# Old Liquor **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking, liquor-alcohol\ **Created:** [January 29, 2021, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822 "2021-01-29T23:43:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/1 "2021-01-29T23:43:36Z")
Mrs. Watering found some old bottles of liquor that her father stashed in the 60s or 70s. Any chance that any of these are still good? I assume the alcohol content of the Lime Brandy is 38.6 (percent or proof? Don’t know). Mrs. Watering insists that the rum is still sealed - capsule and tax stamp still intact - so it looks as if some of it has evaporated? What does everyone think? [![](https://i.imgur.com/TfiU6F6.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/TfiU6F6.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/b5wRH39.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/b5wRH39.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/VZXOttI.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/VZXOttI.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/I4VdTEW.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/I4VdTEW.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Dandan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@Dandan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/2 "2021-01-29T23:46:00Z")
Drink it, it’s already evil, how could it get worse? It’s alcohol, I don’t imagine it could spoil. Dan ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/3 "2021-01-29T23:48:37Z")
Spirits (like the whiskey) are probably still good, though if the bottle had been opened, the flavor may have changed. More sugary liquors, like cordials and liqueurs, have probably deteriorated by this point. There’s a good chance that, by this point, the “orange wine” has gone nasty. > **[Do You Know the Shelf Life of Your Liquor Cabinet?](https://www.thespruceeats.com/shelf-life-of-distilled-spirits-760730)** > > The shelf life of liquor varies based on its style and whether the bottle has been opened. Discover how long you can keep that bottle of booze. > **[Wine - How Long Does Wine Last? Shelf Life, Storage, Expiration](http://www.eatbydate.com/drinks/alcohol/wine-shelf-life-expiration-date/)** > > How long does wine last? Answers related to the sell and use by dates, how to store wine and how to tell if wine is bad. The shelf life of wine ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/4 "2021-01-29T23:57:40Z")
I bought a unopened bottle of bourbon whiskey in a nice gold Elvis commerative decanter from 1977 at an auction for $12 that still had the show case and a receipt for almost $200. Must have sat on the bar for 40 years as the bottle and case were covered with yellow nicotine staining. Cleaned it off, broke it open and drank it. It was the smoothest bourbon I ever had and I just thought what fools they were not to have enjoyed it. It don’t get better once bottled, but if the seal isn’t broke and there is no evaporation it don’t go bad. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/5 "2021-01-30T00:52:02Z")
Cutty Sark doesn’t go bad, it starts bad. But it never gets toxic. Nothing really likes it. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/6 "2021-01-30T00:55:05Z")
There are people who collect old liquor, particularly whiskey. I don’t know if your Cutty Sark is old enough to be of interest to them but you might want to check before you open the bottles yourself. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/7 "2021-01-30T15:07:40Z")
I’d drink the Scotch and the overproof Rum, no question. (Why the Cutty hate? I love it, Chivas too) ---
**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:** [January 30, 2021, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/8 "2021-01-30T15:10:07Z")
None of that stuff was good to begin with. Pour it down the sink and you and your pipes will be better off. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/9 "2021-01-30T15:22:44Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Pour it down the sink Yeah. I wouldn’t taste the orange or the lime on a dare. I don’t like scotch and the rum is way too strong. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/10 "2021-01-30T15:27:06Z")
There was a feature on the CBS morning show last year about people who seek out and enjoy old, found liquors. There’s a bar in New York where you can pay a few hundred dollars for a martini made out of 100 year old or so gin and vermouth. Supposedly older liquor has a better mouthfeel, or something. > **[Aging well: The allure of vintage spirits](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/aging-well-the-allure-of-vintage-spirits/)** > > Century-old liquor and distilled spirits are becoming a popular ingredient at auctions and "speakeasies" catering to pre-Prohibition Era tastes ---
**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:** [January 30, 2021, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/11 "2021-01-30T15:35:40Z")
As **What\_Exit** noted, the scotch **started out** bad. Cutty is vile, even for a blend. As for the rum being too strong…not any more it isn’t! The alcohol will be the stuff that has evaporated. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/12 "2021-01-30T15:45:57Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The alcohol will be the stuff that has evaporated. That makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/13 "2021-01-30T15:46:35Z")
Shoot, my Ma still has many bottles of whiskey from the late 60’s behind the basement bar. My dad had bought multiple cases of it and stored it. It’s all still good, even the stuff that has been open for decades. None of them are expensive brands. It’s Mr Boston and like kinds. On the opposite side of that I had some bottles of Mezcal that I had never opened and after a few years the worms disintegrated and made it a gross sludgy mess. ---
**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:** [January 30, 2021, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/14 "2021-01-30T15:51:38Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > It’s all still **good** , even the stuff that has been open for decades. None of them are expensive brands. It’s **Mr Boston** and like kinds. Those two terms never belong together. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/15 "2021-01-30T16:39:56Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Those two terms never belong together. Ever. Well, I meant drinkable, as in it wasn’t spoiled. I agree that the brand is the lowest common denominator of booze. Mr Boston liquors were only suitable for mixing, never for drinking neat, on the rocks, or shots. When my parents bought the house it was a thing to have a bar in the basement. My dad had the entire downstairs set up like a tavern. Stereo speakers everywhere hooked up to a reel-to-reel, fully stocked bar, colored lights, beer signs, even a coin operated bowling game that used a 3 ton metal disc that hurt your younger brothers head when you threw it at him. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/16 "2021-01-30T16:47:23Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > When my parents bought the house it was a thing to have a bar in the basement. My family had the basement bar in the '70s, too. Welcome to Wisconsin. 😉 ---
**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:** [January 30, 2021, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/17 "2021-01-30T16:49:01Z")
I had never even heard of Mr. Boston. Perhaps I wasn’t looking low enough on the shelves. But yeah, if you really need a buzz, the Cutty and rum should not be noticeably denigrated from their original state, with the exception of the proof on the rum being lowered due to evaporatoin. The orange wine is almost certainly terrible – the lime stuff I don’t know exactly what it is. It _might_ be okay. I’m guessing the 38.6 is ABV and not proof. And it does say it’s “dry” so presumably not a cordial? I don’t know. If it’s a clear unsweetened fruit brandy (like an eau-de-vie kind of thing), it would be fine. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/18 "2021-01-30T16:54:16Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I had never even heard of Mr. Boston. Perhaps I wasn’t looking low enough on the shelves. I think they’re still around, though the brand has changed hand repeatedly. What they were primarily known for was the _Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide_, a reference book for both professional and amateur bartenders. It was, in my youth, very common for those basement bars to have a copy, so that hosts could look up recipes. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/19 "2021-01-30T17:58:36Z")
Personal experience re ancient whisky, posted in the Transgressive Foods thread > [@What is the most "transgressive" food you've eaten?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-transgressive-food-youve-eaten/923464/27): > > How about a transgressive drink? Spending the evening at our friends, J and C, we got around to drinking whisky. J doesn’t drink and C is purely a social drinker, so doesn’t drink much at home; as a result they don’t get through whisky fast, but they have a fair few bottles in the cupboard. I was handed an unopened bottle of Haig and tasked with opening it. First off, there was a heavy foil overcap, which was unusual; and underneath that a style of cap I had never seen before, which I had to g… > Spending the evening at our friends, J and C, we got around to drinking whisky. J doesn’t drink and C is purely a social drinker, so doesn’t drink much at home; as a result they don’t get through whisky fast, but they have a fair few bottles in the cupboard. I was handed an unopened bottle of Haig and tasked with opening it. > > First off, there was a heavy foil overcap, which was unusual; and underneath that a style of cap I had never seen before, which I had to guess my way to opening. Turns out this is a “spring cap”, which was something Haig used in the middle years of the last century. The bottle - which J later worked out must have originally been her father’s - was not only a historical artifact, it was virtually an heirloom. To make matters more intimidating, [these are collectors’ items that change hands for hundreds of dollars](https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/b/304/haig-blended-scotch-whisky) > > Thankfully we didn’t find out about the true extent of transgression until some time afterwards, when Mrs T’s research placed it in the 1960’s. For those who are interested, 60 years ago Haig went for a very grainy taste with virtually no peaty notes and no hint of smokiness. j ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2021, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822/20 "2021-01-30T19:00:38Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > My family had the basement bar in the '70s, too. Welcome to Wisconsin. 😉 But our house was built in the late 50’s and it was a thing then too. But, yeah, many of our relatives and friends (also in ‘Sconsin) also had bars in their basement. But they didn’t have tappers like we did. Weird thing is, it was all for entertaining. My parents were very light drinkers. My Dad hated going to bars. Yet our basement looked just like you walked into the tavern part of a supper club! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-liquor/931822.md?page=2)