Do you know which liquor in your cabinet can stay fresh for centuries? Unless you'd like
to be pouring glasses of vinegar the next time you have guests, you'll wanna know the answer.
There are plenty of different types of whiskey, each with its individual flavor profile and
unique characteristics. The age-old love for American whiskey, bourbon, and Tennessee whiskey,
continues unabated. Other whiskeys include Scotch, Canadian whiskey, Irish whiskey,
and Rye whiskey, which is similar to bourbon but has a specific minimum grain content.
"I'll have a Scotch on the rocks, please. Any scotch will do,
as long as it's not a blend, of course. Umm, single malt."
Director of Spirits Education at Moonshine University, Colin Blake tells Gear Patrol
that as soon as a whiskey bottle is opened, oxygen begins to impact the liquor. In fact,
oxidization speeds up the more air there is in a bottle. While the whiskey won't spoil, he notes
"Whisky can adopt earthy, graphite, off-putting, textile-y flavors."
It's recommended to store bottles away from fluctuating temperatures and drink within a
few months. Blackened Whiskey suggests that if you've got 25% or less of a bottle left,
then finish it within six months, but if it's 75% or more full,
it could last a year or two. Store whiskey upright if it's got a cork,
and twist caps and corks intermittently to make sure they're tight. Bourbon can taste bitter
and watery if stored at the wrong temperature, exposed to sunlight, or left open for too long.
Vodka is the number one spirit sold in the United States. Just to give you some idea
of its popularity, vodka sales in 2021 in the U.S. stood at $7.3 billion. There are a lot of choices,
too, with one of the best brands being Reyka, which is filtered with Icelandic lava rocks.
Grey Goose recommends keeping opened bottles in a cool, dry place or even better, in the fridge.
This isn't to stop them from being unsafe to drink, but rather to preserve the quality. If
the seal hasn't been broken then the vodka will retain its freshness. However, flavored vodkas do
have a shelf life and the advice from Grey Goose is to consume their brand within a few months.
Absolut vodka brand suggests its flavored vodkas are best polished
off within a couple of years. Even after a year opened vodka is fine to drink,
but it might not taste as good as it did, depending on how it's been stored.
You've probably noticed that there's been a real gin trend in the U.S. and other parts
of the world recently. In 2022, revenue in the gin sector reached $2.57 billion, with
an expected annual increase of 9.3% until 2025, per Statistica. The Distilled Spirits Council of
the United States links this growth to the rising popularity of cocktails, many of which use gin.
Unopened gin is going to last unless it's subjected to sunlight or a direct heat
source. The same goes for an opened bottle. However, while it's not going to go "bad," as
soon as oxygen hits the liquor, it will start to deteriorate in quality. With this in mind,
you really want to drink gin within a couple of years of opening it. The
less you've got in the bottle, the more rapidly it will lose its tasting notes.
The fridge or freezer is perfect for gin as it should be stored in a dark, cool place.
"What's tequila?"
"It's like beer."
Tequila is a liquor that's a variety of agave-distilled mezcal made from the Blue
Weber agave. The demand for this potent spirit is skyrocketing in the U.S., according to the Spirit
Distillers Council of the United States. This meteoric rise has seen demand for super-premium
tequila increase by over 1,000% in 20 years. One of the reasons for this is that there's a
tremendous variety of different tequilas out there and it's appealing to more and more people than
ever before. However, since tequila slammers on a work night aren't exactly the best idea,
it could be that your bottle and shot glasses are only brought out when it's time to party.
Unopened, you've got years to enjoy a bottle of tequila. If it's opened,
it's still good for years—depending on how you store it. Tequila doesn't like the cold,
so keep it away from the fridge. It likes temperatures of around 50-55
degrees Fahrenheit, so store it in a place that's shaded and not too hot.
Mezcal Rosaluna advises drinking mezcal and tequila within a year.
Although they contain different amounts of agave,
the alcohol content is about on par. It won't make you ill after this time,
but it'll start to degrade. That means it won't look as nice, taste as fresh, or smell as good.
The history of rum is as rich as its flavor is intense. Molasses from Europe was sourced
in the U.S. by local producers as a side business, according to Distiller. This
was as long ago as the beginning of the 17th century, adds Wine Enthusiast. Over the years,
what's classed as the first spirit of the U.S. has become a largely imported liquor. Today,
more than half of all rums purchased in the U.S. are spiced varieties or flavored in some way,
notes the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
Rum is a base liquor in cocktails such as mojitos and Cuba Libres. To get the
best quality out of an open bottle of rum, it's best to drink it within six months,
which gives you plenty of excuses to host a cocktail party. However,
it won't ever go bad. Unopened rum will last for centuries. Once you crack it open,
it'll just start to be past its prime in terms of how good it tastes. Montanya Distillers notes
how bacteria could flourish in a low-alcohol rum if it's left unsealed or is opened and
closed fairly often. Real corks can also become contaminated in a way that synthetic ones don't.
Storing rum in plastic is also a big no-no as the alcohol can react with the plastic over time.
Between 2016 and 2021, brandy sales in the U.S., including Cognac, have risen substantially,
and the super-premium category has seen an increase of 112%. Brandy is a liquor that's
made from fruit juice, while Cognac is a type of brandy that's produced
in the French region of the same name using only white grapes and is aged in
a barrel. Armagnac is similar to Cognac but is distilled once rather than twice.
Because the alcohol content is high, a brandy bottle - opened or not - won't expire. However,
it can turn sour, quite literally, if it's kept for years. While best finished within six months,
you probably won't notice the quality changing until after a year or two.
Leading Cognac brand Martell advises storing bottles upright to keep the cork intact as
this can impact the overall quality. Another tip is to store opened brandy
in smaller vessels to reduce oxidization and to drink them within a few months.