How long will whiskey stay good if the bottle is opened?

[WineGuy]

I've looked at the pictures of collections with 20+ bottles open and wonder how long will an opened bottle stay good? 6 months? 1 year? 2 years? 5 years?

I want to try many different bourbons, whiskeys, scotch, and even tequila (something I hated when I first sampled it 10+ years ago). Some of these bottles I may only drink from once or twice, but I'd rather not throw them away. How long can I expect for the whiskey to stay good? Do any of you throw away whiskey after it has been open for a set amount of time?

[bluesbassdad]

I have bottles that have been open for well over five years. As far as my taster can tell, they are still good.

However, I'm sure there have been changes, however slight, due to oxidation. Whether for better or worse, I can't say.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[barturtle]

This gets asked a bit, here's one thread, I know there are others and possibly better ones to be found.

Basically in rare instances, yes the flavor can suffer, but for the most part, they'll be okay.