Cork Crumbles

[Attila]

I opened a bottle of WT 12Y Gold Foil and the cork crumbled. No, it pretty much dissolved. I ran the bourbon through a strainer, cleaned the neck of remaining bits of cork sticking to the neck, then reintroduced the bourbon back into the bottle, capped with a cork from a recently emptied WT12Y current edition.

Did I miss any steps?

Man, this is the second time this has happened. The first time, it was with a VW15 that initially tasted extraordinarily fruity upon opening (like an usually fresh sherry), but then upon 2nd tasting it tasted entirely different. This time, the oxidised flavor is there, but less so. It definitely doesn't taste better than the currently release of the 12 year old, which was good, but not phenomenal.

I look forward to the second tasting, after it has had time to breathe.

[Virus_Of_Life]

That happened to the last Split Label I opened, not quite to the extent of dissolving just broke and crumbled a bit. Sounds to me like you got it all covered.

Interesting that it isn't any better than the current (export) 12 year, maybe it has improved lately - or that gold just needs some air...

[Attila]

I am guessing (hoping) that it just needs some air.

[Special Reserve]

I had the cork break on my bottle of CGL WT12.

I had to push the cork into the bourbon. I strained and using a plastic bag technique demonstrated on You Tube, I easily got the remaining cork out of the bottle.

Happily, the bourbon is more than worth the extra effort.

[Attila]

I had the cork break on my bottle of CGL WT12.

I had to push the cork into the bourbon. I strained and using a plastic bag technique demonstrated on You Tube, I easily got the remaining cork out of the bottle.

Happily, the bourbon is more than worth the extra effort.

What is CGL? Cheesy gold label?

[Special Reserve]

What is CGL? Cheesy gold label?

Yes. Additionally, there is a 16 character minimum.

[Buffalo Bill]

I opened a bottle of WT 12Y Gold Foil and the cork crumbled. No, it pretty much dissolved. I ran the bourbon through a strainer, cleaned the neck of remaining bits of cork sticking to the neck, then reintroduced the bourbon back into the bottle, capped with a cork from a recently emptied WT12Y current edition.

Did I miss any steps?

Man, this is the second time this has happened. The first time, it was with a VW15 that initially tasted extraordinarily fruity upon opening (like an usually fresh sherry), but then upon 2nd tasting it tasted entirely different. This time, the oxidised flavor is there, but less so. It definitely doesn't taste better than the currently release of the 12 year old, which was good, but not phenomenal.

I look forward to the second tasting, after it has had time to breathe.

That really sucks... there's nothing more irritating. Been there, done that. And filtering through bleached paper can diminish the flavor a tad, due to tannins and particles getting trapped. Last time this happened to me was 6 months ago, dry cork syndrome. BB

[smokinjoe]

I've opened 4 Gold Foil WT12's, and broke the cork on each one of them. I guess sitting around for 15 years or so, takes it's toll.

Have I heard that a good idea is to turn the bottle over a couple of times, to moisten the cork before removing it?

[Attila]

I am guessing (hoping) that it just needs some air.

My guess was correct, as last night this was fabulous.

[luv2hunt]

I've had several Gold Foil Turkeys.....and every single cork has cumbled! I gave Timothy his 12 yr split as a prize for the fantasy football, and that one crumbled too! (He opened it and shared.....what a good turtle!)

Dawn

[barturtle]

I expect any cork over about 6yo to fall apart trying to open it.

[Attila]

My guess was correct, as last night this was fabulous.

But oddly, today it is back to being exceedingly musty.

[EricABQ]

Corks are frustrating. I've never understood why these companies go to such great lengths to make excellent Bourbon, then use a substandard closure for them.

I wish more distillers would follow Makers Mark's lead and use screw caps. If at least two of my favorite brands would switch, I'd never buy corked bottles again.

[Stones]

Pretty sure all of the Blantons bottles i've bought have a little bit of the cork chiselled out. Not sure if this is there to help it from crumbling but i've never had a bad Blantons cork or an old enough one for it to disintegrate... yet.

[jburlowski]

I like the sound and feel of corks. Other than a single case of possible cork taint, I never had a significant problem with them.

[squire]

I just don't trust corks, that and I'd rather pay for contents than packaging.