Forumzboard899 Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 Was about to stock up a diverse bar of various spirits and liqueurs. Now I'm thinking twice. I don't drink very much but I'd like to have many different things on hand but don't want to feel pressured to finish up everything quick. I already figured that the lower ABV things like %20 liqueurs I'll keep in the fridge to be safe. But now I've learned even ~40% ABV spirits like Whiskey, Scotch, and Bourbon start to expire in a couple years once opened due to the small amount of air trapped in the bottle. This doesn't make sense to me because many of these are aged for years and years in wood barrels which air gets through, Lagavulin boats how their seaside breeze gives it extra flavor and it's easily google'able to confirm that oak etc barrels aren't airtight, and even if air doesn't get through, the barrels probably aren't filled %100 and therefore have some air trapped inside, and are also likely opened from time to time for whatever reasons. I read once it expires, it's not a health concern but that flavor starts to diminish or become off-tasting. Lagavulin says their 10 year Scotch is a bit harsher than their 16 in terms of alcohol burn, but the extra 6 years for the 16 rounds out the burn and is also the sweet spot for flavors, then after 16 years the flavor isn't as good but might have a bit less burn. So how does it not become off-tasting after all those years? I read sugary alcohols will expire faster in about a year once opened , so how is wine which has somewhat low ABV% and is sugary aged for many years in barrels without becoming off-tasting, instead it's usually claimed that aged wines become better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRich Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 Regarding whisk(e)y, the flavor change comes from 1) the different evaporation rates of the water and alcohol components within the bottle, 2) the chemical interaction with more oxygen, and 3) the reaction to certain light spectrums in sunlight. If you don't have it sitting in the sun and it's not swampy hot inside where you live then you should generally be fine for several years. If you have special bottles that you cherish and reach for rarely then you can buy some inert gas to spray in the bottle each time you open and pour. Wine Saver or various others all work fine. They are pretty cheap and a bottle will last a while. Generally, stress less and enjoy those spirits more. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulO Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 I think whiskey that has only a couple pours out of the bottle should be stable for a long time. If a bottle was say half full or less, I would expect it to start to oxidize eventually. Aging in barrels is a whole other topic. Once it has been bottled, aging has stopped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottledInBond Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 4 hours ago, Forumzboard899 said: Was about to stock up a diverse bar of various spirits and liqueurs. Now I'm thinking twice. I don't drink very much but I'd like to have many different things on hand but don't want to feel pressured to finish up everything quick. I already figured that the lower ABV things like %20 liqueurs I'll keep in the fridge to be safe. But now I've learned even ~40% ABV spirits like Whiskey, Scotch, and Bourbon start to expire in a couple years once opened due to the small amount of air trapped in the bottle. This doesn't make sense to me because many of these are aged for years and years in wood barrels which air gets through, Lagavulin boats how their seaside breeze gives it extra flavor and it's easily google'able to confirm that oak etc barrels aren't airtight, and even if air doesn't get through, the barrels probably aren't filled %100 and therefore have some air trapped inside, and are also likely opened from time to time for whatever reasons. I read once it expires, it's not a health concern but that flavor starts to diminish or become off-tasting. Lagavulin says their 10 year Scotch is a bit harsher than their 16 in terms of alcohol burn, but the extra 6 years for the 16 rounds out the burn and is also the sweet spot for flavors, then after 16 years the flavor isn't as good but might have a bit less burn. So how does it not become off-tasting after all those years? I read sugary alcohols will expire faster in about a year once opened , so how is wine which has somewhat low ABV% and is sugary aged for many years in barrels without becoming off-tasting, instead it's usually claimed that aged wines become better. I wouldn’t worry about it, at least as far as 80 proof and up stuff. Or even lower proof stuff really…… I was a bartender for years. There were certain bottles that were open many years in that bar, including stuff below 80 proof. I have bottles of whiskey stashed away in my house that have been open for quite a while, I’m sure some 7 or 8 years. They still taste good to me. I will say that they’ve all been kept out of sunlight. Sunlight can degrade whiskey whether it’s ever been opened or not. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderKeg Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 I keep a handful of various smaller bottles around to transfer long-term sippers into to limit oxidation risk in the original large bottles. They're also quite handy to do test blends in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 On 3/2/2022 at 8:10 AM, BottledInBond said: I wouldn’t worry about it, at least as far as 80 proof and up stuff. Or even lower proof stuff really…… I was a bartender for years. There were certain bottles that were open many years in that bar, including stuff below 80 proof. I have bottles of whiskey stashed away in my house that have been open for quite a while, I’m sure some 7 or 8 years. They still taste good to me. I will say that they’ve all been kept out of sunlight. Sunlight can degrade whiskey whether it’s ever been opened or not. I've had some low fill bottles that I kept around for 5-6 years that were great all the way to the last pour. Hard to tell if oxidation is really a big deal because I've never experienced it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 Open bottles can last for years. Here’s a few things you can do to help make sure they do. Make sure caps have a tight seal, and/or use parafilm. Make sure bottles aren’t stored in direct sunlight. Keep bottles away from direct heat. Have fun and good luck. Biba! Joe 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryT Posted March 4, 2022 Share Posted March 4, 2022 I've got bottles that have been open for 5+ years, and I can't swear they are "exactly like freshly opened", but they didn't change enough that I thought they were 'off' or 'less than'. In fact, I recently got down to the last 230 mL or so of a WLW I opened in 2014, and decided to decant it into a 200 mL bottle (mostly for space purposes), and poured what wouldn't fit. Again - not a blind side by side by any stretch, but it was just as delicious as I remember WLW being. Now if you've got a bad cork/seal - that's different (hell, seen never opened bottles with those that get to < 3/4 full and look scary - although honestly, if it was a dusty bourbon and I didn't think anyone had messed with it - I'd still try it ) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJWP Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 On 3/2/2022 at 6:40 AM, Forumzboard899 said: Was about to stock up a diverse bar of various spirits and liqueurs. Now I'm thinking twice. I don't drink very much but I'd like to have many different things on hand but don't want to feel pressured to finish up everything quick. I already figured that the lower ABV things like %20 liqueurs I'll keep in the fridge to be safe. But now I've learned even ~40% ABV spirits like Whiskey, Scotch, and Bourbon start to expire in a couple years once opened due to the small amount of air trapped in the bottle. This doesn't make sense to me because many of these are aged for years and years in wood barrels which air gets through, Lagavulin boats how their seaside breeze gives it extra flavor and it's easily google'able to confirm that oak etc barrels aren't airtight, and even if air doesn't get through, the barrels probably aren't filled %100 and therefore have some air trapped inside, and are also likely opened from time to time for whatever reasons. I read once it expires, it's not a health concern but that flavor starts to diminish or become off-tasting. Lagavulin says their 10 year Scotch is a bit harsher than their 16 in terms of alcohol burn, but the extra 6 years for the 16 rounds out the burn and is also the sweet spot for flavors, then after 16 years the flavor isn't as good but might have a bit less burn. So how does it not become off-tasting after all those years? I read sugary alcohols will expire faster in about a year once opened , so how is wine which has somewhat low ABV% and is sugary aged for many years in barrels without becoming off-tasting, instead it's usually claimed that aged wines become better. It doesn't expire . I saw in a documentary Eddie Russell drink a pre prohibition bourbon he kept in his office . You are good for years and years. No expiration . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedelstaedt Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 I recently finished a low fill bottle of 4R SmB, which had been open for 6 yrs. It was very tasty on the last 3 sessions, maybe even better than when the bottle was opened. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 4 minutes ago, Wedelstaedt said: I recently finished a low fill bottle of 4R SmB, which had been open for 6 yrs. It was very tasty on the last 3 sessions, maybe even better than when the bottle was opened. Cheers What about the fourth session @Wedelstaedt? Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself. Long day. Biba! Joe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedelstaedt Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 3 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said: What about the fourth session @Wedelstaedt? Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself. Long day. Biba! Joe LOL. My Bad Joe. I see now, that I wasn't clear. What I meant, was ,the last three sessions of that bottle, which emptied the bottle. Thank you for the opportunity to correct myself. :-)) Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedelstaedt Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 8 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said: What about the fourth session @Wedelstaedt? Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself. Long day. Biba! Joe BTW, Long Day? Aren't you retired? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 Just now, Wedelstaedt said: LOL. My Bad Joe. I see now, that I wasn't clear. What I meant, was ,the last three sessions of that bottle, which emptied the bottle. Thank you for the opportunity to correct myself. :-)) Cheers You were clear W. I was just being an ass hat. Biba! Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedelstaedt Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 Just now, fishnbowljoe said: You were clear W. I was just being an ass hat. Biba! Joe No worries, it's Friday. Yippee!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 2 minutes ago, Wedelstaedt said: BTW, Long Day? Aren't you retired? Cheers Uhh, well, ummm….. Sheeesh. Can’t an old fart have a long day? Biba! Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 Cheers back at ya @Wedelstaedt! Biba! Joe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedelstaedt Posted March 5, 2022 Share Posted March 5, 2022 4 minutes ago, fishnbowljoe said: Uhh, well, ummm….. Sheeesh. Can’t an old fart have a long day? Biba! Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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