Do you think this is okay to drink?

[Skinsfan1311]

Digging around,  and I was snapping a pic of this decanter, to show a friend.  It was her Dad's.

 

The cork is broken, and stuck firmly in the neck.  When I picked it up, there was liquid sloshing around.  Think it's okay to drink?

 

If so,  what's the best way to remove the cork?

 

Thanks!

[CardsandBourbon]

There is another thread on here about lead leaching from decanters into the bourbon.  You may want to read that.  If there's no lead then get that cork out, try it and tell us what you thought.

[Skinsfan1311]

5 minutes ago, CardsandBourbon said:

There is another thread on here about lead leaching from decanters into the bourbon.  You may want to read that.  If there's no lead then get that cork out, try it and tell us what you thought.

Thanks!!

[0895]

1 hour ago, Skinsfan1311 said:

 

 

If so,  what's the best way to remove the cork?

 

 

 

I've had luck gently finagling a wine corkscrew through broken corks.  Then turn the bottle over to soak the cork a bit.  You''ll want to twist a bit clockwise as you pull.

 

Some people have also used bamboo type skewers to pierce the cork at angles and pry it upwards.

 

I've also heard of people using those 2-prong wine cork pullers with luck.

 

You'll probably want to filter the whiskey through cheese cloth when your finished to get the pieces of cork out that fall in.

[Skinsfan1311]

1 minute ago, 0895 said:

 

 

I've had luck gently finagling a wine corkscrew through broken corks.  Then turn the bottle over to soak the cork a bit.  You''ll want to twist a bit clockwise as you pull.

 

Some people have also used bamboo type skewers to pierce the cork at angles and pry it upwards.

 

I've also heard of people using those 2-prong wine cork pullers with luck.

 

You'll probably want to filter the whiskey through cheese cloth when your finished to get the pieces of cork out that fall in.

Thank you!

[PaulO]

That's a nice decanter.  First I would transfer the contents into a glass container.  If it's cloudy, it's probably bad.  If the whiskey is clear, test the decanter for lead before drinking any.  It depends how much is left to determine if the test kit is worth it to you.  Most of these types of decanters held some of the most average whiskey available at that time.  Not that it isn't interesting, because it's likely different than the modern version.  

[parksmart]

If you know a wine aficionado who drinks older vintages, ask him if he has a device called a Durand.  It’s a combination cork screw with the prongs to insert in the sides of the cork as well. Best device out there for removing deteriorated corks from old bottles.  

[GaryT]

6 hours ago, PaulO said:

That's a nice decanter.  First I would transfer the contents into a glass container.  If it's cloudy, it's probably bad.  If the whiskey is clear, test the decanter for lead before drinking any.  It depends how much is left to determine if the test kit is worth it to you.  Most of these types of decanters held some of the most average whiskey available at that time.  Not that it isn't interesting, because it's likely different than the modern version.  

This - you've got to see what the whiskey looks like first (and I'd also measure the volume to see how close to 'full' it is.  Some great suggestions above on the cork issue, or just knock it in and pour the contents through a strainer.  The lead testing is a personal risk calculation.  There are threads on that, but I think most (maybe all) off the shelf testing kits won't work on alcohol like whiskey.  There was a member who worked in a lab and performed testing years ago, and as I recall got results all over the place.  Personally, I bought a decanter of 8 yr Wild Turkey 101, and the loss was very minimal and the whiskey looked good (although a bit darker than off the shelf WT101).  I decided to try it, and it was delicious - so I just spaced out consumption over a period of probably 2 yrs.  Did that help?  Again, as I understand it - maybe not  as lead is one of those things that just accumulates.  But it made me feel better about the whole thing   

[Bob_Loblaw]

If the wine corkscrew Spiral is too big I’ve also had success with a regular threaded wall screw then pulling out gently with the claw side of a hammer. 

[smokinjoe]

1 hour ago, Bob_Loblaw said:

If the wine corkscrew Spiral is too big I’ve also had success with a regular threaded wall screw then pulling out gently with the claw side of a hammer. 

Usually, wall screws, claw side of a hammer, and glass bottles, are not words you hear used together with good intentions and results...

[FacePlant]

If you do decide to try it and get a hell of headache probably means you've got too much lead in it.  Just saying.

[Bob_Loblaw]

20 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

Usually, wall screws, claw side of a hammer, and glass bottles, are not words you hear used together with good intentions and results...

I said gently!  More of an emergency measure I suppose, but it does the trick.  The few times this has been a lifesaver were when helping a female friend move and either after packing up all boxes or just getting them to the new location lo and behold we realize that the corkscrew is packed away!

 

 And yes, could only happen to a women, because at the same time in my life helping a male friend move came standard with a 30 pack of lite beer and ordered pizza's.  No chance of the only booze around being unopened bottles of wine.  

[Adam777]

If the cork does go in, I’ve had luck using a natural unbleached coffee strainer. Transfer to another bottle and you could try the plastic bag trick to get the cork (YouTube it). I had to do this recently.