Does alcohol (hard liquor) go bad with age?

Question

We have quite a bit that has been around for years (rum, whiskey, etc.) Still safe to drink?

Answer 1

Spirits DO NOT normally go off in the bottle because unlike wines they do not contain live cultures.
I actually have 12 bottles of Cognac ( I had 24) that were bottled in the same year that Abraham Licoln was elected the 16th president of the US. They were liberated from a German general at the end of WW1 by my now dead grand father and believe me they drink fine, exactly as they would have in 1860.
I dont know if you mean that kind of age when you say the bottles have been around for years, but if you do mean 70 years plus it might be worth your while to get them appraised by a wine and spirits auction house. The Cognac I mention has been valued at $500 a bottle. I chose to either drink it with friends or have given several bottles away to friends on special occasions.

You have to be much more careful in your cellaring of wines and Vintage Ports because they are alive and can change drastically with temperature change and movement. Even with the proper cellaring wines and vintage ports have a cellar life from a drinking point of view. That life can vary between wine types and even within types.It just depends on what the wine maker wanted to achieve.

Most people think of reds when they think of longer cellaring but 10 years ago I aquired approximately 70 dozen German and French whites that varied from 10 to 18 years in the bottle. The ones with history I've kept, the others have been tried progressively over the following years and a very good percentage of them were very nice, very developed and full in flavour.

Answer 2

Typically liquor will not go bad in the time frame most people take to drink it. Some signs to look for are any floaters in the bottle that are not suppose to have them or discoloration in the spirit from original purchase and it is important to consider where and how the alcohol has been stored...temperature/humidity. If you don't notice either of the two above I would then recommend a taste test of the item, but remember that if you have let the item sit for as long as it has your taste preference might be askew because you do not regularly drink the product. In closing, unless you have floaters or discoloration I would not worry about the product going bad. Hope the information is helpful

Answer 3

Yes , but it does go bad with age if opened and also looses flavor but generally it is not unsafe.

Exception:

If Rum, whiskey, etc is not opened and not in the sunlight it probably will be tastey.

If opened the oxidation will take the flavor away.

So pour out the old stuff or use it to make Kaluha. Spirits, sugar and instant coffee and a vanilla bean sealed in a container for a week to a month. Heat everything except alcohol and pour over vanilla bean and seal.

Answer 4

Yes, it can do. Depending on the type of alcohol and who made it. Some alcohols get a little better with age but eventually they break down due to be keep under the wrong conditions and temperatures also their tops have a lot to do with air getting into the bottle or not.

Answer 5

If its been left in a dry cool room and not exposed to direct sunlight it should be fine. Any booze that contains cream like ingredients should always be refrigerated.

Answer 6

hard liquor stay the same,so you can drink it now or in ten years time if you like!

Answer 7

any thing at 80 proof or more will be ok ,you need to look out for cream based liqueurs like baileys

Answer 8

as quickly as I first began ingesting i began out off wiith wine coolers like smirnoffs and mikes confusing lemomade....even beer i didnt like it yet as quickly as identity chug one or 2 tht nasty style could go away...

Answer 9

i dont know the answer, but i will give thumbs down to anyone who says it gets better with age when its in the bottle already!

Answer 10

yes