How long before an open bottle goes bad?

[Alden]

Is there a rule of thumb on this?

Do most spirits change over time once they have been exposed to a little air?

Wine can actually improve the next day, but after than most start to turn sweet or vinegary.

Bourbon too?

[HighInTheMtns]

Is there a rule of thumb on this?

Do most spirits change over time once they have been exposed to a little air?

Wine can actually improve the next day, but after than most start to turn sweet or vinegary.

Bourbon too?

This has been discussed at length so do a little searching to find more, but short answer: open whiskey will last a very, very long time.

[squire]

May in fact outlast some of us.

[Yeti]

May in fact outlast some of us.

I'll never let the whiskey win.

[squire]

That's the spirit.

[Alden]

That's the spirit.

Very Clever.

[Flyfish]

Geez! Bourbon don't never go bad! I'm betting that there is absolutely no one on this site who has ever had a boourbon go bad. Sometimes ot changes over time after the bottle is open but the usual opinion is that it gets better (especially the wheaters) with a little air.

[RT Fan]

Right after I drain the last drop.

[Danger]

I was once cleaning out a condo and found 2 half full bottles of bottom shelf scotch that were undrinkable. They had been sitting there for around 30 years. There was also a mostly full bottle of Dewars that was just fine though.

I was very young at the time and remember thinking to myself that I had a real goldmine on my hands... Dewars aged for 30 years!

[Yeti]

bottom shelf scotch that were undrinkable. They had been sitting there for around 30 years.

There's a good deal of anecdotal evidence that bottles significantly less than half full become less desirable when left that way for several years. If there's any lesson to take away from this I imagine it is to drink your whiskey, especially after it hits 1/2 to 1/3 full.