As my daughters are both graduating this year from college and high school it makes me think of age and how old I am and how old I will eventually be! With modern medicine and great drugs (like Cabernet Sauvignon and good bourbon) I may live until I’m 125 years old. I theoretically could be a great, great, great, great Grandpa!
As always my thoughts go to liquor, beer and wine. How old can wine get? Do the expiration dates on beer mean anything? I found an old bottle of whiskey in my grandma’s cupboard—is it still good? I get these questions and more all the time!
Once in the bottle, whiskey will remain unchanged essentially forever
The quick answer is yes–it is still drinkable. It won’t send you to the hospital, or give you hallucinations. It will be different than what the creators wanted you to taste. All wine and beer is evolving constantly. But hard liquors like whiskey/vodka/rum will not change once they are in the bottle. Most are over 40%alcohol and will never change. They will last a long time! I believe it’s a waste and a shame to keep something so good as a classic scotch around—but if you find one in the back of the cupboard—drink it up and reminisce. It will taste the same as it did when you first bought the bottle! The only exceptions are crème liqueurs like a Baileys Irish Crème. Even though the crème is pasteurized and it is good Irish whiskey-the crème will eventually harden and make the bottle undrinkable.
Beer is the shortest lived of all alcoholic beverages. Most beers are meant to be consumed within 115-125 days of bottling. The fresh hop flavors in beer will fade over time, Again the beers won’t be bad, won’t be unhealthy, wont be chunky, but they will be different. The Drink by dates on beers is a guideline. The beers won’t change overnight. Beer is not like a gallon of milk. It won’t sour right away. It won’t curdle and it won’t get chewy! It will change, but I have had beers in my refrigerator for over a year, and I drank one and it was different but not bad! Obviously we all need to go to the FiFo method of cooler management. First in First out! But if you find an old beer—don’t worry—try it and it’ll be okay.
Anheuser Busch was the first national brewery to make a big deal about fresh beer with their huge ad campaign of Born On dates a few years ago. This forced consumers to do the math in their head and figure if the beers were okay. But even mighty Budweiser has switched back to drink by dates for best flavor. It is simpler and is a good guideline. But it definitely puts pressure on retailers and wholesalers to rotate beers, change things up and make sure you rotate your stock. It is a constant challenge and breweries are putting a lot of pressure on wholesalers and retailers to keep the beer stock fresh. When you see a great beer, marked down or put in mystery bags, you know the brewery is helping the industry blow out close to out of date product. Beer makers want us to enjoy the beers in the best way possible. But to reiterate, the beer won’t be bad—just different!
Wines will age in different manners. Most white wines are meant to be drunk in the first couple years of availability. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blancs and other whites will slowly lose their fresh ripe flavors and get a little flatter. Most whites will be starting to get bad tasting after 5 years. Try to drink within at most 3-4 years for quality. If you have an old bottle, look at the color first. If the white wines have a brownish tint, or too dark a gold color that is a bad sign. Look for clarity and bright colors in your glass. In older white wines the aromas and taste will change also. You will not get the fruit forward nuances, but will rather get the astringent tastes and sourness that marks a bad wine. Again not dangerous to your health—just to your taste buds!
The aging potential of wine can depend on a variety of factors such as winemaker, climate, grape composition and more.
Red wines are definitely the wines to age. Good Cabernets, Merlots and Pinot Noirs can age for up to 10-15 years depending on the winemaker’s preferences and techniques. Most of us don’t have the patience to wait 10 years to drink a wine. But the wait is sometimes worth it! A well-aged bottle of Napa Cabernet or French Bordeaux is a sublime experience. The wines will exhibit amazing fruit flavors and smooth finishes as the rich tannins slowly change the wine over time.
Now I am not talking about your inexpensive everyday $10 California reds like Robert Mondavi or Apothic Red. These Everyday quaffers are nice to drink and are meant to be drunk immediately. The instant gratification we all crave! I have read of statistics that say the average bottle of wine purchased is drunk with in 3 days! Enjoy and live life in the fast lane.
But someday treat yourself to an older red wine and you will see the differences. The old saw of everything gets better with age is most true with great red wines like Chateau Montelena, Caymus, or Keenan Cabernet. If my example of living to 125 years of age is close to accurate, I should be buying some good bottles now and drinking them over the next 10-20 years! Think about the long term and treat yourself to something sublime that ages as well as you do! Cheers and enjoy in moderation!
