Floating chunks in bourbon?

[Don't Shoot!]

I'm sure I looked a little odd at the liquor store today, pulling every plastic bottle of Old Heaven Hill Bottled-In-Bond off the bottom shelf, wiping off the dust, examining them in the light, and then putting them all back and grabbing a glass bottle of Very Old Barton Bottled-In-Bond instead. But I couldn't bring myself to buy the Old Heaven Hill because every bottle had several little chunks of something floating around in them. I couldn't tell if they were cork, mold, congealed oil, or wood. I've done a little reading around, and if it weren't for the bottles being plastic, it sounds like something I shouldn't be worried about. I didn't try shaking the bottles, though. Any suggestions?

[SWC]

I once had something similar happen with a bottle of Rare Breed. My guess was some of the sugars clumped together and solidified. Shaking the bottle got rid of most of them.

[Don't Shoot!]

The next time I'm in there (and someone else is working the counter), I'll grab one and give it a good shake and see if it goes away. I'm not a big fan of plastic bottles in the first place, and especially not for things stored over a year or two. Have you ever noticed bottled water has an expiration date? It's not because the water ever expires; it's because the bottle eventually does!

I might also add that they've been keeping these bottles at floor level right below the large windows in the front of the building, with one other shelf of whiskeys above it.

[Josh]

It's nothing from the plastic. I've seen the same in glass bottles. It's a result of being stored in the sunlight for an extended period of time. The proteins or sugars or some molecular junk gets all clumpy when that happens. It's gross but harmless.

Edited February 25, 2015 by Josh

[MTNBourbon]

Thanks for the great info.

[paris1129]

I recently dug out a Blantons and Elijah Craig 18 from the back of my bar that both had floating things and the bourbon was a little discolored, perhaps cloudy. They smell skunky or sour, but I didn't think whiskey went bad. These bottles are probably 5-6 years old, and the issue seems to be only with these two bottles. Thoughts?

[DBM]

I'm sure I looked a little odd at the liquor store today' date=' pulling every [u']plastic bottle of Old Heaven Hill Bottled-In-Bond off the bottom shelf, wiping off the dust, examining them in the light, and then putting them all back and grabbing a glass bottle of Very Old Barton Bottled-In-Bond instead. But I couldn't bring myself to buy the Old Heaven Hill because every bottle had several little chunks of something floating around in them. I couldn't tell if they were cork, mold, congealed oil, or wood. I've done a little reading around, and if it weren't for the bottles being plastic, it sounds like something I shouldn't be worried about. I didn't try shaking the bottles, though. Any suggestions?

Where are you seeing these bottles? I have seen light colored flakes in the bottom of every HHBIB (750ml glass) in the state of Washington at multiple retailers for the past 6+ months. If it developed after bottling, and it's in bottles all over the country, then it may be a bigger issue either at HH or wherever they store bottled product before it goes to a distributor.

[GaryT]

If the labels are faded or there are other indications they were in direct sunlight for extended periods of time, I'd be cautious. I bought a bottle whose contents weren't cloudy in the least, but the label was pretty faded - and the years in the sun had definitely screwed up the whiskey (when describing the nose and "wet cardboard, or maybe dog" come to mind).

[B.B. Babington]

...when describing the nose and "wet cardboard, or maybe dog" come to mind.

now was "dog" just "dog" or was it "wet dog" because some might like wet dog nose. maybe fond memories of hunting in the rain with favorite hound and favorite bottle to stay warm.

[GaryT]

now was "dog" just "dog" or was it "wet dog" because some might like wet dog nose. maybe fond memories of hunting in the rain with favorite hound and favorite bottle to stay warm.

It was a blend of wet cardboard (box that's been rained on repeatedly in an alley) and the dog that lives in it (trying to stay dry, but failing). I thought maybe it was just me, but anyone I shared a pour with winced so I wound up throwing it out.