52 year old bourbon

[cowgirl79]

Can anyone tell me if this 52 year old bottle of Olde Al & Ern very rare private stock Bourbon is worth anything or if it should be thrown out <font color="blue"> </font>

[cowdery]

The reference to 52-year-old suggests you have a bottle that you know was acquired in 1952. However, whiskey doesn't age in the bottle. A whiskey's age is determined by how long it was in wood. If you have an American whiskey that was in wood for 52 years then you would have something, but I kind of doubt that is what you have. You didn't give us very much information so I'm making some assumptions here, but I'm guessing that what you have is a private label or house brand whiskey from the 1950s, which might interest some collector but is unlikely to be worth much. However, although whiskey doesn't age in the bottle is doesn't spoil either. It should be as good today as it was the day it was bottled. That may or may not be saying much, but there is only one way to find out. I hope this is helpful.

[cowgirl79]

Thanks for the info........the only way I know it is 52 yrs old is because it has an unbroken seal that says it was made in fall of 1952 then bottled in 1964 and it has a label that says this whiskey is 12 yrs old on the front. It was my grandfathers and was in some stuff that had been sitting around for many years since. I personally dont drink bourbon and didnt know if it should have been thrown out or just what to do with it. Thanks for the info and help. Cheers!

[cowdery]

We would refer to it as 12-years-old, not 52. The forty years after bottling are irrelevant. It should taste the same as when it was bottled. Keep it as a memento of your grandfather or give it to someone who likes bourbon. For a bourbon, 12-years is pretty long. It might be good.