661940 Sat Oct 24 10:30:06 -0700 2009 15 36 Spirits 0 5127572 While trying to squeeze another bottle of some sample booze dh brought home into my cabinet, I realized there is probably some really old stuff in there. For example, a bottle of opened Pims that may be ten years old and then an unopened bottle that may be 7-8 years old. Is there a rule of thumb about how old long something can be kept before it's toxic? Sat Oct 24 10:30:06 -0700 2009 110080 VAfoodie 1 5127747 The more alcohol in it, the longer it keeps. I'd toss any opened beer or wine, but anything stronger should be fine, as long as it's been kept closed and reasonably cool. I have 30-year-old liqueurs (the sugar helps too) that are still going strong. Sat Oct 24 11:56:57 -0700 2009 5127572 27633 chowfox 1 5128988 If they are cloudy, check them out. The opened Pimms is probably no good by now, the closed one is fine. Sun Oct 25 05:11:23 -0700 2009 5127572 10732 JMF 1 5129548 If you haven't used it in 7+ years, chances are you're not going to use it. With the exception of high-end spirits (XO cognacs, single barrel whiskeys, and the like), I would ditch everything that you haven't touched in more than half a decade. If you want some later you can buy a fresh bottle. Chances are good that you won't. Sun Oct 25 12:00:28 -0700 2009 5127572 65478 davis_sq_pro 1 5129662 All of your liquor has gone bad. You need to send it to me for proper disposal by a licensed professional. ;-] Sun Oct 25 13:01:20 -0700 2009 5127572 227406 JohnE O 1 5129741 When I was younger I'd attend parties given by older friends/co-workers, and notice that some of the bottles in their bars would be dusty, and perhaps of a different design than currently offered at the time. I *swore* I'd never have old, dusty, evaporating bottles in my bar. Oh, boy. Now I'm older and wiser. This post impelled me to get rid of three bottles of exotic tequila brought back from Mexico by well-meaning friends (I don't drink tequila except in a margarita), a bottle of Pimm's cup that was last drunk by an uncle who's been dead for ten years, the ubiquitous (small) bottle of Galliano, some red-hot-cinnamon schnapps from when that was a novel idea, a couple of bottles of Chinese bei-jio (Sorghum spirits -- smells like formaldehyde, tastes worse). The prize winner was probably a bottle of Lillet, from 1987! (I *love* the post from John E O, who suggests sending "bad" liquor to him for "disposal by a licensed professional." I just love that!) Sun Oct 25 13:59:40 -0700 2009 5127572 270888 shaogo 2 5131511 wish i could take all these unwanted bottles of Pimms off your hands, my wife and i love the stuff. Mon Oct 26 08:49:49 -0700 2009 5129741 1118571 wormwood 3 5159245 Yes, my first reaction to these posts keeps being "Who on earth sn't drinking Pimm's?" We go through at least two bottles of the stuff every summer! Thu Nov 05 14:59:15 -0800 2009 5131511 17548 BarmyFotheringayPhipps 3 5159306 Oh, i still love a good Pimm's Cup. I just forget I have the stuff. Such a classy drink but hard to find in bars around here (Yorktown, VA). Thu Nov 05 15:20:49 -0800 2009 5131511 110080 VAfoodie 1 5130419 I've been told by good authority that anything with alcohol above 16.5% (ABV, by volume) will stay "non-toxic" indefinitely. Sun Oct 25 18:31:33 -0700 2009 5127572 11980 MikeG 1 5135471 Old opened bottles of aromatized wines (vermouths, Lillet, Dubonnet, retsinas, etc.) don't keep for more than a few weeks, months at best. You should VacuVin and referigerate newly-opened bottles to keep them from spoiling. http://mcslimjb.blogspot.com/ Tue Oct 27 14:41:00 -0700 2009 5127572 10143 MC Slim JB 1 5135976 Like the licensed professional part!! Where do I take that test for certification? Liquor of any significant proof should be fine for quite a while, though I hear murmering about cream liqueurs. I've heard that experts claim that interaction with air, once opened, will sap the flavors and subtleties of spirits. "Fatigued and spent" is something we often see in these older, opened bottles. They will tell you that once the bottle is opened and about a third gone, you've got to finish it off. I personally have never been able to taste the difference. But then again, I drink the stuff pretty quickly that I like and don't buy a second bottle of things that have been laying around for a long time so I've never actually put this theory to trial. --Neal (Proof66) Tue Oct 27 18:06:25 -0700 2009 5127572 1104512 proof66 2 5143890 "Fatigued and spent" is definitely the phrase. I went through my enormous spirits collection and every bottle that had been opened and not finished within six months had lost a lot of the character. I ended up giving away several hundred partially full bottles in the past few months, just so they would get drunk while still good. I have a lot of happy friends. Now I have a lot more space to get new bottles too. Fri Oct 30 14:56:18 -0700 2009 5135976 10732 JMF 1 5167598 When I got divorced my half of the bar liquers and liquors were packed in boxes for 15 years, and when I finally took them out and drank them, they were like nectar. Imagine an extra 10 years aging on anything with a decent alcohol content (except creamy liquors like Irish Creams, etc). Can't speak for them. Mon Nov 09 11:48:10 -0800 2009 5127572 1122906 pyangas 2 5167824 i'm not sure liquor "ages" in the bottle, like wine does. the aging of most liquors is done in bulk, in oak, and at a higher alcohol content than what ends up in the bottle. i can't speak with much authority on this, but i have noticed deterioration in whiskeys that were sitting around. perhaps because they had been opened. Mon Nov 09 12:59:47 -0800 2009 5167598 11892 tommy 1 5167687 if you notice these things starting to pile up you can always throw a party with a couple of themed cocktails to purposefully use stuff up (seriously, hand someone a pimm's cup, or whatever, as their starter cocktail when they arrive). if whiskey, rum, brandy, cognac aren't getting drunk fast enough you can cook with them. if you have a bunch of vodka, brandy, or gin varieties, all with 1/4 or less in the bottles gathering dust and taking up shelf space, why not play with an infusion project--mix same-type liquors. (yeah, oh the horror! whatever-- you're not drinking them, you may as well mix 'em in an infusion and you don't need to tell anyone). unopened bottles are fine, as noted. partial bottles of foofy schnapps or other things you never want to drink again can be benevolently bestowed on your favorite college student (of legal drinking age) for prompt disposal. Mon Nov 09 12:19:54 -0800 2009 5127572 46030 soupkitten