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Man who opened bottle of whisky saved for 17 years 'learns tough lesson'
Express ^ | Paige Freshwater

Posted on 09/05/2025 8:04:40 PM PDT by nickcarraway

We're all guilty of saving something 'for a special occasion' - but it turns out when doing so, we might just be ruining the very thing we're waiting for.

One man learnt this the hard way after keeping a bottle of whisky for 17 long years, only to be left gutted when he finally came to open it to savour its taste.

Taking to Reddit, he revealed how he tucked away a bottle of Johnnie Walker Green Label almost two decades ago - and completely forgot about it until recently.

However, when he went to open it, he found the cork had completely crumbled.

He told Newsweek: "Important lesson that I learned – the value of things changes over time. What was once very precious or hard to get, may have held a special place in our hearts/minds, may not really be that great once we go on and explore more or as we grow older."

He went on to reveal how he was given the bottle from a colleague in 2008 when he worked for a major IT company.

After working long hours together, his team members clubbed together to buy him a gift to thank him for his hard work and to show him their appreciation for his friendship.

Grateful for the gift, he decided to keep it to drink on a special occasion.

But as time went on, the bottle started to gather dust at the back of his bar.

Recently, he stumbled across the bottle and decided it was finally the right time to open it up and enjoy. Despite its now crusty appearance, he confessed it still had a "nice" taste to it - but he has now learnt to savour life's gifts as they come, rather than making himself wait.

One user suggested a method to prevent the cork from falling into the whisky: "Simply rotating the bottle vertically to soak the cork for a few seconds every few weeks is enough to preserve the cork."

Another user chimed in: "This happens frequently with old wine bottles (and just the random bad luck).

"If you don't already have one get an Ah-So wine opener. Always keep some coffee filters on hand, and then decant the wine/whiskey into a new bottle to filter out any cork bits that fall down into the bottle."

A third user advised: "A bottle corkscrew pops these right out. If a piece breaks off it's not a big deal."

Yet another user added: "Ideally you let the bottle sit still for as long as you can so anything and everything settles down the siphon it in another bottle using a pipe can find on Amazon or local shop selling chemistry lab stuff for schools).

"Just use the same method people use to steal petrol from your bike and car. Getting the lure good stiff out while letting the dirt stay where it is. This method is also used when brewing your own beer."


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Food; Hobbies
KEYWORDS: whisky
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1 posted on 09/05/2025 8:04:40 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Heavens to Betsy! The cork fell in! Throw it out. You might get microplastics or such.


2 posted on 09/05/2025 8:21:59 PM PDT by crusty old prospector
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To: nickcarraway

A lawyer once gave me a bottle of Glenlivet single malt scotch for Christmas and I opened it right away to see how it tasted. I don’t drink much so that bottle lasted until the following Christmas when the same lawyer gave me another bottle.


3 posted on 09/05/2025 8:22:17 PM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: nickcarraway

I had two bottles of prewar Scotch from my dad who had diabetes and had quit drinking. One was a ceramic jug of Red Hackle and the other was a bottle of Haig and Haig Pinch.
I opened the Red Hackle last year and the cork crumbled but the whiskey was intact, and I filtered it and put it in a bitter bottle. Tasted good. After I decanted it and waited 6 months it tasted really good.
This Christmas, I will open the Pinch!


4 posted on 09/05/2025 8:27:03 PM PDT by ArtDodger
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To: ArtDodger

bitter bottle = better bottle


5 posted on 09/05/2025 8:27:51 PM PDT by ArtDodger
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To: nickcarraway
About six or seven years ago, I was doing a termite inspection of ranch buildings outside Glen Rose (Texas y’all).

This ranch was where John Graves wrote his book; Good Bye To A River.

The owners said Graves had a vineyard and made his own wine at the ranch.

In the crawl space of one building, I found multiple cases of wine bottles which the bottles were stored on their side to keep the corks wet.

Rats and mice had chewed the corks until they dripped and most likely drank the wine.

I told the owners what I found and that all bottles were emptied. Said I could keep a bottle, but Graves did not put his name on any of the labels, so there was no providence.

Everything was left in place.

6 posted on 09/05/2025 8:28:16 PM PDT by Deaf Smith (When a Texan takes his chances, chances will be taken that's for sure.)
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To: nickcarraway

My parents owned a liquor store but didn’t drink. They had a small cupboard that had a few bottles they’d taken when they sold the store. I opened a bottle of Jack Daniel’s that had sat on the shelf for 45 years. They say whisky didn’t age any more once it has been bottled, but that was some of the smoothest hooch I’ve ever had


7 posted on 09/05/2025 8:28:27 PM PDT by j.havenfarm (24 years on Free Republic, 12/10/24! More than 10,500 replies and still not shutting up!)
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To: nickcarraway

“...when he went to open it, he found the cork had completely crumbled.”

This can happen to any alcohol and whisky is no different. Whiskey does not get better with age once it is in the bottle; the aging process stops when the spirit is bottled, as the flavors and characteristics are developed through contact with oak barrels, not through oxidation or further interaction from the bottle itself. While unopened whiskey will not go bad if stored properly, its flavor profile will remain the same as when it was bottled.

One of the main p0roblems with getting a good bottle of wine is the steward that opens it. When he/she hands you the cork make sure it is whole. And for God’s sake don’t smell the cork as you will smell what is on the hands of the steward, not the wine. And you know where the cork has been but not the hands.

To properly store whiskey, keep bottles upright to prevent the high alcohol content from eroding the cork. Store bottles in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight and significant temperature fluctuations to protect the liquid from heat damage and light-induced degradation.

For opened bottles, minimize air exposure by keeping them sealed tightly or transferring to a smaller decanter, and for opened bottles with real corks, you may want to gently tip them every few months to keep the cork moist and prevent it from drying out.

wy69


8 posted on 09/05/2025 8:28:59 PM PDT by whitney69
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To: Deaf Smith

Good story.

I have been to the Inglenook Winery in NAPA many times and have gone into their “caves” to see the aging wines. They told us a story at one turn looking into a room that had stacked wines in it and the labels had fallen off from age we were told. They told us this room had been buried in a cave in and uncovered with expansion around 100 years later.

The claim now is that that isn’t true. But I saw the room and it was glassed off so we couldn’t get into it to protect the bottles on the racks that had more dust on them than a cowboy riding drag for a couple of days. And the bid on these bottles started at $6k a bottle. Inglenook denies this but they did have a bottle of 1941 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon go at auction for $27K.

wy69


9 posted on 09/05/2025 8:46:16 PM PDT by whitney69
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To: Deaf Smith
"Rats and mice had chewed the corks until they dripped and most likely drank the wine."

So nobody noticed a bunch of drunken mice or rats staggering around?

10 posted on 09/05/2025 8:54:59 PM PDT by fidelis (Ecce Crucem Domini! Fugite partes adversae! Vicit Leo de tribu Juda, Radix David! Alleluia!)
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Comment #11 Removed by Moderator

To: rlmorel

I don’t like that meme. It is my alma mater.


12 posted on 09/05/2025 9:23:59 PM PDT by crusty old prospector
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To: crusty old prospector
I had no idea where it came from! Honestly, I saw that and it made no difference to me what school it was from-that guy is so focused on his task, he is completely oblivious!

Every time I see that GIF, it reminds me of this:

I think this is one of my favorite cartoons of all time, as I cannot even count the number of "Say, what's a mountain goat doing way up in a cloud bank?" moments I have had in my lifetime!

Heck, sorry...I would remove the image if I could!

13 posted on 09/05/2025 9:46:33 PM PDT by rlmorel (Factio Communistica Sinensis Delenda Est.)
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To: rlmorel

Oh, I don’t mind. I have friends from ut, a&m, and ou who send it to me all the time.


14 posted on 09/05/2025 9:51:34 PM PDT by crusty old prospector
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To: crusty old prospector

Ahhhh. I understand. They are poking at you. Hehe, when I used to watch NFL, I was a Redskins fan back in the early Seventies, and when I joined the USN, I got constant digs from Cowboys fans, who were quite vocal, and their team usually got the upper hand...


15 posted on 09/05/2025 10:02:50 PM PDT by rlmorel (Factio Communistica Sinensis Delenda Est.)
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To: nickcarraway

16 posted on 09/05/2025 10:08:57 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: nickcarraway

Liquor store near me closed about 20 years ago. The owner inherited it from his father. He had, behind the counter, several bottles of potato whiskey, made in WW2, when grain was rationed, which he kept on display, but would not sell. Don’t know what happened to them when the contents were inventoried.


17 posted on 09/05/2025 10:15:43 PM PDT by Pilsner
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To: ArtDodger

bitter bottle=empty bottle


18 posted on 09/05/2025 11:39:05 PM PDT by BFW
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To: rlmorel

I know that guy. He’s Sir Richard Pumpaloafe, the demented bread boffer. Never accept a sandwich from him.


19 posted on 09/05/2025 11:42:19 PM PDT by MikelTackNailer (Luckily my head cushioned the blow after falling off that turnip truck.)
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To: nickcarraway

SNL had a skit about soaking corks. For immature adults only: https://youtu.be/Deqx-Xb-yHY?feature=shared.


20 posted on 09/06/2025 4:13:12 AM PDT by KingLudd
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