Can I Drink This, Or Does Someone Else Want It More Than I Do?
April 7, 2019 2:52 PM   Subscribe

So, my mother buys things at estate sales. Sometimes, these things include unopened bottles. (I will always remember the time she cracked a bottle and poured me a shot of something saying, “Try this.” I said “Sure, what is it?” but had already started drinking before she answered “probably rum.” It was not rum.) In any case, I unguardedly mentioned that I was out of bourbon, and she produced this box.

On opening, the box contained this horrifying souvenir decanter. But there’s a paper seal on it, so there’s probably still a fifth of Jim Beam in there.

Googling suggests this dates to the mid-seventies. I think it’s probably still perfectly good bourbon, but I want a second (third, fourth) opinion before I drink it.

Also, if it is good and I do drink it, am I desecrating something the antique bourbon collecting community (I don’t know if this exists, but maybe it does?) would be distraught about? I am very trouble-averse, so I don’t want to sell it on eBay or anything, but if it would be sacrilege to open the bottle I guess I’d try to get it to someone who cares somehow.
posted by LizardBreath to Food & Drink (19 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Well, I'm of the mind that if you will enjoy it, then you should.

If you really want more opinions, try the r/bourbon forum on Reddit, you should get plenty of feedback (and perhaps offers) if you post it there.
posted by jeremias at 3:05 PM on April 7, 2019 [2 favorites]


A quick search indicates it might be from 1976. A collector of Jim Beam stuff might really want that.
posted by vrakatar at 3:07 PM on April 7, 2019 [5 favorites]


I'm assuming you don't have much information regarding provenance or storage; without those things, most collectors will be uninterested, especially given that it's not a particularly unique vintage. Someone very into that brand specifically or collectible decanters generally might be interested but they are unlikely to care about or drink the contents -- more than likely they'd want to pour it out and clean the bottle for storage or display.

You could give it a try yourself, if you crack the seal and the spirit is still the right colour and not too cloudy; it's unlikely to have improved much, though, given that aging happens while the spirit is still in the barrel, not after it's been bottled.

Not sure if you found this in your Googling but here's someone with a similar situation; the consensus reached was 'meh, probably not worth much.'
posted by halation at 3:12 PM on April 7, 2019 [2 favorites]


A few years ago my wife and I inherited a bunch of Canadian Club of similar vintage from her grandfather, who hadn’t been a drinker; he was a successful car salesman, and these bottles had been rewards from the dealership he worked for. We drank it all. It was fine.
posted by jon1270 at 3:18 PM on April 7, 2019 [4 favorites]


This video might be relevant to your concerns. Short version - unopened spirits are generally drinkable even after a few decades.
posted by pipeski at 3:50 PM on April 7, 2019 [2 favorites]


Seconding /r/bourbon. They really know their stuff. Plus it's one of the Reddit subs that isn't toxic.
posted by anansi at 4:10 PM on April 7, 2019


I want to know what that drink was, if it wasn't rum.
posted by zadcat at 4:19 PM on April 7, 2019 [11 favorites]


What could have happened to it that would make it unsafe to drink? It’s alcohol.
posted by Ideefixe at 4:21 PM on April 7, 2019 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: It was rum-based, but some kind of very sweetened flavored liqueur. Kind of gross. The label was in Spanish, hence the confusion.
posted by LizardBreath at 4:22 PM on April 7, 2019 [4 favorites]


There appears to be some market for the decanter.
posted by theora55 at 4:45 PM on April 7, 2019


If it doesn't smell bad and isn't cloudy, I'd drink it. My teetotaler in-laws were gifted a bottle of Crown Royal in 1973 that they hid behind their bed until about 2008. I happily drank that with no abnormal effects.
posted by Ashwagandha at 5:23 PM on April 7, 2019


Related note: pure booze should be timeless in theory, but watch out for those flavoured liqueurs, especially something with cream, can turn quite vile.
posted by ovvl at 5:52 PM on April 7, 2019 [2 favorites]


Looking at that gross, aged decanter, i’d want to know for certain that there were no heavy metals that could have possibly leached into the alcohol after this many years, or any in that deteriorated outside paint that could possibly fall into the cup when pouring.
posted by D.C. at 5:54 PM on April 7, 2019 [9 favorites]


I am apparently the person in my family to which everyone thinks they should give their old liquor - i.e. the stuff in the buffet that hasn't seen daylight since 1973; Grandpa's bottle of Chivas from before he became a manager (1968), et cetera.

If it's a distilled liquor - bourbon, scotch, gin, rum, rakija - it's fine. If it's flavored or mixed with something - Irish cream, Kruskovac, Amaretto - it's almost certainly shit.
posted by notsnot at 6:17 PM on April 7, 2019 [5 favorites]


Be careful with attempting to sell the alcohol, my understanding is it's not legal to do so as an unlicensed individual. eBay doesn't allow sales to my knowledge. Reddit even banned trading of booze for booze, much less selling.

If your research turns up anything that might be particularly valuable you'll have to figure out if there are legal brokers, or take your chances. Otherwise share with friends.

Also, alcohol that ages in barrels and then is bottled stops barrel ageing once it's bottled. A 5yr scotch then bottled and kept for 25 years is not a 30 year old scotch.
posted by TheAdamist at 8:20 PM on April 7, 2019


Bourbon is really popular right now, so there's probably somebody in your area who would buy it off you (illegally, it must be said). Jim Beam at 80 proof is never going to be some kind of unicorn bottle, but a 15-year age statement is quite notable in this day and age.

As D.C. says, test it for lead. I'd drink it if it seems OK. Grab a Knob Creek to compare it to and invite some friends over.
posted by Standard Orange at 11:00 PM on April 7, 2019


Response by poster: Thanks, everyone — it sounds as if it’s fine to drink unless it looks or smells grossly weird, and it’s not a big enough deal to worry about it being a waste for someone who doesn’t care much to drink it.
posted by LizardBreath at 3:48 AM on April 8, 2019


Lots of similar dusty discoveries on r/bourbon as well as Whiskey Bourbon Scotch Enthusiasts on facebook. WBSE is kind of an annoying group, but they will more likely have someone with knowledge of this bottle than r/bourbon, so you can check there if you are still looking for information.

It's almost certainly fine to drink. If you're looking to sell it, plenty of similar sales of dusties on Bourbon Secondary Markey - BSM on facebook.
posted by Lutoslawski at 9:17 AM on April 9, 2019


I would not drink without having it tested for lead or other heavy metals first. Lead leaching is very common with old crystal decanters. I'm not sure what this one is made of (ceramic?), but if the liquid is in contact with any of the glazing, then leaching is a highly likely possibility.
posted by Quiscale at 11:35 AM on April 9, 2019


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