Resealing bottles?

[Wizzion]

Dear Rum lovers,

I now have a little collection of rum. Perhaps slightly bigger then I can drink in a short amount of time, especially if it grows. At first I thought that you could open and close a bottle of rum like infitinite times and keep it for like forever. But then I read on the forums that there is oxidation that deters the taste and that the alcohol itselfs goed out of it.

So now I have some bottles here that are opend but that I do not enjoy that much but I do want to keep (Just bought a bottle of Eldorado 12 years old that I do not like that much. But it is a good rum that I do want to waste). So I was thinking, what if I reseal the bottle by use of capsule shrink wraps or sealing wax. Or perhaps a combination of those two. Would that help to preserve the rum in a good condition? Perhaps with keeping it in a dark place to stop light from affecting it.

Has anyone ever tried this? Or do you think this is an idea worth trying?

[Arctic Wolf]

I have began to experiment with cling wrap and elastic bands over the closure, as this was recommended to me on a whisky forum. Sealing wax would be more ideal for long term storage, but it is a pain to reseal every time you dip into the bottle.

[Wizzion]

I agree that sealing wax would be pain. Might be usefull for stuff you want to keep a long time.

But capsule shrink wraps are quite easy to apply, all it would take is to heat a pan of water and dip the bottle in. I think this would seal better then plastic wrap.

[Arctic Wolf]

Since I do not have any experience with capsule wraps I cannot comment on how well they seal. If you try one, maybe shoot a nice pic so I can see the result. I am very interested in this topic, as the integrity of my collection of rare whiskies (and rums) is always a concern to me.

[Wizzion]

I think i am going to try and seal a bottle this weekend. I'll make a picture.

I'am quite curious about the result myself, onfortunately I would be unable to report on wether it works or not. I don't think I can spot the differences well enough yet. Also I don't have the money to just buy two bottles, open them both and then seal one of them and taste them both in a year.

I think I might also seal a bottle of rum that has a little bit leftover in, that I do drink a lot. Then I can maybe check in a year or so again, because I probably will have a new bottle of that then anyway.

[BaltRumFan]

How would one use sealing wax successfully? I have several bottles I do not plan on opening for some time. A few of which are Appleton 30yr, FdC15yr, El Dorado 21 etc...

Are there only certain bottle types that lend themselves to sealing with wax? Can anyone recommend a good wax to use and some tips for sealing successfully?

[und ne Buddel Rum]

First comment in this forum... tp;
I would not be too worried about any change in taste because of oxidation or any loss in alcohol. In a closed container (that's a bottle) with a liquid you have a certain concentration of all kinds of substances in the gas above the liquid, depending from their vapour pressure, the air pressure and temperature. If a certain level of saturation is achieved, nothing will vapourize anymore. So, if you keep the bottle closed and avoid any air exchange, nothing will happen. If you open it, something will escape (alcohol, aroma, …) and this will be “refilled” by substances from the liquid.
The nice capsules around some corks (aluminium, stanniol or plastic) are not really airtight and are mainly there that the cork can’t fall off the bottle. A screw lid is as tight as a submarine (if you treat it with care).
I would try to open the bottles as rarely as possible, keep them cool, avoid sunlight (UV-rays can also break down chemical structures). You can seal the cork with some cling film. There also is a special film for laboratory purposes which is nearly inert.
I would not recommend any sealing wax. You never now what is in it. Smallest traces of some substances can ruin everything.
And don’t forget: Your rum has been sloshing around in a wooden barrel for years. Wood is anything but airtight. It breathes. That is why they use it. I do not believe that the last one or two years in a (compared to a wooden barrel) tight bottle will change much.

Björn

[Edward Hamilton]

Thanks for the comments, screw top closures can be very good, corks should be treated carefully.

In regards to oxidation in the bottle, as the bottle is emptied, more air replaces more liquid and the vapor pressure balance changes, so your suggestion to open the bottle as little as possible is a good one

[Mikeycanuk]

What about using this spray? It's an ingert gas you spray into the bottle to displace the oxygen.

http://images.skymall.com/images/products/WNW/102850822x.jpg

[silverfish]

I keep a bunch of small bottles (http://www.specialtybottle.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=52) on hand for storing smaller amounts.
Specialty Bottle offers a variety of bottle and caps sizes/types.

I've also used Parafilm (http://www.2spi.com/catalog/supp/parafilm.php) to seal bottles. It's clingy like saran and a roll
will last a while.

[und ne Buddel Rum]

Parafilm is the "film for laboratory purposes" I mentioned. The idea with the small bottles is not bad. That is what we do in the lab when we have something likely got react with oxygen (e.g. oils used for treating wood). But I think the bottle is a part of the rum. So I would not like it without it's original bottle.

Björn

[Wizzion]

I haven't been able to find sealing wax or shrink capsules this weekend. I'll buy it next week when I am at my work close to a store that sells it.

I am hoping that I can make a bottle airtight, I have a bottle that has condens in the inside with the screw top never have been opend.

[und ne Buddel Rum]

If there is condensate in a bottle, that is just a question of temperature or temperature changes, not if it has been opened or not. Only the surface for condensation and the gas volume is bigger when it is half empty. It is a little bit more complicated than with pure water because there a dozens of substances in the bottle that evaporate at different temperatures. Ehtanol will be the first (if there is no methanol in it, what I hope). Water will be next and the things that give the flavour and smell will be last. That's why there ist this nice molassis smell in the glass the next morning. Alcohol and water are gone, but the bigger molecules of the substances that give taste and smell still stick to the glass and evapotare very slowly. So you have a kind of slow destillation in the bottle. Give it a swirl and everything is back where it belongs.

When having a look at Pyrat rums I thought about the shape of the bottle. There is a correlation between surface area of the liquid and evaporation (that doesn't matter if the bottle is completely tight, but it never is). So, a long and high bottle (like the Pyrat Pistol) is better than a short one with a big diameter (like the Pyrat XO). The big diameter with a coarse and porous cork are not a good combination with regards to keeping the flavour in the bottle. But I think the Pyrat XO has enough of it...

Here in Germany we have shops where you can buy spirits and other things (oils, vinegars, ...) in small quantities from casks. The usually sell bottles and have shrink capsules. Perhaps you have the same in the Netherlands.

Björn