Whiskeythink.com Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 This weekend, while on the road, I stopped in to a small-town dive bar/LS. Very little on the shelf, but found 2 bottles of WTRB 108 proof for $36 each. When I reached my destination, I tried to open one, & the cork broke. I wasn't surprised because it had been on that shelf for several years. This is not the first time I've had this happen on an older bottle. Does anyone have any tricks to help prevent this when opening such older bottles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinbrink Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 27 minutes ago, Whiskeythink.com said: This weekend, while on the road, I stopped in to a small-town dive bar/LS. Very little on the shelf, but found 2 bottles of WTRB 108 proof for $36 each. When I reached my destination, I tried to open one, & the cork broke. I wasn't surprised because it had been on that shelf for several years. This is not the first time I've had this happen on an older bottle. Does anyone have any tricks to help prevent this when opening such older bottles? I usually try to twist the cork gently first, I have tried using a hairdryer to loosen the cork when it doesn't budge to mixed results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richnimrod Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 28 minutes ago, Whiskeythink.com said: This weekend, while on the road, I stopped in to a small-town dive bar/LS. Very little on the shelf, but found 2 bottles of WTRB 108 proof for $36 each. When I reached my destination, I tried to open one, & the cork broke. I wasn't surprised because it had been on that shelf for several years. This is not the first time I've had this happen on an older bottle. Does anyone have any tricks to help prevent this when opening such older bottles? The Turkey has been widely known for 'tender' corks for a long time. And, your assumption of shelf duration not doing said 'sensitive cork' any favors, is very likely correct. All that said, I know of only one way to delay cork deterioration. Store a very newly released bottle in a cool dark place for no longer than absolutely necessary before opening and, if suspicious, decanting the Bourbon within. OK. I just though of another way. Open and promptly drink up all the contents. No whiskey inside: no cork problems .....or at least cork problems then become insignificant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskeythink.com Posted July 18, 2017 Author Share Posted July 18, 2017 1 hour ago, Richnimrod said: The Turkey has been widely known for 'tender' corks for a long time. And, your assumption of shelf duration not doing said 'sensitive cork' any favors, is very likely correct. All that said, I know of only one way to delay cork deterioration. Store a very newly released bottle in a cool dark place for no longer than absolutely necessary before opening and, if suspicious, decanting the Bourbon within. OK. I just though of another way. Open and promptly drink up all the contents. No whiskey inside: no cork problems .....or at least cork problems then become insignificant! It did seem like a cheap cork. Drinking it ASAP doesn't apply in situations like this, when it's an older bottle. The damage has been done. I have a bottle of Aberlour 15 Yr I found earlier this summer that was the same way; it was an older bottling, & the cork snapped. Funny thing is I put the partially-corked WTRB bottle in my bag before I headed home on saturday evening, drove a few hours back, & put the bag in the laundry room when I got home. Opened my bag on sunday to put things away/in washer, and the bottle was completely open as the cork stub had fallen down into the juice. Somehow the bottle was sitting up in the bag, not a drop had spilt. Couldn't get the cork out of the bottle when I filtered it, so its now sitting in a Mellow Corn bottle, with the WTRB neck tag hanging on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Bourbon Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 Is there a "correct" technique to repeatedly open a corked bottle? Twist or no? Rock it back and forth a little or pull straight up? What's your move? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulO Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 Those older WTRB were famous for top snapping off (even when they were new). I say keep handy: extra corks, a corkscrew, and empty bottles for decanting. In the situation with RB; the top comes off the cork. The cork itself is ok. The bourbon is probably fine. A bad cork on the other hand; whiskey ends up tasting like dirt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RacePrecision Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 The Ah-so cork puller, also known as the waiter's friend, is a great tool for removing old corks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 2 hours ago, PaulO said: Those older WTRB were famous for top snapping off (even when they were new). I say keep handy: extra corks, a corkscrew, and empty bottles for decanting. My thoughts as well. Cheers! Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSpartan Posted July 18, 2017 Share Posted July 18, 2017 7 hours ago, Whiskeythink.com said: This weekend, while on the road, I stopped in to a small-town dive bar/LS. Very little on the shelf, but found 2 bottles of WTRB 108 proof for $36 each. When I reached my destination, I tried to open one, & the cork broke. I wasn't surprised because it had been on that shelf for several years. This is not the first time I've had this happen on an older bottle. Does anyone have any tricks to help prevent this when opening such older bottles? Other than the cork breaking, what are your thoughts on the 108.2 proof compared to the newer ones. I actually just came across one of these WTRB bottles as well and was very tempted to buy it at around $45. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskeythink.com Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 1 hour ago, JSpartan said: Other than the cork breaking, what are your thoughts on the 108.2 proof compared to the newer ones. I actually just came across one of these WTRB bottles as well and was very tempted to buy it at around $45. Have not yet had the chance to try it out. Just got all the cork filtered out yesterday. Hope it didnt taint it. From what Ive read, many prefer the 108°. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1gcountry Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 I did a sbs between the 108 and 112 last week, and the difference wasn't enough to make any difference. I can't definitively say I would be able to tell them apart blindSent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drunkenjayhawk Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Other than using the methods described above I don't know of another way to prevent breakage. I keep a funnel and coffee filters on hand to use to decant to bottle with a screw cap when I have to. The last one I did was a WTRB that sat on my shelf for about 9 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Bourbon Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 22 hours ago, JSpartan said: Other than the cork breaking, what are your thoughts on the 108.2 proof compared to the newer ones. I actually just came across one of these WTRB bottles as well and was very tempted to buy it at around $45. I just did a blind tasting of the WT-03RB 108.2 and the newer 112.8, and I personally preferred the latter. I found it to be more balanced, compared to the 03RB, which had more notes of older whiskey (earthy, tannic and leather). I found that many other preferred the 03RB for those same reasons though, so it's a matter of taste. Both were fantastic. As I am based in Sweden I have a much smaller and way more expensive range of bourbon to choose from, but at $45, I'd pick up any Rare Breed I could find Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCWoody Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 On 7/18/2017 at 2:14 PM, RacePrecision said: The Ah-so cork puller, also known as the waiter's friend, is a great tool for removing old corks. The problem I see with that is most bourbon bottles have a "funky" shaped head that connects to the cork, and I don't think it will work on most bourbon bottles. But it looks great for wine bottles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyDon Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 On Tuesday, July 18, 2017 at 0:17 PM, Whiskeythink.com said: It did seem like a cheap cork. Drinking it ASAP doesn't apply in situations like this, when it's an older bottle. The damage has been done. I have a bottle of Aberlour 15 Yr I found earlier this summer that was the same way; it was an older bottling, & the cork snapped. Funny thing is I put the partially-corked WTRB bottle in my bag before I headed home on saturday evening, drove a few hours back, & put the bag in the laundry room when I got home. Opened my bag on sunday to put things away/in washer, and the bottle was completely open as the cork stub had fallen down into the juice. Somehow the bottle was sitting up in the bag, not a drop had spilt. Couldn't get the cork out of the bottle when I filtered it, so its now sitting in a Mellow Corn bottle, with the WTRB neck tag hanging on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyDon Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 I apologize if I did not do my due diligence in searching archives, but on this general subject what are some of the preferred ways to do the filter process in these situations (for future reference, although I did use a coffee filter on an old decanter once) Maybe a fine wire filter? Thanks, JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kepler Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 On 7/18/2017 at 10:32 AM, Whiskeythink.com said: This weekend, while on the road, I stopped in to a small-town dive bar/LS. Very little on the shelf, but found 2 bottles of WTRB 108 proof for $36 each. When I reached my destination, I tried to open one, & the cork broke. I wasn't surprised because it had been on that shelf for several years. This is not the first time I've had this happen on an older bottle. Does anyone have any tricks to help prevent this when opening such older bottles? On 7/19/2017 at 0:35 PM, drunkenjayhawk said: Other than using the methods described above I don't know of another way to prevent breakage. I keep a funnel and coffee filters on hand to use to decant to bottle with a screw cap when I have to. The last one I did was a WTRB that sat on my shelf for about 9 years. Probably 75 % of WT dusties I've found have cork breakage when I open them. I've learned not to worry about it and I just filter out the cork matter with either paper coffee filters or the little metal mesh filter that came with my Keurig. I keep a funnel around like Jayhawk. I also learned to keep spare WT corks for backups. If you have no spares Campari will also send you a brand new cork if it's a style that's still being produced and if you want bother to contact them. The exceptions to be concerned about are the corks that are compromised even before they are opened -- you should always check whether the cork is doing its job (sealed) or whether it's leaking before purchasing the bottle -- I turn the bottle upside down and check for leakage before buying. Not long ago I came across 3 really old EC12 bottles with the oval label (as opposed to the asymmetrical label) and one of the 3 was a leaker... so I took home the other 2 bottles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskeythink.com Posted July 22, 2017 Author Share Posted July 22, 2017 22 hours ago, Kepler said: I turn the bottle upside down and check for leakage before buying. Not long ago I came across 3 really old EC12 bottles with the oval label (as opposed to the asymmetrical label) and one of the 3 was a leaker... so I took home the other 2 bottles This is a great idea. Next time I find a dusty, Ill do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts