question for AVB

[Matty_Vegas]

I ran into a bottle of Chivas Regal and a bottle of Dewars that are both 5 years old (i know this becuase I found them buried in a closet in my mothers house..from when I stayed with her for a while)

do they continue to age..or does that only occur while they are still in casks??..and is this tuff okay to drink?

 

[cigarsarge]

I'm not as knowledgeable as AVB...But I believe once whiskey is removed from the barrel it ceases to age.

 

[smallg]

I was at a friends playing poker and his Dad busted out a 1970 era bottle of Old Grandad that he had brought back from 'Nam.
It was smooth, had a great nose, and had wonderful flavors after sitting in the basement for 30+ years. Age definetly did it wonders while in the bottle and everyone was commenting how great it was!
After that evening I had tasted OgD once from a new bottle and it was awful. Not sure if my experience is conclusive but man that was some damn good whisky! :thumbs:

 

[Ralph]

from what I understand, typical aging of spirits ceases to occur once it's in the bottle. Some water may evaporate over time leaving you with a more potent potable. I found an unopened bottle of 90 proof JD in a closet that was in a bottle marked "4/5 Quart" It had to be 20 years old. The whisky was about 2 inches lower than normal and the stuff was same old Jack with just a little more bite!

 

[smokelaw1]

THose of you who think whisky ceases aging upon leaving the barrel and being sealed in a bottle are correct. The age of a whisky that matters is time spent in barrels.

30 year old Old Grandad is, well, Old Grandad. If you really liked it, may I recommend going to a liquor store, buying some current stock, and enjoying.

 

[smallg]

I guess they just don't make Old Grandad like they used to. Thanks for the clarification, smokelaw1.

 

[AVB]

As stated, the age stops when bottled. However, since spirits aren't exactly the same there may be a difference or two when an old bottle is compared to a newer version. I've had very old (60's era) Old GrandDad and if you look at my review of the current version you'll see that I still think it is pretty good stuff.

 

[Rod]

That's interesting. Does that go the same for wine, as far as aging stops once bottled?

 

[NorCalCigarLover]

That's interesting. Does that go the same for wine, as far as aging stops once bottled?

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nope .... wine will definately age in the bottle.

 

[Matty_Vegas]

most read deal ales age well in bottles as well...

 

[MichaelPCo]

I've worked in distilleries all my adult life.

When an older bottle of spirits has volume loss, it's not the water that's evaporated, it's the alcohol, since it's more vaporous. If you checked it, you'd find the proof was lower then that on the label.