Liquor Question..
I know I should be ashamed of myself for asking such a silly question but... Does liquor expire ?
The reason I ask is because this past weekend I was helping my outlaws in-laws clearing out their storage space. There was this big box of various wines, champagnes and booze. My mother in law wants to throw it out but I convinced her to let me keep them ... for "research" purposes.
thanks..
The reason I ask is because this past weekend I was helping my outlaws in-laws clearing out their storage space. There was this big box of various wines, champagnes and booze. My mother in law wants to throw it out but I convinced her to let me keep them ... for "research" purposes.
thanks..
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As far as I know, liquor does not expire.
Alcohol is, after all, a preservative0 -
no cause you can still get liquor from the prohibition days let alone liquor that has aged for a hundred or more years if the money is right 0 -
DOubt it. However, shouldnt be drinking if your all expecting! (or she shouldnt) 0 -
Try the old match test. Pour a shot and see if it will burn. 0 -
Actually I just wanted to research the values of some of these bottles. there are some tequila brands that I know have never seen certain packaging (limited editions?)...
I will get some pics up as soon as I can.
anyone know a website I can visit.0 -
Some wines go to vinegar, but hard liquor does not go bad. It does not continue to age in a bottle though. It only ages in a cask. I got a bottle of Wild Turkey that was 25 years old. Cracked it and was as good as the day it was bottled. The age after it's bottled is immaterial to the taste.
46270, your bottle should be okay, but no better than when your grand dad had it.0 -
some of it was intended to be drank decades later. my dad had this old bottle of whisky he bought, from the 40's that said "to be opened in the year 2000" in a wood box with 2 shotglasses ...and that's what he did. he said it tasted good. 0 -
If a bottle has been opened it might evaporate. Otherwise it's good. As mentioned, some wines turn to vinegar, but it's good vinegar. 0 -
The distilled liquors will be fine. The beer/ales will be trash. The wines will depend on several variables- Roses regardless of conditions will be candidates for salad dressing. Some whites old up well for up to about ten years, except Rieslings, which hold well. While some reds don't last, ones like Cabernet Sauvignon if properly cellared will hold up virtually indefinately. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Ray B
The distilled liquors will be fine. The beer/ales will be trash. The wines will depend on several variables- Roses regardless of conditions will be candidates for salad dressing. Some whites old up well for up to about ten years, except Rieslings, which hold well. While some reds don't last, ones like Cabernet Sauvignon if properly cellared will hold up virtually indefinately.
+1 agreed! Some of the sweet liquors will crystalize and not be good. But wiskey, scotch and other straight booze will hold up well and may even be better with age.
Brewerys claim that beer has a shelf live of 90-120 days. We all know that is crap if the beer is kept in the fridge.0 -
I think it is the sweet wines that tend to turn bad and are intended to be drunk within a year. 0 -
The dry wines age. 0 -
Yes, some liquor most certainly does "expire."
Wine can be hit or miss. Some whites age very well, some have a very short life. Most reds should be okay, but you'll find some that have turned to vinegar.
Vodkas, gin, etc. can go a long time. Scotch and cognac gets better with age.
Tequila, believe it or not, spoils after something like 12 years.
Liquors like Midori can have a very short shelf-life.0 -
The proper way to store wine is at a stable temp of 55 degrees, such as the conditions in a wine cellar.
So if any of the wines are still good, it will depend on how close to this ideal the storage conditions were.
If it was an attic, or a garage, they are ruined. If it was a basement you might be ok, at least on the reds.
Probably lights out for the champagne, any way you slice it.0 -
Liquor does not expire. I tmay change in color or flavor due to being exposed to air.
Liquor/wine does not age in a bottle.
Wine can get bitter (turn to vinegar) if not stored properly. If the wine has been opened, chances are it is not good.0 -
quote:Originally posted by spanielsells
Yes, some liquor most certainly does "expire."
Wine can be hit or miss. Some whites age very well, some have a very short life. Most reds should be okay, but you'll find some that have turned to vinegar.
Vodkas, gin, etc. can go a long time. Scotch and cognac gets better with age.
Tequila, believe it or not, spoils after something like 12 years.
Liquors like Midori can have a very short shelf-life.
Actually if I remember right, Tequillia will last like a scotch and such because it is distilled.
Mezcal will go bad after about 10 years because it is not distilled.
Distilling I believe takes out the impurities that can make the booze go bad.0 -
Ray B said....The beer/ales will be trash.
Had a train wreck in East San Diego county several years ago. At least one box car of Coors beer was scattered over the area. People still find unopened cans of beer. A local TV station opened one can on TV and the liquid came out like used motor oil.0 -
RayB got it just right, as did Skyking and others. Whiskey does not continue to age in glass, only in the barrel. 0 -
Anything with heavy sugar content goes bad,..this includes schnapps and liquers'. Pure spirits will "keep" in unopened bottles, but NOT age. To AGE means to keep them in barrels, usually burned oak, for a certain period of time. Also, the temp of the warehouse as well as how high in the warehouse the product is stored, changes its overall "body" as well as alcohol proof. The higher the barrel is stored in the warehouse, the higher the temp, and therefore the more the oak expands, which makes for the more "aged" and "oakey" flavor as well as the "cookoff" of water which creates a higher proof. This is with dark liquors such as whiskey and scotch.
Vodka and clear liquors are made to be consumed, there is no ageing of those.
Tequilas,..silver is non-aged. Repesado has to be aged in barrels for at least 6 months and Anejo has to be aged in barrels for at least 1 yr.
Once opened, any liquor will change and lose potency as well as suffer taste changes.
Actually VERY FEW red wines from VERY FEW vinyards can actually stand to be aged,...the remainder will only "keep". This is of course assuming you store them correctly and rotate their position every so often as well as to ensure the corks stay fresh.
at least from what little I know about Liquor[;)]0 -
What P3 said.
Doug0 -
Never had the problem. 0 -
Something to keep in mind is how the bottles were stored. Unlike wine, who's bottles should be stored laying flat, bottles of the hard stuff should be stored standing proud and tall, at least if they have a real cork. The high alcohol content in most hard liquors will destroy or badly damage the cork stopper after several years and the cork particulates floating around will do funny things to the flavor of the booze. A bad cork cna also allow air to seep into the bottle and that will be bad news. If properly stored and sealed a bottle of vodka, bourbon or scotch will last nearly forever, but as Skyking already said; it's aging stops the moment it leaves the cask so if it was crap going into the bottle 50 years ago it will be just as bad today. 0 -
Thanks for your responses... Like I said earlier, the box was in a public storage so I think I'll toss the wines and the sweet stuff. I'll just keep the hard stuff. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by 46270
my mom had a bottle of Whiskey that belonged to my grand dad, never been open, after she passed away, I got this bottle.
I will not open it, its over 40 yrs old, it should be great.
Youll be suprized once it goes into glass it stops aging. It will be the same as a new bottle taste wise.0 -
"the box was in a public storage"
By that I take it you mean something like a Pilgrim Mini Warehouse.
If so, that is the worst conditions in which to store wine or beer. On a sunny August day it would be 100+ degrees. In the winter, below freezing.
Any wine or beer stored in such conditions would be ruined in a year.0 -
I'm no expert and this is a bit off topic, but when I was 15 and my brother 11, we were riding our bikes down a dirt road behind our parents' house and came upon a 6-pack of Zima in the ditch. I cracked one open, guzzled it down, then drank the other 5 just as fast while my brothers' eyes got bigger and bigger. Several years later I revealed the truth that I wasn't a big drinking hero, that the stay in the hot sun had basically boiled the alcohol in the clear bottles, leaving nothing more than a hot Sprite or 7UP. [:D] 0 -
Based on the words of JustC, it is clear I was stored very high in a warm warehouse. I done aged.[:(] 0 -
Based on all the answers posted, it's apparent that in addition to guns and women...members here have a vast knowledge of spirits.[:D] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Glock23Expert
I'm no expert and this is a bit off topic, but when I was 15 and my brother 11, we were riding our bikes down a dirt road behind our parents' house and came upon a 6-pack of Zima in the ditch. I cracked one open, guzzled it down, then drank the other 5 just as fast while my brothers' eyes got bigger and bigger. Several years later I revealed the truth that I wasn't a big drinking hero, that the stay in the hot sun had basically boiled the alcohol in the clear bottles, leaving nothing more than a hot Sprite or 7UP. [:D]
I have known guys to urinate in bottles and screw the caps back on after drinking them and then setting them out somewhere to be found by others. Just a rumor I heard. Don0
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