Shelf life??

[rosiebeep]

Hi. As you can see by the subject line, I'm new to this. Anyway, I bought a bottle of Maker's Mark for my birthday which was in November. I'm a slow drinker, I guess. But just wanted to know, once the bottle is opened, how long's it good for? I have quite a bit left and would like to eventually drink it. Thanks.
Peace.

[cowdery]

My signature line below is the punch line of a joke. In fact, just the opposite is true. For all practical purposes, the whiskey in that bottle will stay good longer than any of us will. Of course, some of us weren't so good to begin with.

[Barrel_Proof]

I'm a slow drinker, I guess. But just wanted to know, once the bottle is opened, how long's it good for?

Only a few months more, tops. Better bring it to the Gazebo in April or September for careful evaluation.

[rosiebeep]

Okay, thanks. I guess I need a tie-breaker opinion (?)

[boone]

Barrel Proof was kidding with ya Your bourbon will keep for a very long time. Years and years ...

Keep it upright, sealed tight, not in direct sunlight or extreme temps...and it should keep just fine

Bettye Jo

[RedVette]

Barrel Proof was kidding with ya You bourbon will keep for a very long time. Years and years ...

I must be doing something wrong, everytime I open a new bottle it disappears in only a few days

[PFC]

Hi there,
I know that cognac and s***h aficionados often claim that an open bottle starts to deteriorate as time passes and the proportional amount of air in the bottle increases. Some say that a bottle should be consumed within 6 months of opening. Personally I haven't been able to detect any real difference after having a bottle opened for a year or two.
Why don't you leave enought for a single drink in your current MM bottle when you buy a replacement. Have a tasting and see if they taste pretty much the same (wouldn't work for a singel barrel though). Then share your results.

M

[cowdery]

I have never experienced deterioration in a bottle in my possession, even though I have a bad habit of leaving one or two drinks in the bottom of a bottle, espcially if it is one I can't readily replace. Of course, the fact that I can't taste it doesn't mean other people can't. There are people who claim that some vodkas taste better than others too.

I have experienced deterioration, specifically oxidation, in bars but we are talking about partially-full bottles that have sat around for years. Six months? Six years, maybe.

[sydney]

Maybe I'm missing something but it seems to me if you're a bourbon drinker and you open a bottle of bourbon, it's not going to hang around for months at a time before you finish it off. I know that won't be the case with me. I open that rascal and it will be gone in a maximum time period of one month. But I don't open a lot of different bottles of bourbon at the same time. I work on one at a time.

[cowdery]

But I don't open a lot of different bottles of bourbon at the same time. I work on one at a time.

That's the difference. Some of us have dozens of bottles open at a time. Some of us also have a sentimental attachment to certain hard-to-replace bottles that causes us to stare forlornly at that last inch of whiskey for months, if not years. (I'm suffering that agony with some first edition Stagg even as we speak. Should I kill that soldier tonight? It may be time.)