Will Whisky Go Bad? - How Long Does Whisky Last Once Opened?

[@michaeljenssen8055]

If i buy it on monday it last 6-7 days, if i buy it friday it lasts 1-2 days, so my pro tip is buy it on mondays.

[@KindaSus666]

You're not alone 😂

[@OttoBoy]

Jumped over here on a shout out from Rex at Whisk[e]y Vault - what's he doing watching a channel with style and no cartoons? Consider me subscribed!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Ha, good to have you here! Will need to work on my cartoon animations so he keeps watching 😂

[@RolfReibach]

I own a few bottles myself and I must say that having them open half empty for up to 5 years in constant temperature does not really change the taste recognizable for me. As long as you check for damaged corks now and then, you should be ok.

[@sarys73]

The reason I don't buy expensive whisky, is because be it $10 or $200 bottle, I will drink it in a couple of days. I'm just here to learn more about whisky although this knowledge will only ever come in handy during the apocalypse.

[@rsharma5901]

Great idea on the infinity bottle!! I have about half a dozen bottles or more of a few drams remaining. Certainly gonna put those together, keeping the smoky flavours in a lower proportion. Thanks!!

[@dinakarb8821]

I absolutely love your content man ! You have that positive outlook on you ! I’m a huge whiskey enthusiast!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks for watching!

[@dinakarb8821]

@@FirstPhilWhisky Hey ! On your previous video I mentioned about what Indian whiskeys you could try. 😅 It’s be a great video ! And also you’d attract a lot of Indians as well ! Lot more followers !

[@Allouran]

There’s a bit of debate about “wetting” whisky corks as it does have the ability to degrade the cork, thus lose its integrity. Apparently there’s sufficient “liquid” through alcohol in the air gap to keep the cork in good condition. No need to tip the bottle. Also Ralfy is a fan of the argon gas for long term storage of open whisky. Some say it dulls the flavour, but he swears by it. Enjoy your content Phil, looking forward to seeing you drinking and discussing a few drama in the future. Cheers

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks so much! True, I hadn't heard of wetting the cork until I researched for this video - interesting that it's a debated. Great point!

[@Allouran]

@@FirstPhilWhisky have a look at this video from The Whisky Trials kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4urfZKjrbafmrc where he discussed the wetting of corks

[@Remrcm]

With similar storage conditions, its the quality of the cork that makes the difference. Some distilleries invest in better and more expensive cork. I have bottles with 40 years that the level is perfect and others with 10 years with lower levels.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

That's a really good point. Cork quality is super important. I have e an Octomore over a year old that seems to be in perfect condition, but a Dubliner where the cork disintegrated within the first 6 months.

[@NickKean]

👍 for the Ardbeg bottle as a prop.

[@Krom1hell]

About the air in the old bottles that you haven't finished, you can use a pump and remove the air content, create a void between the whiskey and the cork as one might say .......The taste will last indefinely ;)....... But a 12 year old whiskey from a good year and 30 years ago that has become a classic is worth more than the 20$ you payed for it .... I had a bottle that became 3x more expensive over the years .....

[@budj13]

Excellent content, Phil. You consistently put out good content that is well presented. Thanks.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks Bud! Means a lot!

[@davidmitchell8490]

Phil, thanks for some great tips. My suggestion for keeping the contents of an opened bottle away from oxidisation is to use a small hand vacuum pump normally recommended for slowing down the process of opened wine. It's a cheap gadget to buy and provided the silicon stopper is a good tight fit in the whisky bottle prior to pumping out the air, it should help to preserve the content. A large collection of bottles would of course require many such stoppers but the principle is sound I think and probably worth the small investment. Dave in Edinburgh, Scotland.

[@devononair]

I laughed when I saw your infinity bottle... of all the nice bottles you must have come across in your time, you chose that basic round bottle for your infinity bottle! Hahaha

[@davegilmour1895]

Have a few bottles been open for upto 20 years, kept in a dark cupboard at fairly stable room temperature and they are all fine.

[@markokovacevic3225]

Hi Phil, love your channel! It's a beauty! :) I want to find out, with whiskeys one wants to store for a while, you recommend occasionally turning them on their side, for how long should they be on the side before storing upright again? Thank you!

[@patrickbennett439]

Disappointed that whisky doesnt age in the bottle. I had like a 25 or 35 year old appletop estate rum, after drinking like 2/3 of it, i saved the rest for like 10 years. Then my mom found it and drank it. I came back home to my parents house and that whisky was long gone. She really did deserve it though. LOL

[@werners5191]

Instead of an infinity bottle, you could get a nice decanter, and keep it near full with the last ounces of many bottles.

[@phatzwave4424]

In all my years of drinking whisk(e)y, I've had only 1 bottle turn "bad", rancid actually! It was a bottle of Connemara that had been opened for less than a year. I had a few when I first opened it was good but when I revisited it a half year later, I couldn't get past the smell! I don't know if that was a one-off or a problem with Connemara, I never bought another.

[@kayellai5278]

The infinity bottle should be called home blended whisky, if I am not mistaken, like Chivas Regal, Ballantines and Black Label.

[@bricesmith102]

You can age a whiskey but not in a bottle, need a decanter & wood chips or spirals or need a barrel of your own

[@jd892]

What about an Infinity Mini Cask. Just get a mini cask put in 1-3 ounces of whiskey at a time and let it age in your garage or house. Let your left over whiskey get better with age.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

That's a brilliant idea Jon!

[@jd892]

@@FirstPhilWhisky by the way your country is beautiful I went there for two weeks 5 years ago and check both islands. Very beautiful. I am Canadian and I joke around with people telling them the Northern is like warmer version of the British isles and the South Island is just a slightly warmer version of British Columbia but easier to access since the country is smaller. The people are even nicer there as well. The only downside in my opinion is the cost of goods and living expenses being on islands with 4 million people buuuuut apart from that you have a pretty solid country down there. If ever I was offered a Job there and my Fiancee could move there as well I would take it 100%.

[@cyboc]

Hi Phil, nerdboyjoe here, from Instagram. Have you ever tried using a Vacu Vin to preserve your open bottles of whisky? I use Vacu Vin for my wine and it works great. I have even done controlled testing of this with the same wine and same amount of room in the bottle. Vacu Vin kept it fresher.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Nah I haven’t. But I do know what you mean. A mate of mine I used to do wine tasting with had one. Will have to see if I can try it! You into wine too?

[@cyboc]

@@FirstPhilWhisky Yes, I'm into wine too! My favorite wines are from the Okanagan and Similkameen terriors in British Columbia, Canada (near Vancouver). In fact, I occasionally do some vineyard and wine cellar work for a friend of mine that owns a winery. It's fun!

[@steveno7058]

Open whisky bottles can last for decades. Only when its less than 1/4 left I would start to worry. I have bottles open for 3-5 years and no changes for the worst.

[@19dec1981]

or...make a solera bottle. OR even better, make more solera bottles based on the whisky regions ;)

[@sheldonscott4037]

In short treat your whiskey like e.v.o.o., ales,lagers and trappist brew.

[@furuyashinichi3211]

そこそこ良いウイスキーなら 開封後もパラフィルムを貼って遮光さえある程度すれば 10年までは大丈夫と思います。

[@philippe9225]

Love whisky and love the production quality your videos offer!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Glad you like them! Means a lot.

[@frankcastle5111]

Don’t Forget To Gas Your Bottles With Wine Preserve Fellas !! Highly Recommend

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Great point!

[@revmikealdred]

Great video. Thanks for the advise. Especially regarding temperature. Happy New Year!

[@WhiskeyQuests]

Awesome! Tons of cool info 👍. I like how you used your name as a whisky reference 🤙 cheers 🥃

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@ya4dang1]

Your stomach is the best place to store all your whiskies

[@smashexentertainment676]

The infinity bottle is a fun idea tbh :D The negative space in bottle is bad because alcohol has more space to evaporate and the more you open half empty bottle the more kick you will lose along with flavors and stuff. I keep mine in a chest :D

[@eduuklee9453]

thats why you need friends to drink the whole bottle in one episode :D

[@ForMetalWeDie]

Nonsense With a good cork or screwcap whisky can stay good for decades. Might change a bit, but you’ll be surprised how long it’ll last

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

This is another good reason why Screwcaps can be superior too a cork.

[@ceyris4476]

Lovely video, thank you very much! Reminded me to start an Infinity Bottle before finishing my bottles!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Cheers Tom! Yeah, it's definitely a fun way to finish off a bottle.

[@kayellai5278]

Isn't that called blended whisky?

[@Steff_kjns]

Nice videos dude. I'm going to buy one of my first good bottles tomorrow and checking out your account helped me a lot, as I'm usually not much of a "blind spender" when it comes to drinks that cost 50+ euro's

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Awesome! What are you going to get?

[@Steff_kjns]

@@FirstPhilWhisky I'm thinking of buying Aberlour a'bunadh as it is a sherry cask (which I already really like) and seems like a great bottle to start off with

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Yeah it’s excellent if you like sherried whiskies. It’s powerful though, be sure to add water to match your palate. I always have a bottle of it on the shelf. So good.

[@jonnyfowle212]

Great video. I enjoyed that. Although I would say that it's pretty undisputed belief in collectors' circles that whisky does age in the bottle, even though this isn't part of the marketing message from distilleries. Higher abv bottles tend to last really well and develop, whereas lower abv tends to flatten. Add to this variable ullage etc and ceramic bottles are another situation entirely. Bottle ageing is a thing.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Interesting. Have you had bottles change much? How would you say it changes? Like, does any flavour typically disappear with time and other flavours become more prominent?

[@mahmoudali1848]

I believe they call it the "bottle effect". Of course unlike wine any change will be be glacial. I've experienced it twice, once with a Crown Royal that had a 1982 paper excise tax tape over the top that was almost 40 years old, and a not so old Laphroaig 10 that was stored in a wood cupboard in a one story flat roofed house in a tropical climate - the label was temite eaten along the edges and did not present itself like a fresh bottle. Of course it must be kept in mind that a very old bottle will also have been made differently and back in time there were fewer expressions and hardly any independent bottlers. So better quality spirits might account for some if not all the differences.

[@GogiRegion]

Part of wine aging is that the tannins rearrange themselves to become less bitter while maintaining mouthfeel. I could imagine that the same thing could happen with whiskey.

[@gubbsi]

Synthetic corks ftw

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Yeah, even screw top bottle caps are good. They just don't have the romance and theatre of a squeaky cork though.

[@megaren]

Hi Phil, I love your videos. So insightful and in depth analysis. Keep up the awesome work. What’s your opinion on the Bladnoch distillery, their expressions and their other products like the Bonailie blended malt and Kirkcowan Lowland single malt? Thanks in advance. Kind regards Renoy

[@brentvernon2787]

Thanks for another great video Phil. Always enjoy your content, keep it up!

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks Brent! Appreciate it.

[@davefoord1259]

In my house a day

[@WhiskyNotesCS]

My oldest open bottle is a Dalmore Cigar Malt. Open since 2012. It's still the same disappointment, as it was after cracking open back then. 😂

[@kurjan1]

I bought an oak cask (the kind you put on a counter top) from my local home brew shop and filled it with JW Red Label after curing it with port. I let it sit for 5 years... oooohhh blimey... wow was it good. It is now 10 years old and has become my infinity cask. Still amazing.

[@jaydilley7064]

I live in Las Vegas, summer keeping top level at 79-80 degrees, no sunlight.. But is my whiskey going to go bad?

[@Hawky_is_old]

How often and when and how long would you lay down a bitte on its side to keep the cork moist? For now im just using parafilm ✌🏻

[@haromaster6086]

As always great video. Thank you so much. I'm really learning so much about Whisky. Infinity bottle is a great idea.

[@michaelncounselor5412]

Do you have a link for the pour helper you used to move the whiskey into the 100ml bottle?

[@thewhiskydad89]

Hi: What about using wine preservation???what do you think? John

[@sketchy-ghost0352]

Lol I'm sitting here at 4:14am. "Danish time" doing my research on how to make and how to best store whisky because that I think it could be really cool to make my own for when I get older

[@yangke0214]

thanks for the video! the 100ml bottle is that from Thomson mini, i got couple of these, the Manuka Smoke is really impressive

[@revolvermaster4939]

I got into the habit of everytime i recork after a pour I turn the bottle upside down for a second.

[@ЕвгенийСметанин-щ9о]

Hi! Maybe instead of using some sort of "internediate" container, which might aerate the spirit more, it may be a better idea to get a set of stainless steel funnels, so your whisky goes directly from one bottle to another?

[@crystalmethshrimp]

Just realized I had 20% of blue label left. Can I use a vacuum sealer?

[@elmaschingon8237]

This guy loves whiskey.. even saves the last drops!!!

[@joshhiggins7688]

Thanks I did enjoy, prost!!

[@jacobbrill3620]

Thanks man learned a lot !

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks Jacob, glad it was helpful!

[@aircastles11]

The infinity bottle idea is great!

[@mmitchellhouston]

"Infinity Bottle" sounds much better than "the dregs."

[@12vLife]

Can I store a sealed bottle of whiskey in my van in Florida for 3 months? It might get to 100F for 3 hours a day.

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

I would keep it under a seat or something, out of direct sunlight.

[@TheAldawg77]

Apparently there is some further maturation that takes place in the bottle. The silica imparts certain qualities upon it, and this is observable in very old distilates. See this Ralfy vid for more info. kzbin.info/www/bejne/noDVioF3abukraM

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Interesting!! Didn't realise this. Thanks for the info mate

[@brentvernon2787]

Hey Phil, Bourbon Junkies just did a similar video, not sure if you've seen it yet

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Oh no I haven't. WIll have to give it a watch. I was meant to upload this video back in October, but then life. 😅

[@kaloyanski]

Great tips ;)

[@markovucic]

Thanks!

[@carlitobrigante330]

Very informative!

[@nathonwyj]

Hey Phil, i'm wondering if i you could give me some advice. I have been storing my whiskey on the side for about 5 years. Just watched your video and im so lost. What should i do with my precious whiskey collections now? Should i store them upright from now on? Or should i just continue to store them at side? Or is it time for me to open them up and enjoy as much as i can?

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

So wine is normally stored on its side because otherwise the cork can dry ut and crack, but with whisky the high abv can eat away at the cork (I haven't tested this, but I have heard people say this). I reckon you just start sitting them upright from now. It's only after a very long time that the high abv can eat away at the cork, so you are probably still all good. Then just give them a quick twist every 6 months to re-wet the cork. Are you saving the whiskies for something?

[@nathonwyj]

@@FirstPhilWhisky Greatly appreciate your kindest reply phil. I will start storing them upright then. I have been storing them on its side for 5 years. I believe the corks have been eaten. Its my whiskey collections most of it. Some whiskey i bought when i travelled to different countries. Some are limited edition whiskey gifted by my uncle. I'm saving most of them for special occasions. Not planning to open yet because some of them are hard to find.

[@thegreateastofall]

Decanter?

[@thomcampion7127]

Love this! Is there any merit to storing your whisky in their fancy presentation boxes or does it just look good?

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

Thanks! The only thing, in terms of making it last, would be that it probably helps stop the sunlight getting in. But if your whisky is not in direct sunlight, I can't see how else it would help it in terms of making it last longer.

[@fredericflore4990]

Phil, thanks for your videos. I'm currently in a European Master program called "Food Identity". I'll be looking for an internship next year. Got an interest on whisky, wine, cigars. I was wondering if you can recommend some distilleries in Scotland or in Ireland that could be interested in hiring an intern for 6 months. I can work on studies that involve promotion of a local product identity, internationalization strategies, European quality signs and labels requirement (organic, origin), market studies...

[@FirstPhilWhisky]

I know a few Kiwis who work in Speyside. Might be a good place to start looking?

[@fredericflore4990]

@@FirstPhilWhisky yes, sounds good. I'll start to send some mails and resume very soon. If you have some places to recommend here's mail gmail : [e-mail] . Thanks for your help.