Oxidation after opening bottle / use of decanter

[wheatfield]

We all know the character of a given bottle tends to change after it's opened, sometimes for the better, though it's my understanding that the more empty a bottle becomes, the faster the bourbon will oxidize. Is the oxidation process changed at all with the use of a decanter? Are there any particular advantages of using a decanter as far as this goes?

One thing that's nice is this -- I am a big craft beer guy and have amassed lots of rare bottles that cellar and improve very well (gueuze mostly), and the stress of opening a rare lambic bottle is much higher b/c you have to drink the whole bottle right then and there! At least spirits can be savored for many months after the bottle is opened.

[squire]

Depending on how tight the closure whisky may evaporate a little less from a decanter but oxidation should be the same as it is caused by exposure to air. I wouldn't worry about it either way though, whisky is remarkably stable stuff.

[smokinjoe]

I'd answer Wheat, but I don't want to piss off half the board....

[wheatfield]

Depending on how tight the closure whisky may evaporate a little less from a decanter but oxidation should be the same as it is caused by exposure to air. I wouldn't worry about it either way though, whisky is remarkably stable stuff.

[squire]

It's a non-issue so far as I'm concerned.

[Brisko]

I'll say this: if it's a whiskey prone to changing over time (read: wheater) then, yes, a decanter may speed up that process depending on the closure.

I use a large, wide decanter, primarily for vatting, since I can get almost two 5ths in it. The closure is pretty tight so it's not a huge thing. Perhaps more important is the large surface area.

Anyway, to answer as directly as I can-- towards the last 25% or so I've been able to tell a marked change (not necessarily bad, though), on more than one occasion. This is over the course of say, two months. I generally try to drain the decanter within a month or two.

[Balcones Winston]

Fortunately for me, no bottles around me keep whiskey long enough to witness this effect.