'Ancient' alcohol - is it still good?

Question

My parents have a problem - they have a liquor cabinet that they haven't touched since the early 90's!

I'm writing to ask whether unopened bottles of Schmirnoff and Johnnie Walker from the late 80's or thereabouts are still good, and vodkas and whiskeys which had been opened for one or two drinks - are they still good as well?

I'd hate for this alcohol to go to waste - the most my parents drink is my dad's 4-pack of Guinness a month. I'm a college student, of age, and, well, poor - so free alcohol is pretty appealing, however I just want to be certain of it's expiry.

Thanks!
-Tom

Answer 1

Liquor has no expiry.
That said, as long as the opened (i.e. seals broken) bottles remained tightly capped, there's no reason they'd be any worse off than when they were first opened. As long as they're in glass bottles, there's nothing to affect the flavors, particularly of the vodka, which has no flavor to speak of.

As for any increased value due to sheer age, there is none in this case. Aging and any effect thereof occurs only while still in a wooden barrel. Once a spirit has been bottled, there is no more aging. For example, a 12 year old Scotch bottled in 1981 is still a 12 year old scotch today.

The alcohol doesn't get any stronger, either. If anything, it would lose some potency due to the alcohol evaporating. Fermentation is when yeast is consuming sugar, as in wine or beer. However, the reason why you never see beer and wine over about 15% alcohol is that above that level, the alcohol that the yeast makes kills it. Spirits are generally 40% or higher...excellent preservative (why it doesn't go bad, too) and there's no way anything would be able to ferment to a higher alcohol level. Besides, the distillation removes the alcohol from the sugars and yeast (and kills the yeast from the heat).

The booze will be good enough for your purposes, enjoy.

Answer 2

Usually the only alcohol that goes stale is beer that has been opened or strong liquor that has been opened and refrigorated. Otherwise most is pretty safe! It is good in a way that you and/or your parents are not frequent drinkers. In another way it could be bad, because alcohol gets stronger with age. So, my advice would be since you don,t drink too often be careful on how much you drink in one night.

Answer 3

For one thing, the fact that your parents had left unopened bottles means that they've fermented really well.

In fact the older the liquor, the better it is and the costlier it gets.

Vodka is made from potatoes [ the poor mans version] while certain premium brands like Absolut make theirs from grain. Ergo, the Vodka that you now have will be very well matured and strong.

The whiskey, however, though good and strong, will have the wood vinegar taste which might be a mite overpowering.

Just to let you know how "Ancient Liquors" go, please check out this link http://www.missionliquor.com/Store/Qstore/Qstore.cgi?CMD=009&DEPT=000002&CAT=000025&BACK=A0007A1B0000002B1
where a Hirsch Selection 21 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey 93 Proof 750ml - described as "Aromatic and smooth, this fine rye was produced using column stills, aged in oak casks and was bottled by Hirsch Distillers in Bardstown, Kentucky USA." is selling for $124.98!

You might want to consider selling your stock to or through these guys and making better money!

Liquour, incidentally, doesn't have any expiry. It merely gets better with age.

All the best.

Cheers.

PS, the Clint guy sounds like he's an ignoramus!

Answer 4

Toss it. Opened liquor will get fruit flies (especially dark ones like bourbon).

If there's anything crappier than Smirnoff, it's 15 year old Smirnoff.

Based on a few parts of your question, I have to believe your parents don't have any good scotch so toss the Johnnie Walker, too.

ADDENDUM:
The guy who posted (Magilla) that bottled liquor gets stronger and better has no clue whatsover about which he speaks. Aged liquor has everything to do with what happens BEFORE it is bottled (like a good single-malt scotch). 21 Year Old Bourbon refers to how long it sat in barrels, not your parents' cabinet. Liquor cannot "get stronger" in a bottle, it CAN'T. Nor can it "ferment" in a bottle. It can turn into vinegar, though. In fact search the origins of the word vinegar.

Answer 5

bourbon humm i got some 60 yr old prohibition liquor one time.
a friends grandfather used to make it,after he died we found it setting in his root celler still in the barrells.
it was fine sweet and quite powerfull,the water has been obsorbed through the years so its content went high,from the sugar content,best i have ever had.
just not as good as great s _ _ though

Answer 6

Liquor will get stronger as it ages. As long as the opened ones go, as long as they are sealed back up pretty well, they should be fine too? Might want to go easy on the 1st few drinks to see how they will affect you? Good Luck!

Answer 7

the opened ones may be a bit strong but it won't make you sick or anything.