Tell about decanting bourbons and scotches

[Theantiquetiger2]

I bought a Baccarat crystal decanter today.  Got me wondering about decanting the brown stuff. I understand decanting wines, but is there any reason to decant bourbons and scotches?

[Harry in WashDC]

1 hour ago, Theantiquetiger2 said:

I bought a Baccarat crystal decanter today.  Got me wondering about decanting the brown stuff. I understand decanting wines, but is there any reason to decant bourbons and scotches?

More than once, the cork on a bottle OR the plastic cap on a bottle GOES BAD!!  Hence, putting the rest of my treasure in an other container is necessary.  ALSO, more than once, I've needed shelf space, and a slowly consumed handle or weirdly shaped bottle takes up an inordinate amount of shelf space (I'm looking at YOU, Weller strange carafe-thing).  Hence, putting the rest of my treasure in an other container is prudent.  FINALLY, more than once but not very often, I want to preserve the last few sips of an almost-never-sipped-super-special bourbon/rye even though it means I have to pitch the bottle.  Hence, I decant.  That third "more than once" usually happens only if I am down to less than four ounces and decide to save the remainder for my old age.  I sure hope I remember I set these gems aside when I get there.  BTW, 5 OZ Clear Glass Woozy Bottles with shrink wrap bands are about $15 a dozen.  Wife has canning equipment which I use to sterilize the bottles.

 

EDIT - I keep a few clean 750s around just in case for the non-Woozy booze.  BUT, see below re: actual decanters.

 

Oh, yeah, I do have spirits decanters on a butler's table in the dining room.  Each has a different shape.  One each for bourbon, scotch, gin, and vodka,  They contain, respectively, OGD BIB or JB BIB, Dewars White Label, Bombay Sapphire, and Smirnoff 100.  Why decanters?  So snobs don't get picky.  After all, these are for COCKTAILS, not sipping.

Edited November 23, 2019 by Harry in WashDC

[PaulO]

If I ever buy a plastic 1.75ml bottle, it should be decanted.

[Richnimrod]

7 hours ago, PaulO said:

If I ever buy a plastic 1.75ml bottle, it should be decanted.

AGREE!    I do NOT like keeping those plastic bottles filled for very long, I have pretty much always dumped (decanted if you prefer) 'em into a couple empty 750s (I keep a dozen or so washed, dried and stored for this purpose) shortly after opening up.   Before I first open the 1.75s I keep 'em in a closet (dark, cool, steady temperature).      I've seen more than  a few on shelves in liquor stores that seemed to have been slowly 'imploding', indicating to me that some change was ongoing inside, even though they remained sealed.

[Rick M.]

11 hours ago, Theantiquetiger2 said:

I bought a Baccarat crystal decanter today.  Got me wondering about decanting the brown stuff. I understand decanting wines, but is there any reason to decant bourbons and scotches?

I’d be concerned if your decanter is lead crystal.

[Theantiquetiger2]

39 minutes ago, Rick M. said:

I’d be concerned if your decanter is lead crystal.

Ah, the bottle I got maybe leaded crystal.  It’s a Remy Martin Louis XIII bottle, so it contained alcohol, so I’m not sure. 

[Harry in WashDC]

1 hour ago, Theantiquetiger2 said:

Ah, the bottle I got maybe leaded crystal.  It’s a Remy Martin Louis XIII bottle, so it contained alcohol, so I’m not sure. 

ASIDE - The lead crystal issue got discussed at length here on SB in 2014 and has come up a couple times since then.  Topic

is "Lead testing in bourbon, step by step".  Somebody there linked to a Nat'l Inst. of Health article about them.  SEE

 

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1694534 (1992 test results of leaching by acidic liquid, port, and alcoholic beverage).  The link worked this AM.  Remy Martin itself may be able to tell you whether that particular decanter is lead crystal.  Even if it is, RM may be able to tell you how MUCH lead oxide was used in its manufacture.

[B.B. Babington]

There's two definitions of decanter.  One is the matching glass stoppered fancy thing with fancy cut glasses matching glasses that you see in 1950's and early 1960's movies.  Or on a stool with scotch during a Ron White performance.  The other is true decanter where one slowly pours liquid leaving sediment behind.  Like drinking some old European beers and leaving a quarter bottle of crud, or trying to get the last dram of GTS while trying to avoid charcoal.  (BTW, charcoal is good for you)

[B.B. Babington]

Found this cool site while reading about your bottle.  I might not tell about lead but it can help date when your bottle was released:

https://cognac-ton.nl/en/homepage/other-topics/remy-martin-extravanganza-english/louis-xiii-differences/

 

[evasive]

I have a couple decanters on my sideboard, but it’s just for aesthetics with a slight nod to convenience. It’s really more of a decor item than anything else.

[Don Birnam]

On 11/22/2019 at 11:19 PM, PaulO said:

If I ever buy a plastic 1.75ml bottle, it should be decanted.

Just too be a stickler for detail. That bottle contains 35 drops.  What are you decanting into, Barbie booze bottles?

[PaulO]

13 hours ago, Don Birnam said:

Just too be a stickler for detail. That bottle contains 35 drops.  What are you decanting into, Barbie booze bottles?

For some reason the edit feature doesn't always work for me.

Good on you Joe for catching that.  It should say 1.75L.

I'm just old enough that I was in school when we were supposedly going to switch the U.S. to the metric system.  We were drilled in that stuff.  I can still do English to metric conversions almost intuitively.