How Long Does Whisky Last?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 มี.ค. 2017
- How quickly should you try to drink your whisky? Is your 2 year old Scotch still going to taste any good? Find out how long your whisk(e)y can last.
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AND >OR< Just Do not Open IT~!
In my experience a bottle usually lasts 3-4 days ;)
+theshaunmeister Slow poke
theshaunmeister If i had a fifth it MIGHT last 2 days. A pint 1 day. That is when i drank. Haven't drank any alcohol in 22 years.
By the way,i didn't mix it,i drank it out of the bottle. Including moonshine.
+John Young sounds like you made the right decision.
I haven't had fast food in about 13 years. Sometimes it's best to just cut out the bad habits.
Congrats
The Whiskey Dic Thank you and congrats to you on the fast food. That will be my next project.
I run a brew pub, my self control is tested daily ;)
Hello. I just discovered your channel and I'm really liking it so far.
On the topic I suggest decanting a whisky you want to preserve into a smaller bottle to minimize air contact. This method has worked well for me over the years.
My oldest bottle of whiskey was bottled in 1929. I have others from the 40s, 50s, and 60s, all with unbroken seals that have never been opened. What is noticeable about some of these bottles is that there is evaporation over time, though unopened. I acquired these at estate sales I'd worked and these bottles had been kept in their cupboards for decades.
I once received an opened bottle of Desmond & Duff Deluxe, likely opened 10-15 years prior, with probably about a dram or two gone. It was the best scotch I have ever tasted. I wish that I had savored it longer.
Great informative review. I wish I would have known of your channel when i was first starting out with whisky. Slainte!
A great way i make whiskey last when it gets below 50% of the bottle. I have about 20 of these small corked glass bottles. They each hold maybe 5 ounces. I just transfer over whatever is left in my bigger bottle. To the smaller ones. Keep it corked and its not exposed to as much air.
Thanks for the advice! I was gifted a bottle of Lagavulin 16 and even though I've already opened it I want to hold on to it until the weather cools a bit. As delicious as it is, the incredibly hot summer we're having makes it hard to fully appreciate the deep, robust taste. Good to know I can let it sit for a rainy day with no qualms!
+Rosemonatti Happy to help!
Very informative video. It helps that you recount from experience. Thanks for your uploads.
+Daniel M Thanks Daniel! I appreciate it.
Luv the shirt. Great video!
Great video. I moved Pierce County, WA in the early 90s and brought along an opened bottle of Ballentine's. I always wondered if it would spoil or not. Its nice to know it does not spoil under normal storage conditions. Maybe if the bottle has been opened for a couple of years it could be used as a mixer. The Ballentine's tasted the same (small, 750 ml bottle) each time I drank some over a few years time. I'll probably buy the smaller bottles except for the stuff I drink everyday or so.
Cheap whiskey last forever, but the good one, just one evening
Really liked your videos. High quality and a lot of good information. Hope your channel get popular and you keep making the great content. There is small static sound in the videos.
+ivofena83 Thank you! I fixed the static sound in later videos but I appreciate the feedback!
Thank you for the update brother 🙏 🍺
In 2017, a friend gave me a still sealed 1974 One Litre (sic) of Seagram’s V.O. Canadian Whisky that his father had purchased back then and the whisky tasted fine, very smooth and still had an alcohol effect and we saved the empty bottle!
No problem with it being 49 years old! My friend didn't drink whisky, but saved it all those years, till he moved.
(The whisky had matured in a oak cask for 6 years before being bottled by Joseph E. Seagram & Sons in 1974)
Congratulations on having TH-cam's most creative name. I have no interest in whiskey but I couldn't pass up on subscribing to the man behind that wordplay.
EightyNinthKey Hah! That's awesome, thanks. I saw you sub earlier and wondered about your name.
The Whiskey Dic Full disclosure sir, a detective I am not. However, it would appear that the honourable gentleman is tapping into the ludicrous notion that when Saturn aligns toward Venus, which happens every 4th moon cycle, lasting exactly 11 days... There are 88 keys on a piano, dude...
Just found your channel. A good dozen vids in and hooked.. Can't drink whiskey cuz I'm a pussy with a little bitch mouth. BUT I am a barman, when not being a smart arse :P
How did I miss this comment?! Hilarious, ya jerk ;)
Nathanael Petit
Whiskey Wiki sound better. Lol
+omt07 No way man. Whiskey Dic is hilarious to tell people about
Just discovered your channel. Subbed. Very interesting info. I look forward to watching the rest of your videos.
+Gary's Whisky Reviews Thanks! Glad you enjoy it!
I better start drinking lol. 🤔 a whiskey party might help with that! Great video and explanation. Might I add people can also transfer it to smaller bottles to avoid having too much air content and preserve it a little longer. I would only do this imo to an expensive bottle that I know I won’t buy for a long time.
Great vid. I've found all your vids entertaining and informative. 2 years ago I bought a 1963 bottle of Dewar's Ne Plus Ultra 12yr. at an auction for $285 Canadian and was actually considering opening it but now I think I will hold on to it until I have a few Scotch loving friend's over to enjoy it with me.
+Maple Leaf Patriot Whiskey is best when it's shared! Thanks for watching!
Real nice, and a great mid-month addition to the series.
Barry Fiedel Thanks Barry!
Interesting info. Thx.
Thank you. It was very informative.
Tip: OXO makes a vacuum pump, that I use for my wine. It has a special rubber seal, stick in bottle, the pump removes most of the air, to reduce loss of taste/flavor. Target (YES) & Amazon I think.
A good idea is to get some relatively cheap small 4-8 oz bottles off of amazon, and to store them in smaller bottles when they get low if you think that they arent going to get consumed quickly.
You bring up some valid points, especially regarding the effect of content to air ratio inside the bottle which is very important. But it also depends on the whisky itself, believe it or not. Whisky is a more or less rich mixture of chemicals which make up the taste. Some of them are more stable at room temperature (i.e. not only as a compound which is exposed to oxygen but also in terms of volatility) than others. Smoky whiskys for instance have a much shorter lifetime after opening the bottle because the compounds which make up the rich smoky flavours are less stable when exposed to air and rather volatile. The latter is easily observed when opening a bottle of smoky Scotch. Sometimes the entire room smells like smoky bacon. In my experience the flavours of non-smoky whiskys are much more stable and therefore the whisky's quality doesn't change as quickly. My recommendation is to finish a bottle of smoky whisky within 4-6 months. The non-smoky ones should last about a year - I think you've mentioned that, so I agree.
Liked it! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for sharing this information greatly appreciated. I Subscribed to your channel.
+Springer spaniel My pleasure!
Cool vid! I used to drink with this guy years ago, that would often open a brand new bottle of whatever, usually whiskey, and the first thing he would do is throw the cap away! Then he would say, "Oops! Now we have to drink it all." We had a lot of good times that I don't quite remember, LOL!
I love those kinds of friends... oddly enough, they often make poor life decisions
LOL! Now that I think about it, that guy became a police officer! So yeah, kind of a poor decision depending on how you look at it, LOL! Actually, he's always been a pretty level headed guy, but I think he's the exception that proves the rule. I don't think he drinks like we used to...neither do I, or I wouldn't be here to tell the story.
Most of us don't. Me? I drink often but not heavily.
Great video👍🏻
My expensive ones i pour over to smaller bottles😄
My whiskey usually lasts a couple hours, but i never seem to remember the moment it stopped lasting.
Good info especially that the more expensive samples can be the ones to sit longer on your shelf. I have a bottle of George Stagg that I was nursing too long. Had to finish it up before it started to go south
+Phlsky There are worse things in the world :)
The Whiskey Dic oh yes.
Thanks for this useful information I’m sure this is something most of us knew nothing about.
I'm glad you found it useful!
It should be added that a little oxidation can actually improve a whisky. I find there is a sweet spot at around the halfway mark in the bottle where the whisky still tastes "fresh," but has mellowed a little. Of course, it doesn't stay that way for a long time, so you either need to finish the bottle or transfer to a smaller bottle to slow further oxidation. Adding CO2 to the bottle is an option too.
Well spoken, and you have given perfect examples.
+dylan thomas thanks :)
I have a bottle of 54 percent . Had it half empty for four years. Just had a shot of it. If anything it has improved.
From my experience an evening, helping out on saturday as well from time to time
This is perhaps one of the best advice for whisky lovers. I learnt this the hard way. If it's good, don't save it, enjoy it, remember it.
Christmas Eve, 1953 my dad and a friend retrieve a barrel of bourbon they had made in 1933. They had buried the barrel and contents in a cave on the Ohio River (Kentucky). The barrel was charred oak. My first taste of bourbon ever. I was six years old! Today they'd call that child abuse. I call it fond memories of a taste that I've only found in pre-prohibition whiskeys these days. I'd give a fortune for that barrel and contents!
I've used a bottle "vacuum & plug" to purge the air out of the bottle if putting it up for storage - seems to work.!
Really interesting :) Well done video :) haha so much information :) Big Toes and thumbs up!! :) :)
+VictorWirus I'm glad you enjoyed it! Big toes up lol
Great video!
My grandfather worked for the Texas Hwy Dept and in the 40's(?) he was the project manager for the original Judge Roy Bean museum out in Langtry, TX. He said that when they were grading for a new road the grader dug up a bottle of whiskey that as near as they could tell had never been opened. He said they opened it and "weren't nothing wrong with it" so they drank it. I guess the stuff does last awhile.
+Bodhissatva Texas Ah yes. The elusive "Dirt Whiskey". Very rare. Earthy nose
right after this video I drank my remaining whisky
+VR- S I don't know if I hope it was a lot or a little. Either, way, I hope it was good
The Whiskey Dic had 20% green label left over from 2017 st.patricks. Being near the window and sun, noticed a slight harsher note. Your video was spot on !
Interesting video-Thanks
Whiskey never lasts long enough around my place to worry about it
This was great i usualy pop a bottle up dring a glass wendsdays and saturdays n usualy enn bottle between 2 months depending on how much i pour in the glass ofcs but im inn the safe zone ty im leaving a like on this was helpfull
Thanks for the video. What if you drank half and then put the remaining half into a smaller bottle so that there was no air in the bottle?
I understand that the first bottle of distilled water that was made when it was discovered, showed slightly cloudy. What is was is the water was actually dissolving the inside of the glass bottle.
7 or 8 years after my dads passing my brothers and i found a bottle of glenfiddich that my father had been drinking ,we poured the contents into 3 glasses and drunk them. none of us were bothered by the taste and didnt know what to expect but each of us considered that scotch a gift from the old man and we all still remember that day fondly .
+ross private That's an awesome story. I'm sorry about your dad, but happy you have a cool memory with your brothers
Back in the day a friend and i would purchase a bottle of whiskey.The first thing he did upon opening was to toss the lid away.Need i say more?
I have a collectors bottle that I've kept in a display for a few years. I moved recently and forgot about it in a box laying on its side for about two years. I don't ever plan on opening it, but I'm concerned I ruined it due to the whiskey contacting the cap/cork. What do you guys think?
Also it's the Blade Runner Edition Johnny Walker, if you are curious.
From what I've tasted, whiskeys tends to degrade pretty fast if exposed to air. It's not quite as fast as wine, but at the end of a month (about how long it takes me to go through a bottle), the whiskey tastes significantly worse than before. A lot of the more subtle flavors have given way to a more pronounced alcohol flavor. I've started using VacuVins (usually used for preserving wine) on my whiskeys that I want to keep at top quality. VacuVins aren't a perfect vacuum, but there was a noticeable difference for me using one than not even in a short time period of consumption. Alternatively, you could fill the bottles with an inert gas (like nitrogen), which sounds like a pain, but isn't so bad.
Not sure what you’re doing with the whisky. No way it goes off in one month, or even 6. No way.
@@utoobia Just drinking it straight. But sensory analysis was literally my job for a long time. The more volatile flavors, like the chamomile notes in Dalwhinnie fade more quickly. I found that in roughly a month those flavors would be less intense. But less volatile flavor notes like chocolate dissipate less quickly and can hang around at full strength for a long time.
@@OwlScowling Thanks. I can’t argue with your own personal experience, but that’s not how it goes for me or anyone else I know. Say I bought a bottle, had some friends over, opened it and shared 75% of the bottle that first day, then corked it up for two months. When I go back to it, that quarter bottle will be even better as the whisky will open up. How much better varies. Some a little, some a lot, but they all improve. I’ve had peated whiskies that lose their peat/smoke pretty quickly, but that’s usually a 3-4 month process.
Thanks for the super helpful and informative video! I learned from the Whisk(e)y Vault that it is best to transfer your whiskies to smaller bottles when they get around the half-way mark. Any recommendations for that kind of vessel? I would use old “mickey” (350ml) bottles, but I don’t have any atm.
Great question... I see a lot of people do everything from re-using old 350 ml bottles that have been washed out, to threaded bottles. Links don't work great in comments here, but if you click on the Amazon link in any of my videos you'll find three different selections of what's called "Amber Boston round bottles". check those out.
The only whisky i drink these daye (wednesday friday and saturday nights) is old forester 100 and jameson black barrel.
I'll buy one of these every two weeks. Already have 14 jameson black barrel and 15 bottles of old forester 100. I'll go through a bottle 1 every 2 months or so. I just love these two. Why build up a collection, no need if something is great. Gonna buy a bottle of signet though on my birthday, but that's a 170 euro bottle, so.
I love your common sense approach to this video!
Thanks pfunk!
Perhaps you could use a vacuum pump which they sell for wine if this is an issue.
I purge my bottles after opening with argon if I don't plan on finishing in a couple of months. Can't tell any difference at over four years open, the oldest at this point since I started the argon purge.
I have Had bottles of Pre Pro Whiskey from 1917 distilled, in Medical Bottles unopened from bottled 1931, during Prohibition and it was amazing the big killer is Sun light and being open. You are so right It can last forever!
Switching to a smaller bottle is also an option if you would like to keep a small amount for a large time..
Nah, Anything less then a 1/2 gal is just a waste of gas for me. I can make it last a week if I stick to tequila and beer for lunch and save the good shit for after work!
Oh no, gotta go and finish up some whisky before it goes bad!
Better hurry
Thank you!
Perhaps a way to store a really good whiskey (like the 18 year you mentioned) would be to transfer it to a smaller bottle proportionate to the remaining amount? Would that help lengthen its shelf life? The amount of air in the smaller bottle could be made proportionate to the amount of the original, unopened bottle. Maybe that would work?
yep thats the correct way
Id better get to it !! New year resolution !! ..EMPTY liquor cabinet!!
W/D, reason I came here was to find out about storing "Booze" long term. As in SHTF kind of situation. So unopened booze has the best chance. Followed by slightly used/drank containers. IE the more air or more opening of the container causes the breakdown or change in quality/taste.
Thx
MJ
Exactly. Unopened in a dark place can last for a REALLY long time. Opened slightly will have a slight change to flavor over time.
I had a friend show up to my house with a really old bottle of Canadian Club that came from her Grand Parents house. I had some Canadian Club and we tried them both back to back. They tasted different but both were still good.
+armand d'entremont it's not like the whiskey rots, it just oxidizes. I can imagine certain scenarios wherr a whiskey is better after it sits out for a while
Thanks for the reply.
I'm trying my quarter whisky left in a bottle today it was opened about 20-30 days ago let's see 🙈 thanks for information
Before I quit drinking I tried and liked some half bottle open for over 20 years that had been in a dark spare bedroom closet in a climate controlled home. It was excellent. It only had light a few minutes a year at change of seasons to swap out coats to the daily closet. and almost constant temperature.
+A. Nameline Typically it's the air that will age a whiskey in that kind of situation. Not all whiskey ages poorly though. Crazy to drink a whiskey that had been sitting around that long
I have known all of this for a very long time. I learned it from an old moonshiner who taught me the art of liquor making. The old style way.... Cheers!!!!
Nice info
I agree when whiskey is exposed to air the taste becomes really terrible for me. I have a couple od bottles that i have stored for a year or two and i'm trying to get through them first before opening another. Since i don't want the newer bottles i have to be less good too.
So my family went through some of my great grandparents things after they past away and my grandfather knows i love whiskey so he gave me something awesome idk if its good or not any more but it was a bottle of crown royal still in the box and bag from 1986 still has the paper seal on it and everything im not planning on opening it but its cool to have i was just wondering if it was still good
If it's unopened and was still in the bag the whole time it should totally be fine :)
I'm pretty sure there are pump caps/cork substitutes that suck the air out
I agree with the conclusion, end what you started, especially when you like how it tastes from the beginning. Unfortunately, whisky does change over time, even when the bottle is more than 50% full. I've learned my lesson with Laphroaig 10 YO and Quarter Cask. The change within a few months was dramatic. All I valued was long gone.
+DienekesShade Thanks! Luckily, with this channel, I'm finding that my bottles don't last NEARLY as long!
Just finished off the last four ounces of JW Green Label I had kicking around here
4 26ounce bottles a year in this household. 4 beer each a day.
In my personal experience: A bottle of Lagavuline 16 I bought 15 years ago did not taste the same at the recent ones; the same goes for the JW green. It's very disappointed to see distilleries change formulas to make it cheaper for the mass.
That's because when Diageo bought Lagavulin off White Horse, they reduced it from 50 ppm down to 35 ppm, and reduced the fermentation time. They're also notorious for using tired old third and even forth fill casks..
The quality has gone down, and the price has skyrocketed. I hate Diageo.
With my chemical engineers head, I would recon that the alcohol and volatile flavor components would establish a vapor pressure equilibrium with the headspace in the bottle. When a measure is poured some of this headspace will be replaced with normal air, losing some of the alcohol and volatile flavour componets and the vapour pressure will re-equilbrate. If there is alot of headspace relative to the volume of whisky left I would guess this would have a more profound effect. I have also noticed that the remains of favorite whiskies don't seem to taste the same after a period of time.
I like that what you said makes absolute logical sense and you explained it using proper terminology.
Fantastic answer! Thank you!
Argon Gas sure works!
--[1] When I open a bottle of whisky at any point, on the same or next day, I squirt CO2 into the bottle filling it until I smell that sharp CO2 odor with my nose right near the bottle opening. Then I wrap a length of white electrical tape, which covers the joint between the bottle & the cork/bottle top. On the tape, I write the date on which I put CO2 into the bottle. --[2] The CO2 flushes nearly all of the air & oxygen out of the bottle & replaces the air/oxygen with CO2. The CO2 prevents the whisky from oxidizing. --[3] I have a CO2 tank from my beer homebrewing days. --[4] Alternatively, get a can of "Wine Preserver" & squirt that into your bottles. Richard 👍
Thanks 😊
I use winepreserve and parafilm to seal my bottles. Even a bottle half full and 3 years open tastes exactly the same.
I have a bottle of White Horse from 1982 and a bottle Chavas Regal 12 I bought in 1974, There were bought for my father who passed away in 1982. I have kept them for that special that never seemed to come. These are kept in a cool dark cabinet. So my question is if opened they should be still drinkable? Thank you.
100% if they're closed no problem
@@TheWhiskeyDictionary Thank you, Yes they are.
I always buy a bottle of #Bushmills 1608 Black Bush at Dublin airport, duty free, when I travel. The aroma, when you 'uncork' it, is phenomenal. It usually doesn't last more than a couple of months, if you get my drift.
+Gerald's Videos Is it available outside if the Dublin Airport (that you know of)? Sounds good!
**Runs off to invent bottles that shrink with usage... mwuahahaha..
+Cymon Cyrado I want in
modern day whisky bottles have plastic caps rather than corks. is it still advisable to store standing up? i was advised such bottles are best stored on their sides
pls advise
If it doesn't have a cork, it doesn't matter
The main reason the whiskey changes is because of its exposure to oxygen. If you want to save the whiskey from oxidizing you can fill it with an inert gars like argon or nitrogen, which is commonly used to preserve open bottles of wine. Amazon has a product called Private Preserve True 1026 that is a combination of Argon, Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen that you squirt into the open bottle and immediately cork it.
If you only have a little whiskey left in the bottle you can decant it into a smaller bottle so it has little or no exposure to air and that will keep it from deteriorating.
Actually, no, the main cause is DISSIPATION, not oxidization. Oxidization plays a small role, but it’s the evaporation of water, alcohol and associated compounds that makes a whisky go flat. It takes a very, very long time for whisky to oxidize significantly.
Question: I store my bottles up, but I notice that a few bottles that are only a couple years old have the corks tearing me. I thought they were drying out and I was going to store them sideways until I heard you say not too. So, is this deterioration inevitable, or is there a way to prolong the cork life?
Keeping the cork moist (turn the bottle over every now and then) will keep the corks in tact longer, but once a bottle is opened its hard to keep things pristine for years.
I'd say youre doing everything right other than drinking your whisky fast enough :)
I was wondering which liquors are best to store for long term?
Should've stored the Glennlivit in a smaller sample bottle
Appreciated
This is good content
Aged whiskey should be exposed to the air for a bit before drinking to allow it to open up.PS: they do make a vacuume for wine that also works with whiskey.
Excellent
Have a bottle of Ezra Brooks bourbon that I have been drinking on for more then 20 years. Got about 15% left in the bottle. Being as I drink it mixed, last year when I had it last it was still good.
+zhp500 It doesn't go "bad". It just alters the taste
Out medal detecting, Found an old pit of late 1930s beer cans. In the pit was 3/4 of a 5th of some kind of canadian whisky, I forget the name but it had a screw cap. My friend being braver than me poured a shot, looked at it, smelled it, then drank it. A huge smile came over his face. so I tried a shot, it was powerful but smooth. Next day a third friend came over who was more of a conasuer. We poured him a shot without letting him see the bottle, He said thats good, thats good. That is damn good. That bottle was buried at least 60 years.
That's insane. Cool story :)
Before or after the bottle is opened?
I have a bottle of gentleman jack I have not opened since 2010 it’s been sitting up right would it be worth something
Nope. Only whiskies that are worth selling are extremely rare limited editions. Even then it's not going to make you that much
I am sure this has been asked before, but figured I would give it a try.
Question: I have a bottle of 12 year old whiskey I recieved as a gift. Took maybe 5 shots from it for a birthday then it has been sitting in my basement desk for about 2 weeks (cap is on tight and it isn't in a crazy temperature exposed to heat). Now it is all gone. Basically what I am asking is could it have evaporated or do i need to be concerned that my mate may have snuck the rest?
It either leaked out or someone else is drinking it. 2 weeks will have no effect
Have you tried squirting some Agon gas (which is usually used for wine). That should preserve the whisky a bit longer
+Rameish Siva I personally haven't but I've had a lot of people suggest it in the comments. Seems to be a good idea
Good info.
I just recently finished about 75% of a bottle of Fireball in 2 days, and I've been wondering how long the rest would last. I just bought a bottle of Jäger, so I kinda put the Fireball on the backburner for now.
+outlaws9295 you should leave it there:)
Fireball???? I've tasted it once due to sentimental candy reasons, but man, i'll never spend a penny on that anymore.
I had an experience with opened whiskey not aging well.. My brother brought back Suntory single malt Whiskey from Japan in the 1970s, which which was similar in character to single malt scotch, aand suitable for drinking straight.. It was very good when first opened just before I moved. We drank roughly 1/4 of that bottle, recapped the bottle and lost track of it in the move. I rediscovered that bottle 2 years later. It had been stored in a basement at ~55F, upright in a sealed box, out of direct light. Although the bottle had been tightly capped, it tasted like whiskey from which all the alcohol had vanished, drinkable, but not spiritous. It was so smooth that no one believed it was whisky..\ SInce that time the price of that variety has risen beyond my budget.
+P Schmied I've definitely heard of it, but thanks for the story. Interesting to hear real life examples of whiskey going bad