# 25 year old liquor bottles--should I dump it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 3, 2011, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-year-old-liquor-bottles-should-i-dump-it/598412 "2011-10-03T05:44:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-year-old-liquor-bottles-should-i-dump-it/598412/21 "2011-10-06T17:30:24Z")
Hmm… I have an unopened bottle of Pear Brandy, with a pear in the bottle that is at least 25 years old. I wonder about that… ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-year-old-liquor-bottles-should-i-dump-it/598412/22 "2011-10-06T19:40:30Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > I don’t understand. How do you keep whiskey for more than a year? Tell me about it. Hell my Natural Light doesn’t make it past about 5 days 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-year-old-liquor-bottles-should-i-dump-it/598412/23 "2011-10-06T21:47:25Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > If it’s opened you will have oxidation affecting the flavor and evaporation affecting the proof, both dependent on the seal and how much is left in the bottle. And how picky you are about your hooch. ---
**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:** [October 6, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-year-old-liquor-bottles-should-i-dump-it/598412/24 "2011-10-06T21:59:26Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I hope your friend realizes that whiskey and scotch do not work that way. The age is how long they spent in the barrels. Once they’re bottled, they stop aging. Yep. Whiskey, unfortunately, does not improve with age when bottled. A 12 year whiskey is still a 12 year whiskey twenty years from now. I have an unopened 12 year bottle of Scotch from 1996 which I was saving for my wedding (in just a month). I really wish I had gotten 15 years of real aging on it but, alas, that is not the case. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-year-old-liquor-bottles-should-i-dump-it/598412/25 "2011-10-06T22:03:12Z")
My in-laws have an unopened bottle of whiskey they got for their wedding, over 50 years ago. It’s probably still good, but of course it hasn’t improved over the last 50 years. ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-year-old-liquor-bottles-should-i-dump-it/598412/26 "2011-10-06T22:20:17Z")
I wonder how heat (gentle?) application would affect the Bailey’s. I’d drink the (was it Scotch?) no question – still got alcohol in it, don’t it? I guarantee you’d rather drink that than some mouthwash, and chances are it’s just fine. Maybe a little rummy (rheumy?) I have hopes the Bailey’s could be saved, maybe even by shaking the bottle a bunch. Experiments await!!! Begin…now! ETA if it’s Early Times, you have nothing to lose and only a slight hangover to gain! Drink that beyatch up! Make an evening of it with some friends. ---
**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:** [October 6, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-year-old-liquor-bottles-should-i-dump-it/598412/27 "2011-10-06T22:34:31Z")
I concur that the Bailey’s will be a coagulated mess by now. I recently opened some Amarula, a South African cream liqueur, that was sitting in my parents’ liquor cabinet for about 10 years. It had completely separated and poured in a chunky mess. Was it undrinkable? Well, depends on your definition of “drinkable.” It wouldn’t have killed you, but it was a disgusting glop of a drink at this point. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-year-old-liquor-bottles-should-i-dump-it/598412/28 "2011-10-06T22:55:58Z")
Unopened base liquors, vodka, gin, rum, whiskey etc. last forever. After they are opened they can lose taste or alcohol content. Bailey’s is only good for a few years, I remember a thread where someone found an ancient bottle of Bailey’s that had turned to gel, they carefully broke away the bottle and had a bottle shaped mold of Bailey’s ‘stuff’ someone was paid to consume this, no one died. When dealing with Liqueurs and Cordial many have sugars and they will go bad with time. Look at the bottom of the bottle if you see crystals it’s done for. I don’t think any bottled alcoholic beverage becomes poisonous, they just become foul tasting. If in doubt smell it. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-year-old-liquor-bottles-should-i-dump-it/598412/29 "2011-10-06T23:04:38Z")
Here you go. Even has a youtube video thanks **Enderw24** [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=543663&highlight=Bailey's](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=543663&highlight=Bailey%27s) ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-year-old-liquor-bottles-should-i-dump-it/598412/30 "2011-10-11T19:55:54Z")
> [@boytyperanma](#): > > Here you go. Even has a youtube video thanks **Enderw24** > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=543663&highlight=Bailey's](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=543663&highlight=Bailey%27s) Ha! I remebered the video but I completely forgot that I posted that on here. Man, I really wish that video had come out right. It would have been gold. Gold Jerry! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-year-old-liquor-bottles-should-i-dump-it/598412/31 "2011-10-12T04:37:49Z")
So what happened to your friend – did he get sick or anything? ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-year-old-liquor-bottles-should-i-dump-it/598412/32 "2011-10-12T13:42:33Z")
He died. [sub]but he got better. Stomach of steel that one has.[/sub] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/25-year-old-liquor-bottles-should-i-dump-it/598412.md?page=1)