# 11 Year Old Bailey’s Irish Cream - will it kill me? (Don’t need answer fast). **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 29, 2017, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005 "2017-11-29T03:29:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/1 "2017-11-29T03:29:55Z")
Obviously not urgent, as I’ve had it for over a decade, unopened. But, 11 year old (Best flavour date 07 2006) Bailey’s Irish Cream, unopened, been refrigerated the whole time. Any one want to take an over/under on its drinkability? I suppose I could taste it, but I hate the stuff and don’t know how it’s supposed to taste anyway. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/2 "2017-11-29T03:37:58Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > …I hate the stuff…. That by itself may be enough of a reason not to drink it. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/3 "2017-11-29T03:41:06Z")
It’s 17% alcohol, so I doubt it would grow anything, and it was refrigerated to boot. I don’t think it will harm you, but do report back on the effects, unless dead. I recently drank a 30 year old bottle of wine that had been sitting on the shelf in my dining room for most of that time. The cork crumbled as I pulled it out, and it had turned a brownish-red color, but it actually tasted fine. I have no idea what it was **supposed** to taste like, but it was perfectly drinkable and no ill effects. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/4 "2017-11-29T04:06:20Z")
I’m guessing it’s undrinkable - possibly unpourable, as the cream may have set. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/5 "2017-11-29T04:13:40Z")
[Wikipedia says 24 months shelf-life](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baileys_Irish_Cream#Storage_and_shelf_life). I might go 6 months beyond that, but 11 years? Nope. When in doubt, toss it out. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/6 "2017-11-29T04:14:01Z")
I drank a 6-yr-old bottle of Bailey’s a couple years ago that was still perfectly fine. It’s a gamble. If you don’t like it, why bother? Give it away to someone who likes it and is willing to risk disappointment. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/7 "2017-11-29T04:25:37Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I’m guessing it’s undrinkable - possibly unpourable, as the cream may have set. I was gonna say … won’t kill you, but may not be ideal texturally. I had a five or six year old cream liqueur go chunky on me. It wasn’t refrigerated, but it wasn’t opened either. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/8 "2017-11-29T09:56:00Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > I suppose I could taste it, but I hate the stuff and don’t know how it’s supposed to taste anyway. Wait a minute…you hate the stuff, but don’t know what it tastes like? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/9 "2017-11-29T10:19:38Z")
I expect the fats will have gone rancid. It might still be safe, but just not nice ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/10 "2017-11-29T12:31:02Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > Wait a minute…you hate the stuff, but don’t know what it tastes like? 😕 I tried it once about 25 years ago (30 years ago?) and was unimpressed enough to never have tried it again. I know vaguely what it tastes like, but I don’t think I could tell if it was off a bit. If it was chunky I think I would notice that. Perhaps I will bring it to an upcoming event and see if I can get my brother or mother to give it a try. Or I’ll probably just throw it out. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/11 "2017-11-29T14:41:16Z")
Leave it on the doorstep of a frat house. It will be empty within a week. Plus, curdled Bailey’s looks much the same after passing through an oesophagus twice. I like Bailey’s, so if it were me I would open it and drink it unless it obviously looked/smelled bad. I know the smell test is far from infallible but in this case, a sealed bottle of that alcoholic strength is unlikely to have grown anything that will kill you. Even rancid milk/cream won’t generally make you ill as such, it just doesn’t taste good. ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/12 "2017-11-29T15:37:21Z")
You’ve had an unopened bottle in your refrigerator for ELEVEN YEARS? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/13 "2017-11-29T15:39:36Z")
If it was a rare and/or expensive bottle of wine, maybe. But a cheap-ass bottle of mediocre Irish Cream? Why bother? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/14 "2017-11-29T15:48:58Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I’m guessing it’s undrinkable - possibly unpourable, as the cream may have set. Well surely there’s some use for Irish whiskey flavored cream cheese? But not for drinking. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/15 "2017-11-29T15:59:54Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Well surely there’s some use for Irish whiskey flavored cream cheese? But not for drinking. [Chocolate flavour cream cheese](https://www.philadelphia.co.uk/Products/Philadelphia%20with%20Cadbury/Philadelphia%20with%20Cadbury?RefQuery=ZGVwdGg9MSZjYXRlZ29yeUlkPTIyNzAmcHJvdmlkZXI9JTdCMDMxQUNBNTQtMTU3My00M0Q5LTkxOTYtNzFBQTFCOEUzMzg0JTdE&p=2188&provider=%7BD193998A-4A6D-4EA5-BAA8-209357B27A09%7D&categoryId=2270) exists, so why not? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/16 "2017-11-29T16:00:56Z")
> [@TPWombat](#): > > You’ve had an unopened bottle in your refrigerator for ELEVEN YEARS? If only it had been a waxed truckle of cheddar - it would be utterly amazing by now. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/17 "2017-11-29T16:57:56Z")
> [@TPWombat](#): > > You’ve had an unopened bottle in your refrigerator for ELEVEN YEARS? Right?!?!?! And I’ve had two new refrigerators in that time too. I think I got it as a gift when I hosted an open house and it’s just been transferred from fridge to fridge along the way. We were cleaning out the fridge last night and the Mr. asked if I wanted to keep it. I had planned to bring it to an office pot-luck at the end of December just to get rid of it, and then noticed the date. :eek: So, perhaps I will bring a spinach artichoke dip instead. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/18 "2017-11-29T16:59:15Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > So, perhaps I will bring a spinach artichoke dip instead. How long have you had that? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/19 "2017-11-29T19:05:12Z")
Send it to me. I’ll let you know. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2017, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005/20 "2017-11-29T19:21:37Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > How long have you had that? I’m guessing long enough that the spinach and artichokes grew directly out of the dip for great convenience. :eek: We reeeeally need a good “Yuck” smilie. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/11-year-old-bailey-s-irish-cream-will-it-kill-me-don-t-need-answer-fast/803005.md?page=2)