I was cleaning out the back of my pantry this evening, and I found 2 long forgotten bottles of booze which were left over from a party from when I still lived in Connecticut, meaning 2003 or older. One is a big bottle of Jim Bean Kentucky Bourbon, and the other is a bottle of Gordon’s Dry Gin. Both are glass bottles and are about half full (or empty, if you prefer). Do these drinks expire, or go bad? I’ve always had a big phobia of eating/drinking anything past its expiration date, and I wanted to check before I partook in consuming them. I know that some liquor gets BETTER with age…
I imagine that as long as they stayed in a dark place, constant moderate temperature and msot importantly, if the bottles stayed closed tightly they’re the same as they were in 2003. It’s not like liquor can decompose.
If they were 1773, I’d be a bit worried (but also very very excited). 2003? The damn stuff is full of freaking ALCOHOL. It’s sterilized. The worst it can do is go past its prime and taste bad. Which isnt’ likely in either case. (Jim Beam should mellow, if only slightly, and gin will continue to taste like gin, sorry to say, no matter how long you ignore it).
Damn, I’ve got some bottles that go back to the 1970s. And a 6-pack of Billy Beer.
Hard liquor won’t bottle-age. It will go bad, but if it’s sealed well it’ll be over a period of decades (even if it’s sealed well, some alcohol will escape over time). However, your booze will be fine.
Sweet, low-proof liqueurs will go bad more quickly, though.
Both of those liquors are, off the top of my head, at least 70 proof. If they’ve been sealed, and the alcohol couldn’t have evaporated, then you’re safe, at least physically. Nothing could grow or ferment in something that strong. Your taste buds may be another story; the flavor may be slightly different. Let us know if it’s any good.
And this, my friends, is one of the biggest causes of overspending on food in America.
Most dates stamped on packages are either SELL BY dates or BEST BY dates. In neither case will the food magically go bad and drag you to death’s door should you eat it. Sell by dates usually mean that you should consume it within 7 days of that date (that’s a gross generalization, it varies depending on the product). Best by dates just mean that if you eat it after that, it MIGHT be a little stale.
I know so many people who ignore the nuances and toss out everything the day after that date stamp. It’s a huge waste, and unnecessary. If something is past the date stamp, CHECK IT. If it’s gone bad, you’ll know. If it’s something sneaky like botulism, the date is irrelevant.
It would be a good youtube video to open one and see whats in there. You could probably get it on Jackass if you then drank it.
Wine ages in the bottle–whisky ages in the barrel. It’ll be fine. Cheers!
Last week I opened a bottle of brandy I got from a dead person’s basement. Her husband died over a decade ago, so the brandy was at least that old. There were some glass bottles of 7-UP near it. I assume it was his private drinking spot down at the repair bench. The whole house is late 50’s early 60’s decor. There is nothing wrong with the brandy.
On second thought, you’d better send that my way for extensive testing.
They’ve gone horribly bad, and must be disposed of properly. Please forward them to me. I’ll send you my address.
Edit: Don’t listen to Prickly. He’s not a scientician; I am.
When visiting my mother in law in Montreal last year I noticed a bottle of Arak in her liquor cabinet and asked what it was. She said it was a guest gift from a wedding about 10 years before and jokingly asked if I wanted to try it. Apparently she hates the stuff and had been trying to palm it off on guests for years.
I, being the big dumb American that I am, said sure.
Let’s just say that by the end of the week, her backlog of Arak, and a second pint bottle I picked up at the liquor store, were well and truly disposed of.
I took a shot of the Jim Bean. Tastes fine to me. I’m gonna let the gin sit in the freezer for a couple days before giving that a try. They weren’t SEALED but the bottlecaps have been closed tightly and it was sitting in the back of a dark closet (so far back that I totally forgot I still had them for the last couple years)
The problem with expiration dates is that once the product has been opened, they have a brand new ticking clock. Some products, like cheese or sauces, last 1 week and then begin to mold. And I’ve had milk go bad BEFORE its expiration date, and there’s nothing as horrible as a mouth full of sour milk. I also have some cans of Sierra Mist which are marked Best By Aug 13 09 and they have almost no carbonation left. There are also some cans of Campbells Chunky in my pantry which are getting close, and have been there a while. Since I never eat soup in the summer, I’m this close to tossing them…
One question - how in the hell does RAMEN expire?
Whiskey oxidizes over time but if you don’t notice any strange taste or see sediment in the bottle you’re okay.
If you do not notice an off taste in the gin it will be fine as well.
Though whiskey is aged in the barrel once it is bottled that’s really the end of aging for taste; after that it’s a very slow march downhill in terms of quality. Thankfully, a very very long time.
I recently found a bottle of brandy that had been packed in a box from two moves ago . . . so we’re talking 1999. It was excellent when we reopened it. It was like getting a totally unexpected gift.
Canned carbonated drinks are another matter entirely; according to my local Coca-Cola bottler cans should not be on the shelf longer than 60 days. The quality is probably a little better and they last longer if they’re refrigerated but I wouldn’t bet on it overmuch as you don’t know if they sat on a loading dock in the hot sun somewhere, rode around on a truck, etc. Could have been sitting in the warehouse for a while too.
Ramen noodles are fried in oil before they’re packaged so they can go rancid. I would imagine it takes a while, though.
I can’t find the list but I think the CDC said canned goods are okay for a year or more after initial processing though I’ve heard stories of ancient canned goods and MRE’s of times past that were opened after X number of long years and they tasted okay. YMMV.
I drank 5 year old Diet Pepsi a few days ago. I’m still alive…
I think…
I think the “flavor packet” in ramen goes bad way before the noodles.
Even they last a heck of a long time as compared with almost any other consumable.
Cream liquers, like Bailey’s Irish Cream, have a relatively short shelf life however. According to their website, Bailey’s is good for only 2 years after it is manufactured! So check the dates before you buy that bottle, kids.
You misspelled “avoid”.
How can you tell? It tastes like BAD rubbing alcohol?
How can you even speak of booze and Campbells Chunky in the same post?
Don’t you just add more juniper berries to gin if the taste is off? Who would know?