Spare cork preservation

[MarkEdwards]

How does one go about preserving spare corks against eventual need? Or do you just wait until you empty a currently opened bottle and use a 'fresh' cork?

I also have a few 'novelty' (carved cowboy head corks) corks that I use from time to time, and would like to think they will remain usable without much special treatment or special storage.

[fishnbowljoe]

I save most of the corks from my finished bottles. (Just in case. ) I keep them in a gallon sized ziploc bag. This has come in handy a few times when I have broken corks while opening bottles. I also keep two or three empty bottles around in case I need something to decant into. Joe

[MarkEdwards]

I save most of the corks from my finished bottles. (Just in case. ) I keep them in a gallon sized ziploc bag. This has come in handy a few times when I have broken corks while opening bottles. I also keep two or three empty bottles around in case I need something to decant into. Joe

Thanks. That pretty much answered my question. No degradation of the corks to speak of, then?

[JohnHansell]

Excellent question. If you're holding onto special whiskies for special occassions, the corks might fail eventually. I try to keep spares, but I wish I had more...

[chilidawg7]

A few years ago I bought a bottle of Pappy 15 and when I opened it, the cork basically crumbled. I had no spares and came here to SB.com asking for help. The next day a spare cork was sent to me and I learned a valuable lesson. Like Joe, I keep a few spares in a ziploc bag in case of an emergency.

This is especially wise if you happen to be traveling - always take a travel-sized bag with an extra cork or two.

[SMOWK]

My girl was opening a bottle of brandy last night, Asbach Uralt to be exact - good stuff, and the cork broke. What do you know, a Wild Turkey cork fit perfectly. Honestly, I think the bottle is a little "prettier" with a bird on top.

[Chuckles]

FYI, my local hardware store (Ace) sells corks is a wide variety of sizes, including two sizes with the plastic twist caps (@$1.50) that fit a lot of standard bottles.
-c

[Lucas Jackson]

Is there a certain quality of cork used to bottle spirits different from what you may find at a hardware store?