How can I tell how old an unpoened bottle of whiskey is?

Question

When cleaning out an old house, I came across some older unopened bottles of whiskey. They are common brands like J&B, Dewar's, Jameson, and Glenfiddich. I'm curious to find out how old they are. Many of them have paper bottle stamps across the top, some of which are marked "Bureau of ATF" and others marked "US Internal Revenue". I can't find anything on any of the bottles which is easily identified as a date, though there are some numbers along the side of the bottle stamps which look suspiciously like a 2-digit year along with other information (like "NY - I - 68" or "Import No. 4 - I -75"). Does anyone know when these bottle stamps were used? Any idea of how to tell how old the unstamped bottles might be?

Answer 1

If you think they're expired, the answer is no. Alcohol does not expire. In fact, if you wanted to load your bomb shelter with stuff that did not expire, alcohol (pure alcohol like vodka, rum, tequila) and honey would be about the only ones that you can pack. i Suggest you check the brand website, like J&B for example. Good luck.

Answer 2

Unless you have a rare or collectible bottle, what you've got on your hands of old common brands. There's no real way of telling when they were bottled, and it really doesn't matter. Unlike wines that continue to mature in the bottle, distilled spirits donot continue aging once they've been taken from the barrel and bottled.

Answer 3

I remember the tax stamps being used into the 1970's. Sorry I can't be more specific. Unless the bottles are special shapes or something they are not worth more because of age. Personally I would drink them or give them to someone who would like them.