Ageing Bourbon in bottle...

How does Bourbon change when left in bottle, unopened, for a long period of time? If I got my hands on some higher-end stuff, could there be any benefit to putting a bottle in the cellar (upright, correct?) for a few years? Or, does old Bourbon just taste…old? Anyone have any experience with Bourbon that has been in bottle for a long time?

It doesn’t age in the bottle. If it’s not opened it shouldn’t change, if it is, it may get worse.

Correct. Bourbon doesn’t change in the bottle. Old bourbons, or dusties, are awesome. Had a '79 Old Taylor and it was super smooth, reminding me of wine. It made the new Willett 6 seem silly, which is saying a lot.

I usually give my whiskies some air in the glass, like I do with wine. I’ve also had open bottles sit for over a year without any issue. Probably not something you want to keep open for a decade, but in general, you’re fine.

I don’t know about bourbon, but I’ve had scotch open for more than decade which was still delicious. I think we even finished one recently that Jonathan had open since college, which was well over a decade ago. It softens and spreads, and isn’t as intense - probably not as “good,” either - but you are more than fine. The lower the fill level, the faster it will deteriorate, of course.

The point is that you will almost certainly finish the bottle before it “goes bad.”

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So, when you say, “Old bourbons…” what are you referring to? Old bottles that were never opened? I’m seeing the unopened Bourbon won’t change yet you cite “dusties” as being awesome. I’m trying to understand, not to argue, truly. If an “old Bourbon” is awesome, it’s exactly like it was when it went into the bottle, or it is now awesome because of the time it spent in that bottle?

Thanks for your patience with my ignorance.

Dusties refers to whiskies made decades ago that never sold, so they got dusty on retail shelves. They were made in a different time and have a flavor profile/taste that some people look for (be it funk, some sweetness, more smooth/balanced, etc). It’s exactly the same juice as when it first went into the bottle, so it doesn’t taste better now because of bottle age. Just different style then versus now. Prices have skyrocketed though.

I disagree with the notion that spirits do not change over time in unopened bottles. Spirits do change, slowly after many years in bottle. Leaving aside the impact of imperfect seals on evaporation and oxydation, old bottle affect is a difficult quality to describe, but it is apparent when you’ve tasted a lot of old bottles. One spirit that ages and improves over decades in bottle is Chartreuse.

Vintage amaro is wonderful.

That makes perfect sense given the similarities between Italian amaro and French/Spanish Chartreuse.

This answers my question perfectly. Thank you!

So how does bourbon change?

Let me preface my comment by stating that I find bourbon to be a foul and disgusting effluent made by and for those who were weaned on sugary breakfast cereals and cola drinks. It’s highest and best (only good?) use is as cask seasoning for whisky.

Old bottle effect in whisky and whiskey is a combination of a waxy texture and taste, necrotic tropical fruit flavors that remind me of how old red wine tastes as it starts to crack up, rounded flavors, less oomph, maybe a little stale on opening, among other smell and taste impacts. Like pornography, you know it when you taste it.

I’ve tasted a lot of prohibition era American whiskey and Scotch whisky dating back to the 19th century, including fakes. One thing that I’ve noticed in old bottled bourbon is that the rye tends to dominate. I don’t know whether it is a result of more rye in the mashbill of those oldies, but the very old bottles I’ve tasted share this attribute. To my palate, they are less sweet than younger bottles and certainly more interesting.

Edit: by old bottles, I mean at least 50-100 years old.

I guess that…helps? Thanks, Mark, although it’s odd to see you opine in a thread about a spirit you clearly detest. It sounds like, in your experience, it extended age in bottle does nothing good.

And, for the record, my mother NEVER allowed us to have sugary breakfast cereal or sodas as kids. So, to you I say: neener

FWIW I am not a bourbon fan and primarily drink scotch and some irish. As long as the bottle has a good seal the spirit should be fine as long the amount of air in the bottle is not too great. Older (age statement) whisky/whiskey seems to oxidize much more quickly than younger spirits. A friend of mine has a rule that on older scotch’s that once the bottle is down to three fingers finish it off. You can also transfer it to a smaller container to slow the oxidization.

Brandon,
I commented about old bottle age generally, as I’ve tasted a lot of very old bottles over the years, including American whiskeys. My dislike of corn likker doesn’t impair my ability to discern old bottle affect. And congrats to your mom for not ruining your palate; you seem to have accomplished that all on your own. neener

Oh give me a break.

Because most whiskey, bourbon is in clear glass, and like wine there is a small bit of O2 in the bottle, Oxidation will occur, if at a glaciers pace. So while the liquid in said bottle doesn’t “Age”, it does CHANGE

I just wish Kaplan had an opinion and took a stance on things

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+1. I do appreciate his effluency in all things whisky, though.

This is a really good reply and correct about bourbon and “clean” spirits. IMO lots of people don’t like to believe what you noted.