How can you tell how old a bottle of scotch really is?

Question

The bottle says it's 25 years old but they don't indicate in what year it was distilled or bottled. Do you have to trust the simple statement that it is 25 years or is there generally some sort of control code or other indicator on the bottle that only cognoscenti can understand?

(Someone in my office gave someone else one of these bottles and there's a water-cooler debate about this.)

Answer 1

This means that the scotch has been aging in the barrel for 25 years.
This is the maximum age.
Once it's from the barrel into the bottle, you don't count the years anymore.
So if it says 10 year old, and you leave it for another 40, it will still be 10 years old, because it has been in the barrel for 10...that is the only thing that counts.

Answer 2

If a bottle of Scotch carries an age statement, then it refers to the youngest whisky in the blend.
Many "blended malt" or "vatted malt" Scotch tell the year in which the whiskey was distilled and also the year of bottling - do your own math.
Scottish distillers HATE talking about age satements of whiskies they produce. They consider it a highly over-rated factor.
Some of the fines single malt whiskeys are relatively young, ie.
Glenmorangie and Talisker, each bottled with a 10 year age statement (again, the oldest whiskies in the blend).

Answer 3

I don't believe scotch ages any more once its bottled. If it says its been aged for 25 years, that is cask aging.

Answer 4

the age given on the bottle is how old it was at the time of bottling. you can safely add one or more years to it.

Answer 5

go to whatsitworth.com that's the only place where i've been able to get prices on things that are different and weird. Good Luck

Answer 6

In Scotland, when the cask is sealed, it is normally done by the

Answer 7

does it really matter just drink it and enjoy