Cork vs Synthetic cord vs screw tops

[BourbonGuy]

If natural cork deteriorates what are its advantages vs synthetic cork or screw top?

[amg]

I think the main advantage is that it seems fancy.

[Harry in WashDC]

Harder to cut your fingers or lips with natural cork or synthetic cork. Looks meaner when you pull it with your teeth.

Edit: seriously, I think it's a combination of tradition and marketing. Corks were used back when bottles were refilled from barrels in the storeroom, and screwtops were not widely available to replace bent/lost caps that might or might not fit different sized bottles or bottles with different threads. Nowadays, I think TT is correct - it is more marketing and design than picking the one that seals better.

Edited December 13, 2014 by Harry in WashDC
Getting serious for a change

[TunnelTiger]

Could it be loyalty to a long time supplier or maybe even a subsidiary?

[TunnelTiger]

Could it be loyalty to a long time supplier?

[mbroo5880i]

I remember buying my first bottle of Weller and thinking "oh boy, this is some cheap stuff because it has a screw cap." Obviously, I was wrong. While corks seem classy, I wish distilleries would all go to screw caps.

Edited December 14, 2014 by mbroo5880i

[squire]

I cannot thing of any advantage natural cork possesses but I can think of some disadvantages.

[GaryT]

I think it has to do with marketing primarily; at one point a "screw top" implied a lower priced/lower quality pour. I think you are seeing this trend being bucked in some cases though (I was elated that the HHSS was a screwtop and not a stinking cork!) I think it will take time though. JB switched to screw tops for KC, but then claimed to have an uproar from fans so they went back to corks. I missed the uproar, and think they pulled the trigger too soon on rolling back (it wasn't like the MM Revolt, as it should come to be known). The tour guide at JB was candid - screw tops are cheaper to buy, cheaper to install, and have less failures - but "the market spoke and we listened".

[sutton]

Synthetic corks won't expand/contract with the bottle - cork will. Not an issue if your storage temps are stable, and I would guess less of an advantage over time if the cork dries out. Synthetics are cheaper than cork, so there's that cost advantage in the packaging.

A screw cap is probably best if done well (some deform) - especially since (presumably) you are opening & closing more frequently than say a single pull or temporary re-corking on a wine bottle that will be emptied fairly quickly.

I agree the packaging choice has more to do with aesthetics and marketing. If there is an advantage to micro-oxygenation of unopened whiskies over time (old bottle effect) I'd guess it is less likely to occur in a well-sealed screw cap than with cork closures...

[BourbonGuy]

A screw cap is probably best if done well (some deform) - especially since (presumably) you are opening & closing more frequently than say a single pull or temporary re-corking on a wine bottle that will be emptied fairly quickly.

My point exactly. I hear that some screw caps even have an oxygen scanenger added that would help keep the bourbon fresher longer.

[393foureyedfox]

I think it has to do with marketing primarily; at one point a "screw top" implied a lower priced/lower quality pour. I think you are seeing this trend being bucked in some cases though (I was elated that the HHSS was a screwtop and not a stinking cork!) I think it will take time though. JB switched to screw tops for KC, but then claimed to have an uproar from fans so they went back to corks. I missed the uproar, and think they pulled the trigger too soon on rolling back (it wasn't like the MM Revolt, as it should come to be known). The tour guide at JB was candid - screw tops are cheaper to buy, cheaper to install, and have less failures - but "the market spoke and we listened".

KC should go back to both screw tops and the old label

[squire]

Frankly I wish Knob Creek had stayed with the screw tops. I know, market perceptions and all that, yet Jack Daniels has used a screw closure for many years now and still has the public perception of a quality brand.

[bllygthrd]

I'm all for screw caps ... I judge a bourbon by what's on the inside of the bottle, not on what keeps it from leaking out. I'll admit I'm a bit of a label whore though ...

[squire]

One would think 9 years old and 100 proof on the label would have more sway than a cork.

[393foureyedfox]

One would think 9 years old and 100 proof on the label would have more sway than a cork.

truth be told, at 9 years and 100 proof for under $30, i really dont care what closure it has. enjoy it while we can.....i see Bookers tipping past the $50 mark lately, a psychological devastation to me

[squire]

Well at least the crappy neighbors are moving.

[BigRich]

I've had so many broken cork issues over the years that i am of the opinion they should be left to wine. Nothing pisses me off like a broken whiskey cork.

I think as others have said its about customer perception at this point. Unfortunately, public perception moves at glacial speed.

[B.B. Babington]

Well at least the crappy neighbors are moving.

Did we find out if Bumpus Jr. and the missus were taking dogs or leaving them? 393foureyedfox still might have four legged visitors for Christmas knocking over Knob Creek as well as turkey.

[393foureyedfox]

Did we find out if Bumpus Jr. and the missus were taking dogs or leaving them? 393foureyedfox still might have four legged visitors for Christmas knocking over Knob Creek as well as turkey.

[Vadertime]

All for screw caps over here, I have had too many issues with fine dusty bottles being spoilt by rogue corks. Plastic corks many be ok, but how rigorously have then been tested with high proof alcohol?

[Mr. Bourbon]

Well I can only get Knob Creek for $50 and frankly I don't even find it that good. I think I would choose Buffalo Trance over Knob Creek and that is $37.

KC just tastes like high proof white label. Surely not worth $50...Maybe $25.

[The Black Tot]

I have had a few screw caps crack and split around the top. Since nobody else has posted that, thought I'd mention it.

Mostly this was on dusties, but it can be hard to notice, so I am careful with them.

[n811]

i see Bookers tipping past the $50 mark lately, a psychological devastation to me

$58.99 here in Michigan. Of course, that's state minimum, so it can be found for much higher depending on where you shop [emoji15]

[tanstaafl2]

I have had a few screw caps crack and split around the top. Since nobody else has posted that, thought I'd mention it.

Mostly this was on dusties, but it can be hard to notice, so I am careful with them.

I think there are poor quality and good quality screw caps as well. Most all Japanese malt comes with a substantial well made and good looking screw cup that I would happily take in place of a cork anytime. A thin bare metal screw cap is always going to look tacky to me no matter how much better it might work.

Maybe Suntory can push Beam back to using a well made quality screw cap!

[Tony Santana]

I (like most of you) think the corks are a marketing/perception thing. That said, I've rarely had problems with them (corks on wine bottles are another story). I think I've only replaced one in the past couple of years, two at the most. Although I can think of at least one bottle that I probably finished off quicker than I ordinarily would have just because the cork was starting to look a little ragged.