Does Whiskey go bad if unopened in the bottle, or does it age like wine.?
My co-worker found six bottles of Ezra Brooks Whiskey at his late Dad's house and he is not sure how old they are. All were unopened.
My co-worker found six bottles of Ezra Brooks Whiskey at his late Dad's house and he is not sure how old they are. All were unopened.
Weatherman
Favorite Answer
Whiskey will not age in the bottle.
Ageing depends on it being in contact with oak barrels, it takes its flavour and aroma from the barrels it is stored in (this is why the same initial spirit stored in rum, port, sherry, bourbon etc casks will taste different - as wil being stored in European or American oak).
It won't go off either, being a minimum of 40% alcohol is it potent enough to stop any bacteria from affecting it, and as it is still sealed then there is no problem with contamination anyway..
?
It should be fine, the light and the temperature are the two biggest things that would have affected it. The light does the same thing to beer, giving those green bottled beers the "skunky" taste and the temperature could also change the flavor of it. I would say that if it is only 5yrs old you should be fine. I just drank a bottle that I had and it was a 2001, been out of the light, but it did go through some temp. changes (and a move from FL to NY) and it was de-lic-ous!!!! So you should be fine.
?
It doesn't go bad, but nor does it age.
While aged whiskeys are popular, the aging process only occurs in the cask, before bottling.
Depending on the specific whiskey and whether it is still in production, the bottles may well have increased in value however.
Larry
I have a 40 year old bottle of seagram's seven that I inherited from my parents. Do you think it is still good to drink. Is it worth anything if I try to sell it?
Anonymous
Its not going to go bad but its not going to age either. You could either look up the value if any and sell them, or just open them and drink them!