Does Bottled Whiskey Get Better With Age?

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Whiskey lovers often save expensive bottles for years, waiting for the “perfect” moment to pull the cork. The assumption is that, like a fine Bordeaux, the whiskey will continue to mature into a smoother, more well-rounded elixir over time. However, this is a common case of culinary mistaken identity.

While it is true that not all wine is meant to be aged, those that are require painstaking conditions—specific temperatures, humidity, and even a particular storage angle to keep the cork moist and the seal intact. This is because wine is a “living” bottled environment where tannins and acids constantly interact and evolve.

Distilled spirits like whiskey, rum, tequila, or vodka are fundamentally different. Once they leave the wooden barrel and enter the glass bottle, the maturation process effectively hits a “stop” button. They do not require the same delicate handling as wine, for a very specific reason: they simply do not get “better” or “smoother” with age once they are sealed in glass.

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Why Don’t Liquors like Whiskey Get Better with Age?

Spirituous liquors are distilled. They do not change much at all once they are bottled, and usually, if they do change, it is for the worse. You may have seen references to “20-year-old Scotch” on TV or in movies, referring to a very old bottle, but this is usually a misunderstanding.

An old Scotch would refer to one that was aged in barrels for a long time, not one that sat in a bottle for a long time. Whiskey doesn’t get “smoother” in the bottle. The same goes for any other distilled liquor, such as tequila, rum, vodka, or gin.

You may come across very expensive bottles of whiskey, especially Scotch whisky, that declares proudly the year it was bottled as if the whisky being bottled 20 years ago should make it more desirable than one bottled last week.

But it is the time spent in the barrel that matters, not the time spent in the bottle. If, on the other hand, a very old, and expensive bottle of whiskey has been stored long enough and in poor enough conditions, like changing temperatures (very cold temperatures to hot attics, for ex.), exposure to a lot of sunlight, or with a loosened cap or seal, the whiskey may be bad tasting, or even undrinkable.

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What Does the Age Mean On Whiskey Labels?

Usually, the age recorded on a whiskey bottle refers to the amount of time it was aged in barrels. So, 18-year-old whiskey is whiskey that was in the barrel for 18 years before it was bottled.

Wealthy whiskey lovers have been known to pay amazing sums of money for whiskey aged for many years. Sometimes, they make the mistake of paying thousands for an ancient bottle of whiskey rather than aged whiskey. Whiskey that has been in a bottle for 100 years is not likely to be good!

How to Store Unopened Whiskey for Longer

So, as implied, certain things can affect a bottled distilled spirit. However, the effects any of these conditions have on liquors are slow to occur and if you consume the liquor in a reasonable period of time, say, over several months, you don’t have to be all that careful.

A liquor cabinet, a shelf, bar, serving table, or a cupboard should do just fine, especially if temperatures are not extreme (and you wouldn’t store yourself at extreme temperatures, would you?)

Also keep in mind that storage will have more of an effect on the taste of aged spirits like whiskey or tequila than on un-aged or ‘white’ spirits like vodka.

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For Longest Storage, Keep Unopened Liquor Bottles in a Dark Place

Light can have an effect, especially if the bottle is clear. However, it takes a long time for any noticeable changes in taste to take place. For maximum life keep bottles of liquor, especially whiskey in a closed cabinet.

Store Liquor at 60 to 65° F If Possible

Temperature has an effect as well, especially heat. Avoid storing your liquors in areas that can get extremely hot at any time of day. A nice constant temperature of about 60 to 65°F is good (vodka can be stored in the freezer), so the basement might be a good choice for long-term storage. The attic, on the other hand, is always out.

The seal on bottles with modern screw-on caps isn’t likely to be compromised. However, many whiskeys and tequilas use a cork that has been, in turn, wrapped in plastic or coated with wax, to help guarantee a good seal. If the cork were to shrink the liquor would be exposed to oxygen and subject to evaporation.

If a wax seal is used, you’ll probably be fine for long-term storage, but the plastic film seals may be insufficient for very long-term storage. In that case, you could use parafilm, a tape treated with paraffin wax that can be wrapped around the caps of your bottles, or around the caps of any other containers whose seal you want to reinforce.

By the way, although it is proper to store wine “on the cork” you should not store whiskey or aged tequila bottles on their side so that the liquor makes contact with the cork as the cork and the spirit may not get along so well, affecting the taste.

Storing Opened Bottles of Liquor

The same things from above that affect an unopened bottle will, of course, affect an opened bottle. Once it is opened, if the seal is not good, say from a loose cork, then the alcohol in the spirit will be subject to slow evaporation. This, obviously, will affect the taste, and concentrate the remaining constituents.

The other thing that affects the spirit is the air itself. Oxygen causes oxidation and starts to convert some of the compounds in the liquor to other, not-so-tasty, ones.

Every time you open a bottle to pour, you expose it to oxygen and kick off this process. Keep in mind that oxidation, once begun, can continue to occur even if more oxygen is not introduced. However, as well as letting in the air when you open the bottle, you are making room in the bottle when you take a drink, leaving room for air to stay in the bottle.

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This means that the lower the level of the liquid, the more air in the bottle, and the faster the effect of the air on the liquor remaining. Using two-thirds of a bottle and then leaving the last third to sit for a year may not be a wise idea, therefore.

There are ways to get around this, like decanting, but they all have their pitfalls and are a lot more trouble than they are worth. The best way to deal with opened bottles is to consume them within one to two years after opening.

For the most part, although you will find over-precious and paranoid recommendations on storing liquors, especially whiskey and other aged spirits, you will likely never notice any issues with storage affecting the taste of your spirits, except under the most extreme conditions of improper storage or age.

So, in summary, everything above that applies to storing unopened bottles of whiskey, tequila, vodka, rum, etc. applies to storing opened bottles. You likely do not need to do anything special to store an opened bottle of liquor as long as you consume it in one to two years and the conditions are moderate.