Posted 17 January 2024

Does Whisky go off?

Strange post but for years I’ve known that I’ve had bottles of Whisky, 1 blended and the other 12 year old single malt that I just couldn’t find.

Well yesterday I found them together with 3 bottles of champagne.

Both the blended and single malt were bottled in 1998, they were both kept in a cool and dark environment and inside a box and were never opened.

Yes I know I could just open them and give them a taste but where would the fun be in that

The champagne bottles will all be going down the sink but what do you guys/gals think re the Whisky bottles?
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  1. Roger_Irrelevant's avatar
    Yes it will have spoiled, don't throw them out though, I'll take them for free to err, reuse the bottles.
  2. Mr.Plow's avatar
    Well I'm pretty sure the last whiskey I drank had gone off, wasn't even that old, I was throwing up all night after sinking most of the bottle
    IAmATeaf's avatar
    Author
    Last time that happened to me it was bad Brandy to blame, chucked up all along the Met and Jubilee line, what made it worse was it was during the period where the underground had removed all bins so I was regurgitating my own sick 🤢 (edited)
  3. Dyslexic_Dog's avatar
    I think both should be fine alcohol is a preservative. I found a 25 year old bottle of champagne a few months ago and drank it, it was fine.
    I must add that I found it in the back of a cupboard at home, I didn't just find it in the street!
    IAmATeaf's avatar
    Author
    I thought things like champagne and wine go sour if left for years? The bottles of champagne I found are probably just as old as the whisky bottles. (edited)
  4. DJSlime's avatar
    It's good practice to wet the cork once a year if you can, simply by turning the bottle upside down.
  5. harrythefish's avatar
    In case you're worried, I offer an ethical whisky disposal service. Message me and I'll send you the address to send your unwanted bottles to
  6. aLV426's avatar
    It depends. Most whisky won't spoil or go off, however over time it can lose it's flavour and have a dull taste. I still have my bottle of Drambuie cream liquor, sadly I don't think it would be drinkable now, but the rest of my collection should be fine.
  7. Rednirah's avatar
    Not as strange as your post about why would people sell their old belongings. (edited)
    IAmATeaf's avatar
    Author
    What post ?
  8. Muig1972's avatar
    You can sell your old bottles of whisky to a collector. I suppose it depends on how rare they are, but my dad has loads of whisky and sold one he wasn't interested in for a few hundred quid. I'm sure it would have been unopened. I believe he sold it through the owner of a whisky shop in his town- he doesn't use the Internet.
  9. Rimi's avatar
    No sure about champagne but whiskey will be fine. Found 5 bottles of whiskey from 1972 at my deceased grandmas house some 14 years ago, opened and it was absolutely fine.
  10. winzzz's avatar
    The real question is what is the 12 year single malt?
  11. airbus330's avatar
    If the single malt is a Macallan give whisky auction online a call. I sold a few 20 year old bottles with them a few years back and was pleasently surprised at the value.
    IAmATeaf's avatar
    Author
    Pic of the bottles. The blended I think was a personalised blend and given to me when I stopped working in Edinburgh, so probably in 1991/1992 the other as I said was bottled in 1998.

    The bottles were all stored on their sides, think somebody mentioned something re the cork drying out?

    The single malt name sounds like a joke? no-can-do?

    52004259_1.jpg (edited)
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