carts, with the biggest able to handle around 20 bottles. A bar cart with a large number of bottles will be harder to be push around, as well, but due to the static nature of liquor cabinets, there’s no need to worry about how heavy it will be once it’s filled.

You’ll want to keep in mind any specialty glasses for sipping bourbon or other spirits that will be stored, as well, along with any accessories you’ll need to add. A serious collector can quickly run out of space, after all. While you can keep surplus bottles in another location, you’ll likely want to keep your collection together. Additionally, the size and shape of the bottles you want to store should be considered. Large or quirky bottles can be awkward to place on a bar cart, and may be more secure in a cabinet.

Another factor is where you plan to store your spirits collection in the house. You’ll need to know how much space is available and the decor in that room before deciding whether a cabinet or cart is the best choice. For instance, if space is an important consideration, bar carts are the better option. They’re much easier to move and store elsewhere when not in use given their size and portability. Cabinets, on the other hand, are more permanent fixtures in your living space.

Now, you can get some beautiful bar carts, such as this rustic rolling cart from Ohsuaniy (available on Amazon). But a liquor cabinet generally gives you a cleaner and more organized look. Finding a liquor cabinet that seamlessly blends into the decor rather than looking out of place is fairly straightforward, too. If you’re adding a liquor cabinet to a room with wooden furniture, for example, it’ll likely be quite simple to find an aesthetic match. You can even convert a part of a kitchen pantry or sideboard into a liquor cabinet if you so choose.

Regardless of which option is ideally-suited for you, be sure you know exactly where you plan to put either one in your home before making a choice. A bar cart clearly offers more versatility in any space, but a liquor cabinet may be the better bet depending on where you plan to put it.

To be sure, the portability of a bar cart is one of its major advantages. Whether you’re serving drinks in the living room while watching sports or sitting outside on a patio enjoying fresh air, a bar cart can stay within arm’s reach. But this also comes with a tradeoff. After all, while most bar carts are lightweight and open, if you place bottles on the upper shelf, they can become top-heavy. This makes them more prone to tipping over, and more difficult to move on uneven flooring.

Liquor cabinets, meanwhile — like this stunning piece of furniture from Aheaplus (on Amazon) – give you a more sturdy and permanent solution. Anyone worried about their collection being damaged will likely find a cabinet gives them peace of mind. Placed in the safer and more stable confines of a liquor cabinet, you can store bottles without worrying they’ll tip, shift, or fall from the shelf.

Frankly, the choice here ultimately comes down to how and when you enjoy your bottles. If you like to entertain in different areas, a bar cart is likely going to be the better option. Just remember: A bottle of full spirits can be quite heavy with its thick glass, and that weight can quickly build up when multiple bottles are placed on it.

Let’s be honest: Many of us like to show off our liquor collection. It can be a source of pride to any enthusiast, especially if you know people who share a mutual interest in your bottles. A well-displayed collection can also add to the visual appeal of your home no matter where it’s stored, so it’s important to consider how important showcasing your collection is. While bar carts are a stylish and flexible choice, a liquor cabinet can be more elegant and show-stopping.

For anyone wishing to showcase a smaller and more curated collection, bar carts are an ideal solution. After all, you can add exactly what you want to the cart and present it however you wish. There’s also the added factor that most bar carts have an open design. This allows the bottles to be on full display, showcasing all of your attractive and favored spirits. With a liquor cabinet, bottles may be hidden behind others, which may not give the effect you want.

However, a liquor cabinet allows you to curate your collection in a different way. Depending on the size and shape, you can store any showstopping bottles upfront, and organize them in a uniform and beautiful manner. A liquor cabinet gives you an option to add artificial lighting, too, which can make your collection stand out further. And if you’re leaning toward choosing a cabinet, you can make it even more appealing with glass panels.

Safety is a key factor when storing spirits. One bad move, and you might end up with a lot of broken glass — and extensive spirits soaking into the floors. When choosing between a cart or cabinet, the biggest factors to consider safety-wise are children and pets, along with how busy your household generally is. And while bar carts may be convenient, they also pose more of a risk.

The open design of bar carts means the bottles are usually easily accessible, making it simple for children (or anyone else) to grab a bottle without supervision. To be fair, some liquor cabinets can also be accessed by children, but many come with an installed lock, are too high to reach, or can have a lock added. Additionally, bar carts have a greater potential to tip over. If someone were to bump into or pull on one, there’s a genuine risk that it goes tumbling down. That isn’t just a potentially dangerous mistake, but an expensive one, as well.

Now, if you have a dedicated place to put your bar cart and feel the chances of it being knocked over are minimal, your safety concerns are going to be minimal, too. But there’s also no doubt that a liquor cabinet will generally be the safer solution of the two options.

When buying any type of furniture, you want to know how long it will last, and how much maintenance it will need. Of the two, liquor cabinets tend to be built more sturdily and have less upkeep — something that’s helped by the fact that liquor cabinets are both stationary and enclosed. This makes them less exposed to dust and spills, with everyday wear and tear being less of a factor.

Quite frankly, a well-made liquor cabinet can last for decades with minimal maintenance, with only the occasional dusting usually being required. Bar carts are going to require more frequent care, though. Due to being open and mobile, they’re apt to collect dust and be more prone to things going wrong. Since drinks are often being poured on them, bar carts may be more likely to have stains or water damage, as well. Additionally, wheels may loosen, metal may tarnish, and fixtures may need occasional tightening.

A well-made bar cart should still be able to last for a long time. But it will need more upkeep than a liquor cabinet if you want it looking its best. If you want spirit storage with minimal effort over time, a liquor cabinet is again the winner.

If you plan on hosting a spirit tasting, how you present your collection is going to be important. Yet both bar carts and liquor cabinets can be a good option here depending on how you want to host.

A bar cart gives you easy access to a few select bottles. It allows you to move this selection to wherever your guests are and enjoy your tasting session in any room you desire. You can even use your cart to carry tasting glasses, water, or anything else you might need. In essence, a bar cart gives you full control over your tasting event.

For a more formal or structured tasting event, a liquor cabinet may be the better choice. This is especially true if your cabinet is in the same room as the event, since you can have a dedicated tasting area. Of course, if you don’t want to include every bottle you own in a tasting event, and instead prefer to grab a select few to take to a tasting area, you can always keep your cabinet closed for the evening. It depends on the type of experience you want to create and how you want to share your spirits.

Between the two, bar carts are generally more affordable than liquor cabinets, ranging from $50 to $200. Anyone on a budget is far more likely to get a decent bar cart for their money than if they spend the equivalent amount on a liquor cabinet. By comparison, liquor cabinets tend to start around $150, and can cost $1,000 or more. There’s a range of options here, as well, from small simple cabinets to large bespoke pieces of furniture.

Of course, the higher cost of a cabinet means you’re getting a more durable item with a larger storage capacity — one that may even come with additional features. So while the winner when it comes to cost will be the bar cart, you’ll also likely need to replace it sooner than you would with a cabinet. Whichever one you choose, it’s a good idea to spend that little bit extra to get something that truly fits your space.

If you can’t decide between a bar cart and a liquor cabinet, why not choose both? This provides the best of both worlds, after all, though the downside is you’ll be paying double the cost — and still need to find space for both of them. If that’s something you can manage, getting both gives you stability and portability.

For instance, if you have a valuable bottle, such as one of the beloved bottles of Pappy, it can be a little nerve-wracking to store it on a bar cart. You know that it’s not only vulnerable to being knocked over, but is more likely to be affected by sunlight and temperature changes, as well. Of course, if you do end up both, you can always keep that bottle in your secured liquor cabinet for the vast majority of the time. You can bring it out for yourself or for tastings, then transfer it to your bar cart.

Having both also allows you to rotate the bottles you keep on your bar cart, perhaps even keeping a few unique bottles on there for aesthetics. This gives you more versatility as well as more space. Your less loaded bar cart will be easier to move, and you’ll be able to place any other drinking accessories on there that you may need. It’s not a solution everyone can have, but if you can, it’s an ideal way to balance the advantages of each option.

A bar cart or liquor cabinet are both excellent storage solutions for your spirits, but they’re far from the only choices. After all, the dream scenario for many spirit lovers is to build their own home bar. If you have the space, this can be an excellent choice, and be customized to your needs. It will give you a dedicated space for socializing and plenty of flexibility.

Now, that may be out of reach for most people, but a more simple and affordable solution is utilizing either shelving units or a bookshelf conversion. Shelving can give you a visually striking wall of spirits that not only looks fantastic but makes your bottles highly accessible, too. Repurposing a bookshelf is another way to make the most of a lack of space. Wine racks — like this elegant solution from Sonyabecca – are a common way to store bottles. They come in all different shapes and sizes, so you’re sure to find something that fits your space.

Then again, wine racks usually store bottles horizontally, which isn’t ideal for liquor and spirits, but isn’t much of an issue for shorter term storage. Other options include a countertop, drawer, pantry, or basement. If you’re not sure whether a bar cart or liquor cabinet will work perfectly in your space, consider some of the potential alternatives.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, no single option is perfect for everyone. But hopefully, the factors I’ve looked at here can give you a clearer picture of which spirits storage option is more suitable for your space and lifestyle.

Clearly, each option has its strengths and weaknesses. For bar carts, their biggest advantages are their flexibility and portability. For regularly entertaining with smaller connections, they’re usually the better bet. A liquor cabinet, meanwhile, is going to be better for those who have larger collections and are looking for more secure storage. They provide a stable and protective environment that will give better bottle storage. If you’re a serious collector of high-value bottles, it’s hard to argue against a liquor cabinet being the best solution.

Of course, if you have the space and budget, then having both can be a winning combination, too. It ultimately comes down to your priorities. I’ve always preferred using a liquor cabinet, but I’ve been to many homes where a bar cart seemed more suited to their space. All you need to do now is pick your favorite, and work out which bottles you most want to put front and center of your bar cart or liquor cabinet.