EB Forum

Danno1 wrote:

alittle wrote:I prefer to serve from the bottle. Wine matures up until the day you open it, whereas Whiskey matures in the cask only, and remains relatively unchanged once bottled.

I thought I had heard whiskey goes bad after extended periods in a bottle. Any truth to that?[/q]

Somewhat, it isn't as quick as with wine of course, but once it has been opened and exposed to the air it does start to have an impact. I use argon gas in some of my more expensive bottles if I let them sit for long periods. But generally, if you have more than 3/4 of the bottle contents there is very slow reaction to the air exposure from what I've read.

Danno1 wrote:

I thought I had heard whiskey goes bad after extended periods in a bottle. Any truth to that?

I know that there's a lot of talk about that, but I don't think there's much truth to it. If you're talking drinking the bottles in a few years or less you'll be fine. The info below comes from one of the mods at at the whiskey version of expressobeans, whisky.com
--
Will your whisky go bad? No, it should not, but you have to store it properly. Here are guidelines:

1. Keep your whisky in a cupboard - or liquor cabinet. The key is to keep it OUT of the sunlight. If the Scotch came in a 'presentation type' box and if you can't keep it tucked away in the dark, then just keep it in the box or tube since it is designed to protect the whisky.

2. Temperature - what's ideal? First, don't expose it to extremes of temperatures and second, keep it at what's known as 'cellar temperatures' - which is between 65 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit, or 18.3 - 19.4 Celsius. Now we realize not everyone has a the opportunity to store it in 'cellar like temps', but it is considered the ideal way to do it.

3. Store whisky in an upright position - you want to keep the Scotch AWAY from contact with the cork.

Your opened bottles of Scotch should not vary month to month, but it is possible there can be subtle changes over the years and that's mainly because even the best sealed bottles eventually will let air in. In addition, if a cork is being used, over a long period of time, that cork can deteriorate which would cause air to get into the bottle, and therefore evaporation. Also, the cork itself can sometimes flavor a whisky. Another problem could be with a metal cap - over a long period, that metal cap can sometimes deteriorate or rust and even quite possibly leave a metalic taste in the whisky.

Every bottle is different and it may just boil down to trial and error. There are many really old whiskies which should be perfectly fine to drink, but each person has to make their own assessment.

I always keep a bottle of Lagavulin 16yr on hand, it is sublime. The most amazing smell. 40 quid+ a bottle at the mo, so not cheap by any means. Worth every penny though.

Another nice Islay is Caol Isla, that's not too pricey.

Glemorangie is a nice drop if you like a more mellow, lighter malt, although don't bother with the fancy cask options, just go 'original'.

I usually keep a bottle of Glenfiddich too, for guests who prefer it (Dad ). It's very popular.

My whisky cupboard is a little short stocked right now, this is what I have...

suchanoo wrote:
Glemorangie is a nice drop if you like a more mellow, lighter malt, although don't bother with the fancy cask options, just go 'original'.

I agree. And it's dirt cheap these days. I recently got a bottle at Total Wine for around $25.

For the Irish I'll take Bushmills over Jameson (nothing against Jameson as it is damn good in its own right). The Bushmills 10 is exceptionally good for the price. One of the perks of being an atheist is being able to drink any damn whiskey you please free of judgement. At least whiskey choice judgement. Anyway, Knappogue Castle is also a solid affordable option on the irish side.

Oban and old reliable Johnny Black on the scotch side. Not a fan of the extra smokey joints like Laphroiag.

Bourbon? Meh. Too sweet, thick generally.

Reach the pinnacle of taste by cutting it with just a bit of water, no ice, no soda mixes (though that is how most will start on the path, it was Dewars & Sodas for me years ago).

Cheers.

Good juice here, glad to see a whiksey thread...

My current favorite Rye for erryday is Rittenhouse 100, for Bourbon I dig Elmer T. Lee. I save the Pappy for close friends and family.

on my way... to the "i'm drunk" thread.

Wife got me a bottle of MacCallan and some of the soapstones. Man I love her! When I start drinking for the night I will start on the rocks, then move to the stones and then I'm completely neat by my forth glass or so. Still kind of new to the proper ways. I usually go with the highland, single malts. I really can't stand the peaty stuff yet, maybe some day. My standards besides the MacCallan are Glenmorangie, Balvenie and Aberlour. Apple Jacks in Denver seems to beat everyone by $10 a bottle depending on their sales at the time.

I too like to support local spirits, but the Stranahan's to me is not good enough for the price. I can get a standard whiskey for less than half I swear.

Here's a tasty, rare bird from the Van Winkle Distillery. Years ago Julian Van Winkle bottled a barrel of 18 year old Pappy for the folks at Blue Smoke Restaurant in NYC. I snagged a few bottles and am down to the last few swills. I always enjoyed this neat. For those familiar with the line, this is somewhat sweeter than the 15 year, though not as buttery as the 20 year. A fantastic sipper.

mtarail wrote:

Danno1 wrote:

I thought I had heard whiskey goes bad after extended periods in a bottle. Any truth to that?

I know that there's a lot of talk about that, but I don't think there's much truth to it. If you're talking drinking the bottles in a few years or less you'll be fine. The info below comes from one of the mods at at the whiskey version of expressobeans, whisky.com
--
Will your whisky go bad? No, it should not, but you have to store it properly. Here are guidelines:

1. Keep your whisky in a cupboard - or liquor cabinet. The key is to keep it OUT of the sunlight. If the Scotch came in a 'presentation type' box and if you can't keep it tucked away in the dark, then just keep it in the box or tube since it is designed to protect the whisky.

2. Temperature - what's ideal? First, don't expose it to extremes of temperatures and second, keep it at what's known as 'cellar temperatures' - which is between 65 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit, or 18.3 - 19.4 Celsius. Now we realize not everyone has a the opportunity to store it in 'cellar like temps', but it is considered the ideal way to do it.

3. Store whisky in an upright position - you want to keep the Scotch AWAY from contact with the cork.

Your opened bottles of Scotch should not vary month to month, but it is possible there can be subtle changes over the years and that's mainly because even the best sealed bottles eventually will let air in. In addition, if a cork is being used, over a long period of time, that cork can deteriorate which would cause air to get into the bottle, and therefore evaporation. Also, the cork itself can sometimes flavor a whisky. Another problem could be with a metal cap - over a long period, that metal cap can sometimes deteriorate or rust and even quite possibly leave a metalic taste in the whisky.

Every bottle is different and it may just boil down to trial and error. There are many really old whiskies which should be perfectly fine to drink, but each person has to make their own assessment.

A good experiment on this issue.

http://recenteats.blogspot.com/2011/03/ ... e-and.html

Figured this Ralph Steadman print belongs in this thread.

jesseindisguise wrote:Here's a tasty, rare bird from the Van Winkle Distillery. Years ago Julian Van Winkle bottled a barrel of 18 year old Pappy for the folks at Blue Smoke Restaurant in NYC. I snagged a few bottles and am down to the last few swills. I always enjoyed this neat. For those familiar with the line, this is somewhat sweeter than the 15 year, though not as buttery as the 20 year. A fantastic sipper.

Wow! Nice find/buy! Wish we had a secret stash like that out here somewhere!

I'm not what you would call a whiskey connoisseur, but I enjoy this with my dad from time to time.




Woodford Reserve is also good. I'm gonna have to try some of that Balvenie Doublewood soon.

Im a tequila man but I do love me some Buffalo Trace.