storage of Bourbon

[cornhead]

I'm a new member and would like to know the best way to store opened

and un-opened bottles.Thanks

[T47]

This link has some good information for you.

[emr454]

I'm not sure if this is "the" proper way to store them, but I keep mine in the dark away from heat and other fragrant materials. Hope this helps!

Eric

[jburlowski]

The best approach is to drink them and then store the empty bottles any way you would like.

[FlashPuppy]

I know that there are open threads on this, but I don't feel lke searching right now.

The general jist of it is to keep them dark and cool. Store them upright, with an occasional "splash" to keep the cork moist. That's really all it is going to take and they should be good for damn near ever.

[heatmiser]

When an open bottle reaches ½ full I will move the contents into a 375ml bottle to avoid oxidization. In between I will spray a product called Private Preserve into the open bottles which will keep the oxygen away from the liquid contents for about 3-4 months when the bottle is properly sealed. Each time I open the bottle up for another drink I will spray the Private Preserve into the bottle again and use an expansion bottle stopper instead of the original cork. Corks have failed me on numerous occasions but these bottle stoppers are fail proof. My first passion is tequila which oxidizes MUCH FASTER than bourbon or scotch whisky. My buddy who taught me this trick has had tequila open for over 5 years with no sign of oxidization or flavor loss. This process is proven, works great and is highly recommended for those that like to have many bottles open at one time and do not blast through the contents quickly…

Here are some links to the products I am referring to:

Private Preserve ($9 at Hi Time Wine Cellars):

www.privatepreserve.com

Expansion Bottle Stoppers ($1 at Hi Time Wine Cellars – Need To Call):

www.aoweb.com/images/8095.gif

Hi Time Wine Celler:

www.hitimewine.net

Happy New Year!!!

[gothbat]

I’ve read a lot of conflicting information regarding the storage of bourbon. For example, some will say that temperature and light can affect the whiskey but then others will say that it is virtually indestructible to these elements. In my own experience I would have to agree with the latter statement. My opened bottles are stored, often for several months, on top of a cabinet in the living room. For a portion of the day I would imagine the bottles are hit with sunlight, although not directly and the temperature in my house often gets quite hot in the summer and quite cold in the winter. The only difference in flavor after opening 99.9% of my bottles always occurs on the second pour from the bottle, provided I don’t have it the day I open it, no matter how good the bourbon is it never tastes as good to me as when I’ve just popped the top for the first time. I’ve also had to store bottles in my car, but only for a few hours, when the weather was really hot and when it was really cold. Once the bourbon is back to room temperature it tastes the same to me.

In my opinion the only thing you really have to worry about is oxidation. My most extreme case was about ½ inch of WTRR I held onto for the better part of, or perhaps a little longer than, 1 year; when I drank it I noticed the taste was different, not as good as I remembered (Mind you, it had been ~1 year since I last had this bourbon.) but still quite enjoyable. Some people here spray substances like the one heatmiser mentioned to preserve the drink and if it helps preserve the taste and you don’t mind doing it then more power to you. I on the other hand almost regard this as blasphemy. I know the stuff does not change the flavor at all but I still cannot fathom adding something to the bourbon that’s still in the bottle and letting it sit there, “sealed†in the bottle, for, sometimes, months simply for the fact that I’d know it’s there even though it’s invisible and because the distiller or bottler probably hadn’t intended it to be added.

The best advice I can offer is to store your bottles, opened or still sealed, upright. If the bottle is open and around or past the ½ way mark don’t let it sit for more than a few months or, if you must, get some Private Reserve or a similar product and taint, uhh, I mean ‘preserve’ it. Above all I’d say just enjoy the bourbon, you can make a bottle last for months without having to take any special preservation measures. I know I’ve kept open bottles for quite some time but in certain lights it almost seems foolish to put so much effort into preserving something with such a relatively ephemeral flavor, effect, and physical lifespan.

One aspect of storing an opened bottle I always wondered about was the wine sealer method. This, I believe, is a rubber stopper that you pump the air in the bottle out through. It has been said in another thread that this will not work in the long run because over time the seal weakens and breaks but my question, although a bit ridiculous, is this: If you were overzealous enough to replace the stopper and re-pump the air out of a bottle that was, say, ¼ full every few weeks or month would the bourbon still oxidize enough to noticeably taint the flavor over a long period of time? Sorry if this scenario has already been asked about, if it was I couldn’t find the post.

[barturtle]

Some people here spray substances like the one heatmiser mentioned to preserve the drink and if it helps preserve the taste and you don’t mind doing it then more power to you. I on the other hand almost regard this as blasphemy. I know the stuff does not change the flavor at all but I still cannot fathom adding something to the bourbon that’s still in the bottle and letting it sit there, “sealed†in the bottle, for, sometimes, months simply for the fact that I’d know it’s there even though it’s invisible and because the distiller or bottler probably hadn’t intended it to be added.

This is not the first time someone has said this...thing is you're not "adding" anything that is not already there-these sprays use nitrogen, which the air we breathe contains about 70% of. All you're doing is increasing the amount of nitrogen to reduce the evil oxygen content of the bottle.

Nitrogen has been there the whole time, it was in the air and the soil when the corn was growing, was in the warehouses and barrels while it was aging, and was sealed up in the bottle when it was closed at the bottling plant.

I have a much simpler solution for storing open bottles, I only open as many as I can drink in a reasonable amount of time (say a 6 month supply).

[heatmiser]

Barturtle said it best. Only have enough open for a 6 month supply and you should be good to go. I have quite a few bottles and enjoy trying many, many different kinds at a time. Currently I have more than 30-40 bottles open of tequila, scotch, bourbon and rum. I do not drink more than 1-2 times each week and usually only have 2-4 small glasses each outing so I have many years of supply already open. The process I listed in my post above will work perfect for my situation. I just thought I would try to help...

[barturtle]

I understand the 30-40 open bottle thing...been there done that...took something like 2 years to clear out...that included throwing several parties / tastings to help the cause. Now I've had enough different bottlings to have a good idea of flavors and to know what I like-so fewer bottles are needed to satisfy my curiosity.

[melting]

Ok guys this has been beat to death and I'm starting to feel bad for all you who worry so much about it. Unopened bottles are a no brainer. Stick them in a cabinet or whatever and don't sweat it. Hell I've got 15 bottles in the cabinet that holds up my fish tank.

I've had bottles open for what seems like forever that seemed just fine. If they are still open after a year then why even buy it in the first place. Phone some friends and drink up.

And for the worse case situation and one starts to go "off", here is the simple solution. Have your first drink or two from a drink you know to be "fresh" then switch to the other. You won't even notice.

Chris

[straightwhiskeyruffneck]

Ok guys this has been beat to death and I'm starting to feel bad for all you who worry so much about it. Unopened bottles are a no brainer. Stick them in a cabinet or whatever and don't sweat it. Hell I've got 15 bottles in the cabinet that holds up my fish tank.

I've had bottles open for what seems like forever that seemed just fine. If they are still open after a year then why even buy it in the first place. Phone some friends and drink up.

And for the worse case situation and one starts to go "off", here is the simple solution. Have your first drink or two from a drink you know to be "fresh" then switch to the other. You won't even notice.

Chris

AMEN! the way i see it, if its open drink it. if its not been opened, dont worry about it.

[barturtle]

And for the worse case situation and one starts to go "off", here is the simple solution. Have your first drink or two from a drink you know to be "fresh" then switch to the other. You won't even notice.

Chris

You are right, open bottles are pretty much a no-brainer. Stick it in a cool dark place, standing up, and you have it pretty much covered.

However, I know quite a few people here have many more bottles open than they could drink in 1, 2 or 3 years. At that point open bottle storage becomes a major issue. In a pure tasting environment, where you might only consume a 1/4 oz or so of each bottling and you want it to represent what the whiskey tasted like when it was bottled, even slight amounts of oxidation are detrimental to your experience.

If this is not they way anyone wants to operate, that is fine, however many do, they want to be able to enjoy and compare the same whiskey for a very long time, and for those people this becomes a very important issue.

[Ubertaster]

I have many bottles open and I only take notice if the bottle is half full or less. If so I concentrate on that bottle until it is gone. So far no noticeable changes in flavor.

bj

[drli]

I also try to keep the number of open bottle to a min., say 5. The only rare case would be a bottle that you dont care so much for. But i suck it up and work on that bottle during the week, and keep the good stuff for the weekend.