Old Fitz Bib

[donnieray]

I Have A Bottle Of Ofbib, 7 Year Old 100 Proof Rd16ky Dspky16. Bottled In The Early 60's. Some Of The Cork Is "eaten Away". Will That Affect The Taste? Since I Am A Diabetic And Cant Consume Much Of The Better Things In Life Anymore, I Want To Make Sure Its Safe To Drink Before I Donate It To Someone. Thanks For The Help

[bluesbassdad]

If cork fragments have been in the bourbon for several years, I'd bet that the bourbon will be undrinkable. There have been many discussions here about the evils of cork contamination, especially that which results from the superficially appealling practice of storing a bottle of bourbon on its side. Bourbon is not like wine in that regard. I learned that the hard way. I can't say whether the bourbon would be safe to drink, but I can almost guarantee that it will taste terrible.

That said, if the bottom portion of the cork is intact, then the odds are excellent that the recipient will enjoy the bourbon to the last drop (after carefully removing the cork and perhaps decanting the bourbon).

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[cowdery]

It's definitely worth a taste.

If cork has messed it up, it isn't unsafe to drink, just unpleasant. Try it or have the proposed recipient try it. If it tastes good then, by all means, it can be drunk, though aesthetically you might want to decant and filter it (coffee filter, cheese cloth), as Dave suggests.