age?

[Doc]

After a Scotch or Whiskey are bottled do they gain anything from continued aging?

 

[tedski]

No ...

 

[Doc]

so 100 yrs from now it will taste just as it does now? :dunno:

 

[kmckinn3]

Wine is the only alcohol which continues aging in the bottle. 100 years from now (if unopened) it will taste the same as it does now.

 

[tooomanycolors]

aging on liquors comes from the barrels they are stored in. This is at least true in whiskeys and I think tequilas....should hold for rum also...but since Im not into rum im not sure. Wine doesnt age on the same principals...wine aging comes from the impurities in the wine mellowing over time.

Also the specific vintages in wine that are sought after have their nuances from exceptional harvests of the grapes...so a given year will have a better grape crop than a less sought after year.

And of course if Im wrong someone tell me, but this is how I understand it so sorry if I mislead anyone.

 

[smokinghole]

It all has to do with tannins. The distilled product get theirs which is a small amount from the barrels they are aged in if they are in fact aged spirits at all. The wine has has a lot of natural tannins which is what breaks down and smooths over time.

Least that I've always thought.

 

[tedski]

so 100 yrs from now it will taste just as it does now? :dunno:

Yes. As long as the bottle has a good seal. Otherwise, most of the contents will evaporate.

 

[Moro]

Well, found something for Bourbon, but it may help: [ame="http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5540"]why doesn't whiskey age in the bottle? - Straightbourbon.com[/ame]

 

[rick12string]

I believe I read that once it leaves the barrel and is bottled it stops aging and remains the same as the day it was bottled.

 

[Jfire]

There is a "How its made" on Discovery (I think) that covers this. Very detailed and they show some of the distilleries in KY, Scotland etc. Basically once it hits the bottle its done aging.