There are some “rules” when storing whiskey, but what happens to the liquor if you ignore them? A group of whiskey enthusiasts conducted an experiment to find out. David Tejed reports on this.
Whiskey should be stored below room temperature and in low light, and the bottle should be placed upright. Once the bottle is opened, too much air enters and is no longer suitable for long-term storage. If it is stored for too long, your whiskey may be at risk of deterioration or taste deterioration. This is common sense. But what happens if you store whiskey in a different way? Swedish whiskey lover Matthias Klassen decided to find out. He allowed a bottle of Islay peat whiskey-the third batch of Bomo Laimrig-to be punished as cruel and unusual by most whisky lovers.
A sample bottle is placed in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator at a temperature of minus 18 degrees Celsius. A sample bottle is placed outdoors to maximize exposure to the sun, and the surrounding temperature also changes with the climate.
Clarkson tied the third sample bottle behind a warm machine, and the machine kept running to keep the temperature in the bottle at about 45 degrees Celsius. Another sample bottle was exposed to uneven temperatures, and the wine reached more than 40 degrees Celsius twice a day. The fifth whisky sampled was poured into two cheap PET plastic bottles. In order to complete this experiment, Clarkson left a 700 ml bottle with 100 ml of whiskey; in the other, he filled half of it. In the end, he saved a bottle of reference whiskey, unopened, and stored under optimal conditions.
The bottles are all set, now is the time to wait. So he waited for two full years. Then, a team of six experts conducted independent tests and blind tastings on these whiskeys. They must be called these whiskies here. They are no longer the same. So is it really important to store whisky correctly? How do different storage methods affect the taste?
A world of difference: There are some obvious differences between different whiskeys
The answer is yes, the storage environment is really important, and, in fact, the flavor of whiskey is affected to varying degrees. These whiskies are indeed very different from each other. Most of the whiskey has faded. The team members must work hard to smell, in order to describe them correctly, and use their noses to penetrate the fragrance cup deeply. Among them, on the one hand, the two panelists believed that there were only slight differences between the reference whiskey and the oxidized whiskey, and the whiskey stored under warm conditions. The other four members found more differences and preferred to refer to whiskey than the others.
Start from the bottom: bottles placed outdoors are exposed to maximum sunlight and weather. Its color has changed to a faint white wine color. Smell, the team members smelled bad grape pomace, glue, and slightly rotten lemon; they even mentioned the smell of gasoline and dirty clothes. On the palate, there is a terrible bitterness, warm plastic and a weird, aggressive spice flavor.
All panel members agreed that this whiskey is basically not drinkable. One panelist described it as having a “particularly disgusting” endless aftertaste, with the smell of burnt plastic, pungent spices and soap. There is no similarity between this whiskey and the reference wine: no sherry casks, no peat, no smoky, no pomore. One of the team members used a 100-point scale and gave this glass of whiskey a merciless 20 points. Another group member concluded: “It’s a disaster.” We no longer need to ask ourselves whether the whiskey is affected by extreme sunlight and weather: this abominable thing cannot be considered whiskey.
However, half-full bottles and bottles kept in the freezer are considered to be negatively affected, but only slightly. Similarly, some panelists claimed that the difference from the reference bottle was minimal, while others believed that the difference was greater. These whiskeys have some small flaws, which are suppressed in smell and taste, and are weaker.
The bottle containing 100 ml of whiskey was too oxidized. For most people, it was just a shadow of its former glory. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the whiskey stored in very warm conditions. You might think that this would definitely ruin the whiskey. However, the group members thought it was the best in the group (not including reference whiskey).
It is obviously sweeter, feels heavier by oak barrels, and loses some of its fruity aroma. However, in general, it is still a good whiskey. Some panelists thought it was older than the 15-year-old, and the taste of oak barrels was a bit too dominant. Kilchoman Qihoumen Seine Beach Scottish Single Malt Whisky Import 700ml 46% However, half-full bottles and bottles kept in the freezer are considered to have been negatively affected, but only slightly. Similarly, some panelists claimed that the difference from the reference bottle was minimal, while others believed that the difference was greater. These whiskeys have some small flaws, which are suppressed in smell and taste, and are weaker.
The bottle containing 100 ml of whiskey was too oxidized. For most people, it was just a shadow of its former glory. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the whiskey stored in very warm conditions. You might think that this would definitely ruin the whiskey. However, the group members thought it was the best in the group (not including reference whiskey).
Interestingly, the whiskey exposed to uneven temperature also showed similar characteristics, and its sweetness was more pronounced than the reference whiskey. However, the smell is almost gone.
Whiskey stored in cheap PET plastic bottles is not that good-in fact, not good at all. It smells, it is considered to be more bitter and a bit ash-like, but it’s OK. However, in terms of taste and aftertaste, the cheap plastic completely destroyed the liquor, giving off a strong pencil sharp taste. Thus, experiments have confirmed that the way you store whiskey does change its taste. To put it bluntly: Don’t treat whiskey this way, otherwise it will be very angry.
Big idea: Matthias Klassen is curious about what happens to whiskey under extreme conditions
Some bottles are obviously better than others, but the whiskey in the reference bottle is better than the whiskey in the other sample bottles. In the reference bottle, the group members felt the perfect combination of sweetness, fruit, toffee and light peat, which is the symbol of Bomo. In contrast, even a half-full whisky has lost its strong flavor.
To sum up, give some suggestions. If you only have 100ml left in your bottle, don’t leave it for too long. If you pour whiskey into a sample bottle, don’t use cheap plastic bottles. Drink the opened wine at least within a year, at least, or pour the wine into a clean glass sample bottle. And, be sure to keep your whiskey away from the sun.
in conclusion
- Store at minus 18 degrees Celsius: slight negative effects, damage to smell and taste;
- Placed outdoors and exposed to the sun; it is not drinkable at all and can no longer be considered as whiskey;
- Bundled on the machine and kept at 45 degrees Celsius: the flavor is acceptable, sweeter, the barrel flavor is more obvious, and it looks “old”. It appears under uneven temperature: similar to the third, sweeter, but the smell is poor ；
- Pour into two cheap PET bottles: it smells like ashes, and the taste is “completely destroyed” when drinking;
- There are 100 ml of whiskey in a 700 ml bottle: oxidation, “the shadow of the past glory”;
Half of the whiskey in the 6.700ml bottle: slight negative effects, both smell and taste are impaired; - The reference whiskey placed under the best conditions: the flavor is more intense and concentrated, with sweet, fruit, toffee and light peat flavors.
