Once you open a bottle of rum, then what?

[Edward Hamilton]

As soon as you expand your horizons you will be buying more rum than you consume in a few weeks. Conversely, when your rum collection is larger than your cumulative thirst of a few weeks you have expanded your horizons.

And in the process of discovering new rums you will come across a few bottles which you will want to savor over time as opposed to drinking it all in a few drinks. And your rum locker will invariably also become the custodian to a few bottles of rum that you don't want to drink but which you don't want to throw out, at least not yet, like that bottle with the best marketing story you've ever read even though you didn't believe a word of it. I have a few bottles, like El Dorado 25, that I don't want to drink every day, but I do want to keep some around - for a long time.

It's alright not to drink a bottle of rum as soon as you open it but if you're going to keep the bottle more than a few weeks you'll be rewarded for planning how you're going to preserve as much of the flavor as you can.

Depending on the closure on the bottle, you have a couple of options. Cork closures generally suck when used to contain distilled spirits. Unless you're living in the tropics, corks dry out and allow the oxidation process to accelerate. Which brings me to the second variable in the rum storage equation: oxidation. The alcohol in a distilled spirit combines with the oxygen in our atmosphere to oxidize the spirit. Oxidation is manifest in a diminishing of the body of a spirit like turning down the volume on the spirit body and finish. Alcohol is volatile and evaporates at room temperature and pressure. Every time the bottle is opened more alcohol is lost. I've found old bottles of rum that contained almost no alcohol because they had been poorly stored. The wine industry has begun to accept that screw top closures are better than natural cork, though synthetic corks are better than natural cork while the rum industry has taken to those less than technically adequate devices.

After I've consumed about half a bottle I put it on the drink special list especially if the bottle has been open for more than about 10 weeks. Mixing rum cocktails with rums that you wouldn't normally mix is a good way to learn that good cocktails are even better when made with the best rums. After a bottle has been open for about six months I start making an effort to consume the rest of the bottle with friends. To see just how much a bottle of rum deteriorates open a fresh bottle and sample next to the last dram in a bottle which has been open for a while and you'll better understand oxidation.

Most rums are best when consumed within about six month of opening the bottle. If the bottle has a cork closure the seal is generally comprised after a couple of months, a condition that deteriorates with time. Most rum bottles sealed with cork have an additional wax or plastic seal over the cork which protects the integrity of the cork until the bottle is opened.

I often pour rum into smaller bottles if I plan on drinking it over a few months or more, especially if the bottle is closed with a cork. I've tried storing rum bottles on their side, like you'd store wine, but more often than not the cork leaked once the bottle was open and the rum locker really began to smell like rum.

So drink up, store your rum in small, sealed bottles or invite your friends to help you drink it before it oxidizes. Lastly, I rarely order the last of a bottle on a bar, invariably I've been disappointed.

[Count Silvio]

I've never really thought about oxidation to be honest. I have a few old bottles on my shelf and they don't seem to have lost any flavor and the corked bottle's corks are still moist. I have to make my rums last because most of the rums I have cannot be obtained from this country.

To see just how much a bottle of rum deteriorates open a fresh bottle and sample next to the last dram in a bottle which has been open for a while and you'll better understand oxidation. I shall try this suggestion with a bottle of Zacapa that I got from Spain roughly over a year ago. I have a fresh one on the rumshelf waiting to be opened. I will post the results here when I do that.

Actually now that I think about it I once poured Jack Daniels into a pocket flask and left it there for a couple of days and it quickly lost its taste. I thought that was very weird. It had also changed color into pale brown. Needless to say I never put anything in that flask again.

[Hank Koestner]

What about removeing the air as you might with a bottle of wine? Can you replace the cork with an air tight seal?

[Scottes]

I've done a little research, and there are plusses and minuses to both - with apparently more minuses on the vacuum side.

The inert gas approach - Winelife or Private Preserve and the like - stability is important. If you keep the bottles upright and still, then the inert gasses will settle at the bottom of the airspace, blocking the oxygen from reaching the surface of the rum, thus eliminating/reducing oxidation. But constant movement can disrupt this.

The vacuum approach is very dependent on the seal. Nature abhors a vacuum, and if the seal isn't *perfect* then the vacuum will suck air back in over time. Sometimes not very long at all. Also, the vacuuming process may also be vacuuming out the aromas...


In both cases, the fullness of the bottle is very important. In one test a bottle of wine that was 3/4 full kept for 10 days, while the same brand that was 1/3 full kept for only 3. Transferring to smaller bottles makes a lot of sense. Wine and brewing stores stock many different sized bottles.

I purchased some bottles and corks for homemade ingredients and I have to say that the synthetic corks sold fit *very* tightly. So I would recommend buying some of these corks and bottles of various sizes, and testing the corks to choose bottles that seal tightly. But not too tightly, since the bottle neck could crack.


A seemingly perfect system in the very expensive Winekeeper, which uses a special bottle top to keep the wine/spirit under constant pressure from a nitrogen container. The pressure seems to pour it for you, so once opened the liquid never contacts air again. The cost makes this prohibitive for those of us with many bottles of rum, but might be an idea for those very expensive bottles of rum.


Myself, I'm going for the inert gas approach. 2 cans are supposed to do up to 240 bottles at a cost of about $20. Over time I will buy bottles and corks and transfer. Buying 100 bottles of various sizes would be fairly expensive, but transferring a dozen expensive rums makes sense, or choosing ones that get consumed slowly.

[Matusalem]

I'm one who just accepts nature. Of course I don't want any un-natural disasters but (a) I don't have the time and resources to break the things I have on hand down to smaller containers anyway, and (b) I've come to appreciate learning about the changes spirits go through after their official maturation has been arrested.

Integrity-wise Edward is absolutely correct, even though some in the industry will tell you a bottle lasts forever if you reseal it properly.

[Scottes]

Integrity-wise Edward is absolutely correct, even though some in the industry will tell you a bottle lasts forever if you reseal it properly.
I'm very curious about the Count's comparison of the Zacapa. If he can't notice a difference then I may very well skip all this except for a few rums. But I'd also have to wonder if a noticeable difference could be discerned by comparing two unopened bottles purchased a year or two apart.

[Matusalem]

I'm very curious about the Count's comparison of the Zacapa. If he can't notice a difference then I may very well skip all this except for a few rums. But I'd also have to wonder if a noticeable difference could be discerned by comparing two unopened bottles purchased a year or two apart.Actually the best way to make such a comparison is to buy two bottles at the same time from the same location and assume that they are from the same batch. Then compare them at some point in time by having one open and enjoyed for a period of time before opening the second for comparison.

EDIT: Personally, I've had some items that I'm fairly certain have changed noticably over lenghthy periods of time. In several cases the spirit has become more plesant with added surface air and time. My humble opinion, of course.

[Edward Hamilton]

As Matusalem points out if you're going to compare two bottles it is important to try to procure bottles from the same batch. There is a slogan on Dewar's Scotch that reads, ". . . never varies." But a lot of spirits I've drunk have changed over time. Everyone I know who has been drinking Ron Zacapa Centenario for more than a few years has commented on a change. Cruzan Single Barrel has gotten sweeter compared to the first bottles I drank in the late '90s. Pyrat XO has more sweet orange flavor than it did 8 years ago.

Jack Daniels had a very expensive ad campaign a few years ago just as they were decreasing the proof of their namesake spirit. This isn't necessarily bad but my point is that distilled spirits commonly vary.

I use 5 oz bottles for samples and find they are perfect for saving rum that I want to keep. They aren't very expensive, since I buy a lot of these at one time and I make labels on old 3 1/2" floppy disk labels using Avery label maker.

[Scottes]

Sorry not to be more clear. What I was wondering concerned the variance between batches. That is, will the change that occurs in an opened bottle differ more than the difference between two batches?

To identify the change over time after opening, buying 2 bottles from the same batch is important. Open one, leave the other sealed, and compare the difference a year after opening.

But now buy a brand new bottle - hopefully a different batch made a year after the original purchase. Compare this new bottle to the freshly-opened bottle from the first pair.

This 3-way comparison would inform you of the difference between batches as well as the difference caused by oxidation. I'm curious about this. In the end, does oxidation cause more difference than the changes inherent between batches? Does the oxidation cause worse changes, better changes, or simply different changes?

[Edward Hamilton]

Oxidation generally decreases the body profile as the lighter and more fragrant parts of the spirit are lost. Sometimes this change can be described as improving the rum but most times this has a negative impact on the body of a spirit. The biggest improvement I've noticed is in a bottle of raw spirit bottled directly from the still. In Martinique, AOC rhum agricole is rested a minimum of six months before bottling while the spirit oxidizes and releases some of the lightest products of fermentation.

In a bottle, spirits oxidize the most when the bottle is less than a third full. Every time the bottle is opened more oxygen is introduced into the airspace above the liquid. Simply opening a full bottle and letting it sit in your rum locker won't have nearly as much effect as drinking most of a bottle then opening it every month or so for a year and then checking the taste.

[angelsword]

I find that it has to do with degree of oxidation. A certain amount of oxidation is essential to the maturation process. It has to do with the length of the chain of molecules. Long chains should be retained while short chains are welcome to leave. But oxidation is essential to the formation of long chains.

[Edward Hamilton]

I find that it has to do with degree of oxidation. A certain amount of oxidation is essential to the maturation process. It has to do with the length of the chain of molecules. Long chains should be retained while short chains are welcome to leave. But oxidation is essential to the formation of long chains.

Relatively speaking.

[Matusalem]

I'm curious about this. In the end, does oxidation cause more difference than the changes inherent between batches? Does the oxidation cause worse changes, better changes, or simply different changes?This gets too deep for me and doesn't allow for the reality that change is inevitable.

Something I think I read into that Edward has, I believe, implied many times without hurting any distillery's or person's feelings is that spirits are not very consistent over long periods of time - sometimes over short periods. How did I come to that conclusion? The reformatting of profiles discussions. The "it used to taste great but is pedestrian these days" vs. "it was terrible but is now approachable" etc.

Honestly, I've learned enough that if I bump into a rum that is truly spectacular right now, I'd tuck away several bottles. I know it's just a matter of time before there will be some uncontrollable change, even if it is minimal. Rather than blame anyone, I chalk the variations up as evolution.

[Hank Koestner]

I do wish we had this discussion at an earlier date!:( I have some rums that have been opened for some time, but luckily, some of the bottles are still pretty full. I am going to refer to my old tasting notes to see if some of them have changed much. Some time ago Ed suggested keeping a note book, which I started. I date all my tastings, so that should give me a time frame. ;)
I am going to try the inert gas approach, like Scottes. I have to slow down this process a little.:)

[Scottes]

I found that I have 2 bottles of Cruzan Single Barrel. One is brand new, opened 2 weeks ago with an inch missing. The other is probably 2 years old, and was about 1/3-1/2 full before we drank some recently. I'll have to compare them soon.

[Scottes]

This ... doesn't allow for the reality that change is inevitable.
Actually, that is exactly what I'm contemplating! It changes from oxidation, and it changes from batch to batch. Which changes more?

[Edward Hamilton]

Something I think I read into that Edward has, I believe, implied many times without hurting any distillery's or person's feelings is that spirits are not very consistent over long periods of time - sometimes over short periods.

Please don't read too much into what I write. The spirits distillers bottle change over time, it is inevitable. The good news is that the quality of rums being bottled by rum distillers today is generally the highest in their history. Sure you can't buy some of that 17 year old rum from Appleton referenced in some other threads, but generally, the quality of rums bottled today by the Appleton Estate and other distillers is higher than in the past. The fermentation process has been improved, the distillation process has been improved and the aging process has been refined. Not to mention the fact that most distillers today are using sophisticated electronic equipment like gas chromatographs to monitor and improve the quality control of their products.

Another ingredient in raising the quality of spirits, whether distillers want to admit it or not, is the internet. Today consumers are more educated and informed about the spirits they drink than any time in the history of alcoholic beverage consumption.

On the other hand, there are blenders who see the boom in rum sales as an opportunity to bottle whatever they can to make a profit. Some bottlers start by bottling the best blend they can make but as their product reaches greater distribution they are forced to compromise quality due to the decreased availability of the aged spirit on which they built their reputation.

Once the product is bottled another process begins. Bottled spirits don't appreciably change when properly bottled, ie sealed. Open bottles of spirit oxidize as a function of the level of liquid in the bottle, when and how often the bottle has been opened, how much the bottle has been agitated, the velocity of air moving over the opening on top of the bottle, the effective open area on the bottle, the shape of the bottle and the ambient temperature, to name a few.

If this sounds complicated, it is. I spent the better part of three months in a graduate chemical engineering course calculating the alcohol content of an open bottle of rum on a Caribbean island with respect to time. Suffice it to say that the equation is quite complicated even if you assume that many factors are constant or simply ignored.

What is more important to this discussion is the fact that oxidation and reduced alcohol content contribute to a deterioration or improvement in the taste of a spirit, depending on your perception of taste. I can't tell you which is the best rum, that depends on what you like. What I can tell you is that an open bottle of rum changes with time and a few of the factors are the quality of the seal, temperature and volume in the bottle.

Temperature?

The volatility of alcohol and other compounds found in a bottle of rum are directly proportional to the temperature of the spirit. I used to store my rum in a cabinet over a refrigerator because I could easily reach the cabinet and it was out of the way until I discovered that it was much warmer than the rest of the cabinets in the kitchen.

So what's a rum lover, collector, drinker to do? Enjoy the spirits you like. A few of my friends buy two bottles of almost everything they find. They open one bottle and if they like it they savor it. If they think someone else would appreciate it more than they do they have another bottle to trade. Trying to save the last couple of inches of liquid in a bottle is probably less than the optimal way to enjoy a distilled spirit.

[angelsword]

Trying to save the last couple of inches of liquid in a bottle is probably less than the optimal way to enjoy a distilled spirit.
Your bottom line IS the bottom line. :D

[Matusalem]

Please don't read too much into what I write. The spirits distillers bottle change over time, it is inevitable. The good news is that the quality of rums being bottled by rum distillers today is generally the highest in their history.Trust me, I have not read any further than what you've said eloquently & without offense.

Actually, that is exactly what I'm contemplating! It changes from oxidation, and it changes from batch to batch. Which changes more?Scottes,

I can't for the life of me figure out how you'll eliminate the other couple of thousand variables and isolate rusty ole' oxidization.

Have you considered all the natural and unnatural factors that you'd have to rule out as being responsible for alteration between batch leaps? Everything from global warming to hurricanes to Diageo sucking up or selling off the product line (to name one large conglomerate), to the wood, water or cane sources being altered? There's more but let's stop there.

[Scottes]

I am not trying to isolate or eliminate anything. I am trying to discern the amount of difference between the two things. I don't care how or why, but simply how much.

If oxidation causes less detrimental taste change than the taste change caused by different batches then why would I be concerned about oxidation?

[Scottes]

I have 2 bottles of Cruzan Single Barrel. I've had one, bottle number 130182, for at least 2 years, and it has spent at least 1.5 years half full in a cool basement. The other bottle, number 331292, was purchased 2 weeks ago and has spent 2 weeks with 3 or 4 ounces removed.

The older bottle smells sharper from alcohol, but sweeter, with maple aromas, and a subtle touch of spice. The new bottle is rather bland, really.

The older bottle tastes sweeter, with some spice in mid-taste, and a long smooth spicy finish. The new bottle taste is good, but certainly more bland than the older one, less sweet, with a medium-length finish with some spice and a mild amount of burn.

The older bottle is much better, in my opinion. The taste difference is actually quite substantial. Though obviously the same type of rum made by the same distiller, the older bottle tastes like it has been aged significantly longer.


So was the taste difference caused by oxidation? Or by the fact that they're from 2 batches made some time apart. I don't know because I don't have an unopened bottle from the same batch as the older one.

2 bottles allows one to explore the taste difference caused by oxidation OR the taste difference caused by the difference in batches. 3 bottles would allow a comparison of both.


Regardless of why these bottles taste different, I know that I will share the new one and hoard the old one.

[Edward Hamilton]

If oxidation causes less detrimental taste change than the taste change caused by different batches then why would I be concerned about oxidation?

What we're calling oxidation and the loss of flavor from opened bottles of our favorite spirit is controllable, to at least some extent, by proper storage. The variance of spirits due to differences in batches, on the other hand, is more in the hands of the shareholders of the distillers, blending and bottling companies.

I have to look pretty hard to find something to hate in this life, but when I pull a bottle of rum out of my locker and find that it has lost a lot of good flavor and alcohol because it was improperly stored I know I have failed those who have dedicated their lives to making my favorite spirit and hope they don't hate me for it. Next time I'll try harder to either store that bottle properly, or just enjoy it with friends while it is still at its peak.

The moral of the story is that distilled spirits require care just as you won't expect a bottle of wine to last once it has been opened, neither should you expect a good bottle of rum to last forever once it has been opened.

[Paulipbartender]

Ed,

You've certainly started a minor panic at our bar with this thread, which is fascinating, thank you.

We have over 230 rums now, all stored on shelves in an unlicensed bar - meaning we have no customers so consume slowly in tastings/training etc. We've got some special products (Wray & Nephew 17 year old, Zacapa 30 yr, Silver Label 28 yr Demerera) all oxidising slowly on display.

The IPBartenders team will have to think about storage.......or rapid consumption

hmmmmmmmm

[Edward Hamilton]

Don't panic Paul. I'm saving my air miles and will be on my way to help you and the rest of the staff responsibly consume everything which is less than 25% full. But there are a few other bars I didn't get to visit where I know there are other bottles which also need to be responsibly consumed.

[Edward Hamilton]

I have 2 bottles of Cruzan Single Barrel. I've had one, bottle number 130182, for at least 2 years, and it has spent at least 1.5 years half full in a cool basement. The other bottle, number 331292, was purchased 2 weeks ago and has spent 2 weeks with 3 or 4 ounces removed.

The older bottle smells sharper from alcohol, but sweeter, with maple aromas, and a subtle touch of spice. The new bottle is rather bland, really.

The older bottle tastes sweeter, with some spice in mid-taste, and a long smooth spicy finish. The new bottle taste is good, but certainly more bland than the older one, less sweet, with a medium-length finish with some spice and a mild amount of burn.

The older bottle is much better, in my opinion. The taste difference is actually quite substantial. Though obviously the same type of rum made by the same distiller, the older bottle tastes like it has been aged significantly longer.


So was the taste difference caused by oxidation? Or by the fact that they're from 2 batches made some time apart. I don't know because I don't have an unopened bottle from the same batch as the older one.

After reading the above post again I suspect that the taste difference you are noticing in the two bottles of Cruzan Single Barrel is due more to a change in the blend of that label than due to oxidation though I find the newer blend sweeter but less interesting than some of their older blends of that product.

[Matusalem]

Scottes,

I apologize - I have no intention of attacking your experiments. I was just confused what you planned to use to establish a basis of what changes were the results of oxidization - especially without having two bottles of what you believed were same batch rum to work from.

At this point I assume you re going to establish what you believe is the results of oxidization from prior notes or your memory of the spirit's previous samples? Is that correct?

Speaking of storage issues, my favorite occurs at bars and raunts that have the flashy full wall of glass right along the sidewalk... with hundreds of spirits lining the shelves against the glass... my favorite time to see this is when there's a local heat spell and the sun is gleaming through the spirits beaming off the heads of customers lining the counter top - particularly with the high-end spirits it just fills my heart.

I dislike vodka with a passion... but at those times vodka seems quite attractive if I were to reach into my pocket to purchase a drink at one of the said establishments.:eek:

My second favorite is at least 4 or 5 times a year at Costco I have to find a stock person to inform it isn't a good idea to leave the pallet full of Remy Martin X.O. or Johnnie Walker Blue with the boxes flat so that bottles are laid down resting with the spirit gnawing at the cork ~ like one would store a decent wine.

[Edward Hamilton]

My second favorite is at least 4 or 5 times a year at Costco I have to find a stock person to inform it isn't a good idea to leave the pallet full of Remy Martin X.O. or Johnnie Walker Blue with the boxes flat so that bottles are laid down resting with the spirit gnawing at the cork ~ like one would store a decent wine.

Actually, I store rum bottles with corks on their side so the cork doesn't dry out and leak and it seems to work better than leaving them upright with the cork inevitably drying out and letting the alcohol evaporate.

I save synthetic wine corks and reuse them in rum bottles. The quality of cork has suffered with the general growth of the wine industry and the environmental pressures on cork growing regions of the world.

[Matusalem]

Over a period of time the alcohol will attack and deteriorate a cork, Edward. Wines are lower in percentage - thus it's fine to lay them.

Instead, I lay a bottle down momentarily to ensure that the cork receives some moisture, then upright them immediately after. This ritual occurs every two-three weeks or so. :rolleyes:

[Scottes]

At this point I assume you re going to establish what you believe is the results of oxidization from prior notes or your memory of the spirit's previous samples? Is that correct?
Your implication is insulting.


So my thought would be to grab a bottle of something decent with some complexity. Ron Zacapa 23 is probably not a good choice due to its Solera blending. Cruzan Single Barrel is probably not a good choice since it seems likely to change drastically between batches. So I'd pick something with enough complexity to detect distinct changes. Something like El Dorado 15 perhaps?

Get 3 bottles - 1 about 4oz and 2 about 8oz.

Gently, with as little aeration as possible, fill the 4oz bottle to the very very top, so that some rum spills out when it's corked. (The idea is to produce the smallest air space possible). Cork it, seal it with wax, place it in a cool space outside of the light. This is the control bottle.

Fill one of the 8oz bottles half way, and use one of the inert gas systems to fill the head space with inert gas. Store it in an intelligent place where such things might normally get stored. Not in the cabinet above the stove, but not in the dark basement space along with the control bottle either. Something mid-way reasonable. This is the "inert gas" bottle.

Fill the other 8oz bottle half way. Cork it, and place it next to the previous 8oz bottle. This is the "oxidized" bottle.

Leave all bottles alone for 1 year, except that you might want to open the "oxidized" bottle occasionally in order to get more oxidation. Maybe. Then go out and get another brand-new bottle, doing your best to get one from a different batch.

Sample all four side-by-side. This would give you a couple data points, and an idea of 2 more.
Point 1) Results of oxidation by comparing the control to the oxidized.
Point 2) Reduction of oxidation by comparing the inert gas to the control.
Idea 1) Difference between batches by comparing the control to the new batch.
Idea 2) Amount of difference between oxidation and batches by comparing oxidized to the new batch.

No, not all the variables are eliminated, but most are with the original bottle at least.

[Edward Hamilton]

Instead of an 8 oz bottle half full I'd use the original 750ml bottle which would accelerate the oxidation process. And I'd open it occasionally and shake it up before resealing it.

Or easier yet, go to a bar like Trader Vic's where they have a few bottles that have been sitting around for a long time with only a small bit of rum in them, taste one of these and you'll notice a very flat taste, that is oxidation damage.

[Matusalem]

Sorry I'm a bit dense. Your plan makes quite a bit more sense to me now that you've explained how you would conduct it.

All this time I assumed you were going to grab 2 bottles like your Cruzan bottles and decide Johnny on the spot whether or not aeration or batches were more to your dissatisfaction. If you are going to re-bottle and carry out the experiment over time then I can see the validity of your experiment.

Sorry to have insulted you. Hopefully that was stated tongue in cheek there, but if not I'm genuinely apologetic. <shake hands emoticon>

~Mat

[Scottes]

Sorry, Sometimes it takes me a while to explain myself.

http://www.refinedvices.com/forum_/images/smiles/handshake.gif

[Scottes]

Instead of an 8 oz bottle half full I'd use the original 750ml bottle which would accelerate the oxidation process. And I'd open it occasionally and shake it up before resealing it.
I thought about attempting to accelerate the oxidation process, but that would nullify the inert gas test. If oxidation were the only test I'd simply leave a glass of rum on the counter overnight.

Or easier yet, go to a bar like Trader Vic's where they have a few bottles that have been sitting around for a long time with only a small bit of rum in them, taste one of these and you'll notice a very flat taste, that is oxidation damage.
This would be comparing new to old using memory. Not a very good way to compare, IMHO.

[angelsword]

I would like to suggest a few more variations to Scottes marvelous experiment. Another bottle with 50&#37; airspace, resealed with natural cork, do not re-open. Also 2 at 25% airspace and 2 at 75% airspace. One of each to periodically open, the other to remain resealed.

[angelsword]

Really there are still too many variables. For example the each amount of airspace should have 4 variations: wax sealed w/ inert gas, wax sealed w/ air, natural corked, re-open and re-close. Also equal size bottles for all tests. Airspace should be: none, 10% (normal neckspace), 25%, 50%, and 75%. 16 bottles in all unless other variables are introduced.

[Scottes]

Yeah, the variations get crazy. One could easily take the inert gas bottle and occasionally uncork it, swirl to simulate tasting some, re-gas and cork. Of course, each of these should be at different volumes, too.

All the variations are why I went mid-way - 50% full, and assume that 75% full won't be as bad, and 25% will be more of a change.

And don't forget that the experiment takes a year...


A quick test just for oxidation would be to leave a glass of rum out all night...

[rumdog007]

Wow, I really would love to learn the results. Without such empirical experimentation, there would be no facts, just anechdotal evidence. So, that said, I must remark that I have always done what Edward has done, that is, drink up. Though I find the results of oxidation subtle (perhaps my palate is less discerning), I have always used it as an excuse to have my mates over and kill the "halfers".

[angelsword]

I have several years of tests learning to use controlled oxidation to great benefit. It's interesting to follow a thread with an opposite viewpoint to the general consensus here on another forum dedicated to making fine spirits.

[angelsword]

A quick test just for oxidation would be to leave a glass of rum out all night...

I believe that is much more evaporation than oxidation.

[Edward Hamilton]

I was waiting to read more from the scientific approach from Texas.

[Hank Koestner]

This has opened up a new understanding for me. I understand all the science, and I want to thank all of you for taking the time for such an in depth discussion. My next objective will be to finish some of the bottles with less than half, and hopefully replace my favorites. I am going to use inert gas to try to control some of the oxidation of some of my rums, especially those that are not easy to replace. I would love to join in the testing, but I am so busy at my business, that my time is limited. Where can I purchase synthetic corks in bulk?

[angelsword]

I was waiting to read more from the scientific approach from Texas.

I suppose that the easiest way to test evaporation vs oxidation would be to check alcohol levels, then leave it out all night in an open container, then test alcohol again. Let me think about what I might be willing to sacrifice in the name of science.

[Scottes]

Where can I purchase synthetic corks in bulk?

http://www.beer-wine.com
http://www.beer-wine.com/category_page.asp?categoryID=81&sectionID=2
(A little more than halfway down - Corks T-Top)

They also have bottles if you want to move to smaller bottles.
http://www.beer-wine.com/category_page.asp?categoryID=82&sectionID=2


Most any beer- or wine-making place should have all of this stuff.

[jlo mein]

Does temperature have an effect on storage? Like a cool, dry and dark basement versus a warmer kitchen area that receives some sunlight daily.

[Edward Hamilton]

For long term storage I try to find a cool dry place, which is a real oxymoron on a sailboat. In any case I try to avoid bright sunlight.

Most of this discussion has looked at oxidation as a negative factor as it relates to storage of fine aged spirits. Oxidation does improve freshly distilled spirits and is responsible for some positive changes in aged spirits but once the spirit is bottled oxidation rarely improves a spirit.

After distillation, I have seen fresh spirits sprayed in large tanks to accelerate oxidation and to release some of the lightest products of distillation. Filtered air is also sometimes bubbled through fermented wash prior to distillation and through fresh spirits after distillation.

[Milicent]

After reading about oxidation, I am committed to finishing off my abundance of open bottles and keeping only a few open at any one time. Since I initally joined this forum with a question re mixing with "better" rums, I will also be taking this opportunity to use my better rums in a variety of mixed drinks in which I would normally have used "lesser" rums. So far, so good. Better rum makes good drinks even better.

[Rum Runner]

Ed...You have done your homework. Good man. The oxidative qualities are apparent over time, given surface area, The reduductive qualities I think are insignificant giving the proof...but that may be open to findings?

[angelsword]

Just finished another of several long discussions on this subject with my chemistry advisor. He theorizes that the ratio of gas to liquid is the principal factor in the loss of flavor and that oxidation is secondary.

[Edward Hamilton]

After spending a lot of time thinking about the factors of oxidation and evaporation, I've come to the unscientific conclusion that what many of us call oxidation in opened bottles of distilled spirits may be better described as evaporation. As the ratio of air to liquid in a bottle increases more of the lightest aldehydes, which are responsible for much of the aroma of a spirit, are lost as well as the lightest alcohols. Over time and as a function of temperature this process increases and the spirit gets a flat taste.

[angelsword]

If this is correct then inert gas will not protect nearly as well as a smaller bottle. Cold would also help slow down the processes of both evaporation and oxidation.

Looks like time to buy a walk-in freezer!

[Scottes]

Ed's theory should be simple to test in a short time, since I would think that if he's right this would apply to wines as well as rum. And since wines change faster the test would not take 6 months, but rather a week.

Open a bottle of wine and have 3 bottles, 375ml, available.
Fill the first to the very top so that wine spills out when you cork it.
Split the remaining wine between the other 2 small bottle in a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio. Cork both.

In 3 days, taste all 3 comparing the differences.
According to Ed's theory, the wine in the first should not change at all.
Of the remaining bottles, the wine in the fuller one should have changed some, and the wine in the last should have changed a lot.


Having typed all that, I do believe this test would prove what I've been hearing for quite some time when researching vacuum vs inert gas.
I think that I saw a very very similar test last week when researching for this thread.

[Edward Hamilton]

Wine is very different from distilled spirits. As wine drinkers know, very few wines will last a week after being opened.

[Hank Koestner]

I am still wondering if a vacuum rubber seal, like those that are used for wine would work. They are pretty air tight. Help me on this one, gentlemen!

[Scottes]

very few wines will last a week after being opened.
Yeah, that's why I figured it would prove the test faster than trying with rum. Otherwise it's a 6-month test or longer.

[Scottes]

I am still wondering if a vacuum rubber seal, like those that are used for wine would work. They are pretty air tight. Help me on this one, gentlemen!
I have seen test results where the vacuum products do not last nearly as long as the inert gas. And I personally have a hard time thing that a vacuum would hold for the length of time to have an effect on rum. Nature abhors a vacuum.

With inert gas the key would be stability, I would think. Gas it, cork it, put it on a shelf and don't move it. That should hold for a very long time.

I found some expanding rubber seals the other day, like a very stable, airtight cork for a wine bottle. Lift the lever, place it into the bottle, and depress the lever which causes a rubber gasket to expand, thus sealing the bottle quite well. http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=4265

[Hank Koestner]

Tonight, I opened my new bottle of Neisson XO, and compared it to the one I purchased last year. I have been drinking this one all year, and just recently I have started using inert gas in my bottles.
In the comparison, I found the newer rum to be richer and more bold, I would say there was a 20% reduction in overall taste compared to the old bottle.. The biggest distinction between the two was that the newer bottle had a very present oak/ leather quality to the flavor, very deep. The rest of the flavors were somewhat consistent between the two. It seemed that the older one was a bit more acidic, if that is a good description. There was a definite reductioin in flavor in the older bottle, but it is still very drinkable.
Still, I will finish it tonight now that the new bottle is opened.

I will do the same with my 4 - 6 month old bottle of Zacapa 23 and my new one. More to come.

[Matusalem]

Tonight, I opened my new bottle of Neisson XO, and compared it to the one I purchased last year. I have been drinking this one all year, and just recently I have started using inert gas in my bottles.
In the comparison, I found the newer rum to be richer and more bold, I would say there was a 20% reduction in overall taste compared to the old bottle.. The biggest distinction between the two was that the newer bottle had a very present oak/ leather quality to the flavor, very deep. So, what's the precise percentage you'd put on deterioration over the year, versus the new bottle possibly being derived from a newer or different batch that had a richer profile and flavors to begin with?

[Hank Koestner]

Very good point, Matusalem. That was one point I did not make in my last entry. I felt there was a 20-25% reduction in flavor, and the older bottle did seem a little flatter than the new one. I have found that Martinque based agricoles are somewhat consistent from batch to batch, as was evident by some of the flavors being the same. The one factor that can not be trully measured here is the possibility of variation in the different batches. Looking at this from a more scientific point, maybe the only way to compare batches is to buy a bottle, keep it unopened, then buy another bottle from a different batch 6 to 12 months later and then make a comparison.
This also drives home the importance of making good tasting notes as soon as you open a new bottle. If you keep the rum for any length of time, you can retaste and make comparisons, or make comparisons to a new bottle.
According to my notes a year ago, I think this new batch was just slightly richer, it had a leather flavor to it that was not as noticable in the initial tasting a year ago in the older bottle.
Too, I must admit, I think my palate is becoming more experienced, and that I am better now at tasting spirits.
Looking forward to your opinions.

[Edward Hamilton]

According to my notes a year ago, I think this new batch was just slightly richer, it had a leather flavor to it that was not as noticeable in the initial tasting a year ago in the older bottle.
Too, I must admit, I think my palate is becoming more experienced, and that I am better now at tasting spirits.
Looking forward to your opinions.

I'm glad to see that you recognize that your palate is becoming more mature. Even among experienced professional tasters palates are maturing. And so, the research continues.

[Matusalem]

To myself the best way to test this theory is to buy two bottles from the same merchant at the same time. Unless it is a merchant that takes on huge stocks, there's a very good chance that both bottles would be the same batch. Opening one now and then the other later would make a good comparison IMHO.

There are definitely instances that I detected open deterioration, but at the same time there are items I've had open for several years - some are visited annually and have sentimental values and have held up very nicely.

One thing I figure should be included at least psychologically into the discussion; rum is one of the few spirits that I hear some enthusiasts actually prefer "screw tops". Almost any other spirit that offers both, enthusiasts gravitate almost unanimously to cork tops. To me this begs the question or gives the impression that the integrity of the tops used to seal (some) rums probably isn't quite as high as it is with spirits bottled more often in better developed countries / regions & markets.

I introduce that thought with Martinique particularly in mind. For obvious reasons, from the limited number of items I have experienced, the integrity appears high as I believe you indicated which to me these standards typically lead to better consistency (agreeing with you again). These rhums are also examples where I've found little or no deterioration over time, but that's just been my experience, my readily available choices are limited.

[Milicent]

Weighing in with similar thoughts re tastes maturing and comparing new and old bottles. My own taste is still in the rapidly developing stage, so the differences between tastings are significant. Still, I have come to taste or sense when a bottle is getting old, has had too much exposure, etc. A certain flatness or dullness is noticeable, much like a few day old wine. The crispness of flavor a recently opened bottle has is missing.
Back to the topic: I opened a bottle of Ron Zacapa 15 a few months ago and went through about a third of the bottle in a week or so. I hadn't touched it again until last week. I was impressed.
The flavors of the 23 are present but milder, and this seems more of a straight-up traditional rum than the near liqueur taste the 23 can have. I will also add that I tasted the Ron Zacapa flavor much more this time than when I initially tried it. Part of that has no doubt to do with my not having had the 23 often lately as well.
I think part of the reason I noticed the strength of flavor so much was that I was anticipating a slight reduction in taste as I have found in other bottles I've had open for a while. Pleasant surprise.

[Hank Koestner]

I think you can tell when a cork is sealing well or not, and the ones I question I replace with the lever action rubber bottle stoppers. I also hope the inert gas will help to conserve the taste, as I don't move my bottles except to pour from one.
Very good point on buying 2 of the same bottle, tasting one and saving one. I just purchased 2 Diamond estates, I might do that with them.

[Edward Hamilton]

I think you can tell when a cork is sealing well or not, and the ones I question I replace with the lever action rubber bottle stoppers.

That is a very good idea. Almost as good as drinking the rest of the contents with friends.

[Matusalem]

I think you can tell when a cork is sealing well or not, and the ones I question I replace with the lever action rubber bottle stoppers. I also hope the inert gas will help to conserve the taste, as I don't move my bottles except to pour from one.
Very good point on buying 2 of the same bottle, tasting one and saving one. I just purchased 2 Diamond estates, I might do that with them.Agree 100%. The problem is it does depend on how quickly you discover the problem. I've had a couple of Santa Teresa bottles that had corks that did not seal properly. The first one I didn't notice immediately. Afterwards I said to myself (jokingly) - This explains the necessity to wax seal the top.

What I noticed is initially I think the cork integrity was fine but over time the width seemed to shrink inward and did not seal properly.

[Solomon Grundy]

After reading about the dry cork business, I went into the closet to bring out the oldest corked rum I have to check. My 2003 bottle of Angostura 1919 bottle, 2/3rds full and stored upright, openned just fine. (I drink more of it, but I live in Pennsylvania and certain things can be hard to obtain here because liquor is distributed by a bureaucracy that would make Breshnev proud.) Checked a couple of younger bottles and they were just fine.

OTOH, a younger bottle of port that is as stuck as cement -- the stuff's probably poison by now any way.

[mammel]

What type of wax do you use for wax sealing a bottle? Presumably it is not normal candle wax.

[Rumpelteazer]

I just checked all my bottles with corks. The Zaya, Zacapa 23, Clement PC, and Pyrat XO all were nice and tight, but the 10 Cane was a bit loose. So its off to the store to buy some rubber stoppers. Since the Zacapa is hard to find around here, I will probably try to conserve it for a year or two. I think I will stopper it now also, to better protect the flavors.

[angelsword]

What type of wax do you use for wax sealing a bottle? Presumably it is not normal candle wax.

I have used candle wax. I just picked up a few bottles of Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal (FANTASTIC!) that were sealed with bee's wax.

[Solomon Grundy]

... the 10 Cane was a bit loose. So its off to the store to buy some rubber stoppers. ...

How durable and inert are rubber stoppers? :confused: We all know what a rubber band looks like after a couple of years sitting in a drawer. :( I'd imagine the stoppers sold in the liquor store are designed to cap wine for days or weeks rather than hold liquor for months or years. That leaves, metal, plastic and cork. Cork, preferably tapered, shouldn't be too hard to find. Homebrewer supply stores must sell corks. Google comes up with these (I do not vouch for them, but the first seems better):
http://www.homebrewit.com/aisle/1042
http://www.widgetco.com/corks

[Count Silvio]

I'm very curious about the Count's comparison of the Zacapa. If he can't notice a difference then I may very well skip all this except for a few rums. But I'd also have to wonder if a noticeable difference could be discerned by comparing two unopened bottles purchased a year or two apart.

Not a comparison of Zacapa but I did a comparison with Jameson whiskey (http://www.refinedvices.com/content/view/66/1/). Even though it is not rum I think it is relevant to the thread. I hope you will find it interesting and useful.

[gatomalo]

This is a fascinating and informative thread! I hope nobody minds me reviving it.

Unfortunately I don't have anything of real insight to add, except to say that I have in my rum cupboard an opened (Oct. 2007) bottle of Pampero Aniversario with less than an inch left in the bottom, which has remained untouched for the last 6 months. I will taste it this weekend and compare to a new unopened bottle, and I will report the results here.

[Count Silvio]

From my experiences when I've compared fresh and old ones together the differences have been insignificant. I have two bottles of Cruzan Single Barrel (from the same barrel too I think) and I intend to let the drop in the other bottle oxidise for a while and then do a comparison with the fresh bottle. I'll edit the comparison to the existing cruzan review.

[Hours of Wealth]

good advice from the TC, i had no idea the cork would possibly lead to detrementla effects, i have a few bottles with corks, namely my english harbour rum (which is decent, i just rarely drink it) and my new bottle of mount gay extra old, which i would like to keep as long as i can since i don't think its available in my area

[Hank Koestner]

The inert gas seems to be working well. Still, I am going to continue to work on finishing bottles that get to half full. This year I will probably reduce what I have in half, and not open anything new until that is accomplished, unless I have to taste the rum for a panel.

[ademanizer]

Actually now that I think about it I once poured Jack Daniels into a pocket flask and left it there for a couple of days and it quickly lost its taste. I thought that was very weird. It had also changed color into pale brown. Needless to say I never put anything in that flask again.

You should never leave any liquor stored in a flask unless it is made of glass. The stainless taints alcohol

[Edward Hamilton]

You should never leave any liquor stored in a flask unless it is made of glass. The stainless taints alcohol

There are many different grades of stainless steel. In the distilling industry, stainless tanks are commonly used to store spirits. Stainless steel tanks are also commonly used in the blending process.

Bulk rums are commonly stored in stainless steel tanks for shipping.

[Duffman]

I was opening a bottle of Angostura 1824 last night, and this thread came to mind.

As I peeled away the thick red waxy plastic seal from the top of the bottle, I thought about the possibility of re-sealing the bottle with wax. Now I'm not talking about doing this for my mixers or bottles that I would empty in a month or so, but I am talking about some of the more expensive sippers that are not available in Canada; that I would have to travel to replace.

Consider this: picture the old wax seals that were affixed to documents and to seal envelopes, some of which are also still used today by many professional practises. Could this material be placed over the cork of a bottle to provide an airtight seal?

I checked out wax seal suppliers on-line and it turns out that you can get the wax supplied in cartridges that fit standard glue guns. So, I'm picturing on the following day (don't mix rum and operating glue guns) melting the wax with the glue gun and letting it drip over the top of the bottle and around the neck and cork. Viola, you got a seal on the bottle. Of course, one would have to find the correct type of wax that would peel off easily, rather than crumble, so it does not fall into the bottle or remain as a residue.

Has anyone tried this, or considered trying this? Am I way out to lunch on this? I know it sounds kinda elaborate, but it could present a technique for reducing oxidaiton of rum in an open bottle?

Whadda ya think?


Duff

[RonJames]

Not knocking the idea Duff, Im just throwing out what comes to mind. As soon as you open the bottle fresh air would rush in, and then with the wax seal you'd be sealing it in. That being said if you look up Thomas Tew rum on either you tube or their homepage I believe my rum fogged memory remembers them dipping bottles into a pot of melted wax then letting them dry as they drip.

[Rx2010]

I'm glad to have found this post, I was curious about how long a bottle would last once opened

[ricoman1]

Hi Ed,
Kind of new to the group...loved your info on storing rum.Have a question.If you DONT open the bottle and keep it sealed from factory,what would you say the shelf life is.I just purchased the Appleton 30 Year Old 250 Anniversary and cant decide if and when I will open it for a special occ. and sure dont want it to go bad on the shelf unopened...OR when we do open it.Any suggestions ?
THANKS and Happy Holidays to U and all in the group.

[Frankee01]

I used to have a collection of Virgils root beer bottles. Tall bottles with a metal latch system attached to a Porcelain Stopper fitted with a rubber ring. How would one of those bottle fair in containing Remaining rum?

[Rum Runner]

I used to have a collection of Virgils root beer bottles. Tall bottles with a metal latch system attached to a Porcelain Stopper fitted with a rubber ring. How would one of those bottle fair in containing Remaining rum?

This type of system can work well...As long as you fill the bottle well into the neck and DO NOT let the rum come in contact with the rubber sealer. Alcohol and rubber sealers are not a good mix in my opinion.

[thrall]

Alright..well that answered a few questions i was getting ready to ask.....Your right..the purchasing of...as opposed to the consumption of...is going to get a bit out of hand....lol

A couple of questions i still have that i would never have thought of are

1.. the color of the bottles...does that matter???

2..would vacuum sealing a bottle of rum...and then sealing it with wax work? (i think i would use food grade paraffin wax from the canning section of the market instead of candle wax)

3.. does the original alcohol content count in how long it will last? Do overproff rums have a longer/better shelf life?

[Edward Hamilton]

I wouldn't vacuum seal a bottle of volatile alcohol since you'd loose alcohol in the process. Filling the bottle as Rum Runner suggests is probably better.

Sealing the top of a bottle if it is going to be stored for a long time is probably a good idea. Modern closures are pretty good but rubber should be avoided.

Storing alcohol in a dark place is more important than the color of the bottle. I've seen bottles of alcohol stored in a bar window where the color of the spirit was bleached by the sun.

The abv isn't going to impact shelf life any appreciable amount above about 20%abv.

All of this is assuming that we're not talking about spiirts infused with real fruit in which case dark bottles and high proof spirits would be in order for a longer shelf life.

[1967cougar]

I apologize if already mentioned, but for my scotches, I will put clean (boiled clean) glass marbles into my bottles to displace the air. Seems to work just fine, and appears logical at first glance....

[rumdog007]

A pretty good idea!

[Edward Hamilton]

That is a great idea cougar, but I lost my marbles years ago. Guess I could buy some more, I'll take a bottle to the store with me to make sure they'll fit.

[benzopyrene]

I sat here reading this whole thread thinking...what about marbles, but then somebody mentioned that. Another thing that might work, but you'd have to figure out a good way to use would be dry ice....maybe silly, but CO2 is an inert gas and one would suspect that if you could find a nice two way valve cork that lets air out at a certain pressure that you could drop a small piece of dry ice into your bottle put it away and get the same pressure and zero to very little oxygen in your bottle no matter how much liquor is in there. Don't know if such a thing exist but might make somebody some money! :-) dont know if maybe filling up a large plastic bag with your bottle, cork and dry ice until full of gas and then corking it would do the same thing, but maybe... Anyway, just my thoughts. I loved this thread BTW. Cheers!party2.gif

[StephenLouis]

I have nothing to add to this thread except : Thank-you. This was exactly what I was researching today: Rum storage after opening. As a newish rum appreciator I tend to buy way more bottles then I can drink and many are only missing a few oz's, and will stay that way for many months if not a year or more. glass.gif

[Grim]

It has already been suggested in a way, but to reiterate the point... I highly suggest purchasing 3-75s (375ml bottles) and small boston rounds. Once the bottle volume, or standing height, is low enough you would do well to top off smaller bottles to stay the character. In fact, if you purchase in dual - which is always a good idea; one for now, and another bottle to return to - you can break the first bottle down into samples for fellow forum members and 375s for drinking...

5 oz. is probably a more versatile volume come to think of it, but where do you purchase these sizes?

Light, heat, evaporation and oxygen... they all have the capacity to add or subtract from the organoleptic interest inherent to your spirit.

[Edward Hamilton]

I wouldn't use co2 as it really isn't inert. Wine savers use xenon or nitrogen. CO2 is used for carbonation.

[BARÓN]

im glad that i found this thread...thanks

[finzi]

For what it is worth...years ago a ancient clerk in a liquor store sold me a nice (read stupid expensive) bottle of calvados. His suggestion was to insert small glass balls/marbles in the bottle to replace the volume drank each time. People use for decorating and you can find them in the Container Store. It kept the bottle fresh for probably a decade. I do it with other special occasion bottles as well and seems to work well. When the bottle is finished they can be reused after a simple boil to clean them.

[TORKER]

Thank you all for the great info above! I would like to know if anyone has come across sediment floating or at the bottom of any rum bottles. I went on a search for Lemon Hart and found several bottles that I know varied in age. Two of which I'm sure have been on the shelf for at least ten years. One had dark brown stuff stuck to the bottom. I shook it up for a minute and it cleard up. Now it looks like small white light floating stuff is in the bottle. Another bottle that is not as old has the light stuff floating in it as well. Dose anyone know what this is and is it still ok to drink? Is it caused by the age? My gut feeling is that it's OK, Just would like to see what you all think. Thank you in advance for your insight.

[Paulipbartender]

At a guess I would say that is probably flocculation.

As the alcohol evaporates, the remaining alcohol will drop fatty acids usually held in suspension out of the solution, These can usually be shaken back into the liquid without affecting the flavour too much

[AdLoki]

Hi, I have been looking on the net for a solution to my problem and then I came across this topic regarding rum storage.

Basically, I first tried Ron Zacapa 23 at a local pub and decided that it was /the/ drink for me - smooth, rich and not overly 'ethanolly'. As such I ended up requesting that my work colleagues buy me a bottle as a leaving gift, expecting to be able to savour it in the same way. To my surprise, I found the rum that I had been given to be really quite harsh and not drinkable neat.

I assume that, due to the prohibitive price of the rum in my local (£7.60 per measure) their bottle has been on the shelf for a while, slowly oxidising via the cork. I'm sure that a fair amount of the alcohol has also evaporated due to the fact that it is on display under spotlights behind the bar.

My question is, what would you recommend for me to achieve a similar taste? I don't want to ruin the rum but I also don't want to drink it with mixers - it would seem somehow sacrilegious. I see in one of your posts that some people believe the oxidisation process improves the flavour of the rum and I am evidently one of these people.

Is it just a case of leaving the cork off for a while?

I hope you can help!
Many thanks,
Ad

[Matusalem]

Is it just a case of leaving the cork off for a while?
I don't think so. Oxidation would most likely be from the cork not having a proper seal (in other words it would be the same as the bottle being slightly open or the cork not quite fitting). Taking the cork off would let even more air in = more oxidation.

Does the cork look rotten or eaten up a bit? Was the bottle completely sealed when you received it - or could the cork be removed without breaking a seal? If it wasn't sealed and has a regular cork (no airlock top), there is the strong possibility that the bottle was re-filled with some other spirit.

Sorry. Assuming the spirit is what it's supposed to be in the bottle, I know of no way to restore rum - maybe someone else has suggestions. At best you might try blending it with other rum.
:confused:

[Edward Hamilton]

Pour yourself a dram and let it breathe 5, 10, 15 minutes and see how the flavor changes. Opening a new bottle will be different than drinking from one that has been on a bar under spotlights.

And please take a few minutes to introduce yourself in the Introduction section of the forums and you'll get faster responses to your posts.

[jellydonut]

I've noticed this with my gin. The botanical flavor is contained in the alcohol, and as the bottle gets diminished the flavors evaporate into the air of the bottle. That last 'slump' of gin is really disappointingly tasteless. This happens even with screw cork bottles - the air in the bottle is enough.

I'm gonna start decanting the stuff into smaller bottles as I empty them, both the gin and the rum, because this is honestly quite annoying. HMMR It does *not* take long either. If the gin bottle is nearly empty it won't even take a week. :(

I have yet to even finish my first bottle of rum so I cannot comment on that, other than to state that there will be more of those on the shelf too, so we'll see. Btmup.gif

That thing with the glass marbles is also utterly genius. I guess I'm buying marbles now. I've never seen that before, I'm sure people will think I've lost my marbles when they see them in my liquor bottles. JTR.gif

[bradly1981]

Has anyone really come to an agreement which is the best practice to preserve/prolong their rum. I have a bottle of English Harbour 1981 that want to enjoy over a longer period of time more than 2 years. (I want to savour it for as long a I can)

So far I've read:

Drink it quick
Synthetic cork
Rubber vacuum top/cork (vacvu vin)
The inert gas/cork combo
Marbles (to displace air in the bottle)
Pouring rum into smaller bottles to reduce the headspace

Has anyone come to a conclusion on the best practice ? :confused:

Thanks for your forth-coming input
cheers.gif

[Edward Hamilton]

I use marbles or smaller bottles, but marbles let you keep the spirit in the same bottle which looks nicer than using different bottles.

[Winloader]

Interesting point about the oxidation. Fortunately nothing in my collection worth drinking alone has been open for six months. However I do find that time has been very kind to several rums. I have a Zaya that for the first month was overshadowed by the heat of the alcohol. It's now very smooth and enjoyable!

[sarahyoung75]

I find that it has to do with degree of oxidation. A certain amount of oxidation is essential to the maturation process. It has to do with the length of the chain of molecules. Long chains should be retained while short chains are welcome to leave. But oxidation is essential to the formation of long chains.


Your post is very interesting. After opening the bottle some oxidation process takes place. Thanks for sharing this information.