Rye and aeration

[bad_scientist]

Hopefully it's clear that the marbles go into the glass, although your interpretation is certainly interesting.

Heh heh, sorry, some juvenile idiot took over my mind for a minute Thanks for being a good sport!

[unclebunk]

Gotta chime in and say, yeah, especially w/r/t Saz 18 the drop off can be astounding...Dug out a 2010 Saz 18 after about 6 months with 1/3 left and it was gone baby gone, as in, "This rye whiskey has passed on! This rye is no more! It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet 'is maker! It's a stiff! Bereft of life, it rests in peace! It's kicked the bucket, shuffled off 'is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-RYE WHISKEY!!"

I think the real question that needs answering is whether this is a Saz 18 phenomenon or a old rye phenomenon.

I finally got around to sampling my long-open bottle of Saz 18 as well and could not detect any drop off in overall quality. There may be a slight fade in spice, replaced by a bit more sweetness but don't hold me to that. Whatever the case may be, we thoroughly enjoyed our pours last night and will move on to a bottle of VWFRR that's now down to two inches after sitting for a long spell.

Went back yet again last night to the Saz 18 and I truly can see no drop-off whatsoever in this bottle. (It is a Fall 2007 release which I opened in the summer of 2009, so it's been open nearly three years.) I thought I detected a slight fade in spice last time around, replaced by a touch more sweetness. But last night's pour was full of spice and had a nice long finish, so I don't know what to say about your bottle diminishing in quality.

I plan to open a new bottle of VWFRR this week and compare it side-by-side with my long-open bottle of VW to see if there's any significant difference. They are both "I" bottles purchased together several years ago and I'm curious to see what changes may have occurred in the one that's been open over two years.