Typically, a young whisky tends to have a traditional spirit taste, which can be harsher and one dimensional. Whiskies that are aged for longer in the cask tend to lose this harsher flavour and become more complex in taste, as it is more full-bodied, featuring a longer finish.
Whisky that is aged for very long in a barrel (over 25 years) can start to lose the taste of the grain. However, in most cases, more years in the barrel means a more sophisticated taste with more notes to savour.
All the age label denotes is that the flavour of the wooden cask has had more time to impart itself into the whisky. Older whiskies tend to have more complex tastes while younger ones have a more straightforward flavour profile.
If you haven't opened the bottle, you're in luck. When stored properly, unopened whiskey has an almost indefinite shelf life. That's right, your prized whiskey will be just as good years from now as it is today.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to whisky. Taste is subjective and everyone has their favourite brands, ages and finishes. People often assume that an older whisky is a better whisky, but this isn't necessarily the case.
The chances of whisky going bad are very slim. While the taste might change over time, whisky doesn't technically go off. After a point, you may decide that a bottle has been opened for too many years and it tastes too different from what it originally was and consequently get rid of the remaining contents.
21-year-old whisky is a joy to behold. A whisky with a minimum age of 21 years will have taken on a huge amount of character and complexity from the cask, and will be darker and more intense than many younger whiskies. You'll begin to get some divine rancio notes too, that darker leather-tobacco-rich fruit quality.
Does Liquor Expire? Unopened liquor has an indefinite shelf life. Opened liquor lasts about a year or two before it goes bad, meaning it starts losing its color and flavor. Don't use a liquor for well drinks if you won't use the whole bottle within two years.
Too old, and it will taste dusty, lifeless, and over-oaked. Often, the right age is a little younger than you think. Many of the whiskey industry's most respected distillers have gone on record saying their favorite age for bourbon usually falls somewhere in the six to 12 year range.
You can have too much of a good thing. Whiskey that has been over aged can taste bitter or ashy because the wood flavor takes over the grains. Depending on the type of whiskey, where it was produced, and the quality of the wood barrels, anything from 5 to 20 years of aging will make the perfect spirit in your bar.
Unlike wine, whiskey does not continue to age in its bottle. Yes, while your prize bottle of Chateau Petrus will continue to gain in quality (and price) as the years go by, your bottle of single malt scotch won't.
50-year-old whisky is almost the holy grail in spirits terms. Very few casks of whisky will reach 50 years old and still be drinkable, representing a tiny, tiny fraction of a percent. Several 50-year-old whiskies retail for in excess of £5,000, and finding one for less than £1,000 these days is somewhat of a rarity!
Aging is the process of storing distilled spirits (or wines) in barrels for a specific period of time. The goal of maturation is to remove harsh flavors from the raw alcohol while adding distinct flavor characteristics found in the barrel's wood. The barrels, or casks, are often made of oak, which is sometimes charred.
Pot distilled spirits, on the other hand, retain more innate funk and character through the distilling process, and generally benefit from some aging—think Scotch, brandy, mezcal. There are exceptions, of course. (Bourbon is column distilled but very effectively aged.)
While whiskey doesn't necessarily expire, it does start to lose flavor and elements after it is opened. An unopened bottle of whiskey will last indefinitely if stored in proper condition. After opening a bottle of whiskey, you have as long as two years or as few as six months or less to drink it before it goes bad.
Unlike wine, an unopened bottle of whiskey does not get better the longer it sits on your shelf. It can sit there for years, even decades, as long as it's stored in the right environment, particularly the right temperature (room temperature, around 55 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit).
First things first, scotch is actually a whiskey, er, whisky. Whiskey is the spelling in the United States and Ireland. Whisky is the spelling in Canada, Japan, and Scotland. What sets Scotch whisky apart from other whiskies is that Scotch whisky is entirely produced and bottled in Scotland.
Actually, scratch that, they definitely are - it'll be a real treat. After 12 years the whisky has had ample time to develop complexity and nuance which is rarely found in younger whiskies whilst still being at a price point which in sufficient abundance to allow for affordable experimentation.
AGING PROCESS
The time of aging depends on the style of whiskey, Scotch whiskey must age for a minimum of three years, while American whiskey requires just two years. Premium quality whiskies are aged for much longer, sometimes for as long as fifty years and they sell at expensive prices.
Is 60-year-old bourbon still good? There is no definitive answer as to whether or not 60-year-old bourbon is still good. If it has been properly stored in a cool, dark place, the flavor may be fine. However, if it has been exposed to oxygen, light, or heat, it may have gone bad.
Opened Bailey's shelf life
It is recommended to consume the bottle within 6 months of opening for the best taste and flavor. However, it is still safe to consume the liqueur for up to 2 years after its manufacturing date, regardless of opening time and where it is stored.
While unopened alcohol has an almost-indefinite shelf life, opened liquor does, in fact, expire. They won't spoil in the same way that milk does, but liquors lose their flavor, coloring, and potency over time, leading to undesirable drinks for your customers.
A whisky with a minimum age of 30 years is a truly special thing. Over this length of time the cask will have imparted all kinds of character and depth to these drams, and the resulting whiskies have the potential to carry staggeringly complex flavours.
There are very few casks which survive the maturation process with enough vivacity left in them to make truly great whisky, and you can rest assured that whiskies that reach 40 years old will be really incredibly complex, often having lost over 50% of the cask's contents to evaporation.
Whiskey, like any other alcohol, can freeze at the right temperature. However, the freezing point of whiskey is lower than that of water. Whiskey has a lower freezing point of -27°C (-16°F) than what commercial freezer and standard home freezer offer at -18°C (-0.4°F).