Long term storage of good scotch in an partial bottle - not a good idea - saveable?

[tundramanq]

I currently have 19 opened partial bottles of whisky in my single malt "library" that has been in existance for over 20 years. They are kept in the dark with humidity around 35%.
I fell in lust with about 6 of them and I use them up and replace them. Recently I decided to revisit the orphans.

Found out how to "unglue the cork" after having to filter out cork bits and replace the cork. Invert the bottle to soak the cork and let it sit for a few minutes. Suspect the essences that escaped are part of the "glue".

The lower the level in the bottle when "forgotten" the worse they fared. These are at least drinkable with a touch of distilled (Reverse osmosis) water. The alcohol seems to have stayed and the water and some essences of flavor have escaped via the cork. Oily notes are still there, but the subtle flowery and heathery notes are gone. Can't say anything about smoky notes as these get used and replaced.

Any ideas are welcome. Some like the Cadenhead's - Cherry wood matured, cask strength Springbank 8 (dist 1985/bottled 1994 ) were great and not cheap ( well over $100 ).

[Tobus]

The alcohol seems to have stayed and the water and some essences of flavor have escaped via the cork.

I know absolutely nothing about preserving or rejuvenating Scotch, but I must admit I'm surprised by this statement. Since alcohol is more volatile than water, I would have guessed that it would be the opposite. I'd have thought the alcohol would evaporate out more freely.

It's common knowledge that wine should be stored on its side to keep the cork from drying out. Does the same apply with distilled spirits?

[Scout]

As much as we'd like to savor some of the great ones, my experience has been that once about half the whisky in a bottle is gone, it's time to invite a couple of friends over and finish it off. I don't know the technical reasons why, but an opened bottle, less than half full, seems to "deteriorate" for lack of a better word.

[tundramanq]

The alcy vs water thing confuses my logic too. But some how that how they taste and the splash of water tones down the alcohol numbing of the tongue.
Storge on the side with 10 times the alcohol in the mix - good question. Have read that whisky left in contact with the cork gets "corky".

[Dale Seago]

As much as we'd like to savor some of the great ones, my experience has been that once about half the whisky in a bottle is gone, it's time to invite a couple of friends over and finish it off. I don't know the technical reasons why, but an opened bottle, less than half full, seems to "deteriorate" for lack of a better word.

Acccording to a Scot I used to know who had worked for Johnnie Walker and had an actual academic degree in whisky production, that's exactly right. It begins to deteriorate when the volume of whisky vs. air in the bottle gets down to about 50%.

[Destin_scot]

The culprit for the deterioration is actually oxygen. I'm no expert on this, but is seems that if you could eliminate the oxygen you could extend the shelf life of the whiskey, (how much longer...unknown). Nitrogen and CO2 would both seem good candidates, as both are already in use by the wine and beer industries to help extend the shelf life of those products, and both relatively easily obtainable. CO2 is cheaper than Nitrogen, so I'd give that one a try first. CO2 being denser than the atmosphere, you could put a charge of CO2 on top of the whiskey before re-corking it.

[CDNSushi]

The culprit for the deterioration is actually oxygen. I'm no expert on this, but is seems that if you could eliminate the oxygen you could extend the shelf life of the whiskey, (how much longer...unknown). Nitrogen and CO2 would both seem good candidates, as both are already in use by the wine and beer industries to help extend the shelf life of those products, and both relatively easily obtainable. CO2 is cheaper than Nitrogen, so I'd give that one a try first. CO2 being denser than the atmosphere, you could put a charge of CO2 on top of the whiskey before re-corking it.

That's what I was going to say. Oxidation is what's killing it. Once something is oxidized, you are S.O.L. because it's an irreversible chemical reaction.

Just think of the last time you forgot a half-finished glass of wine at a house party and you re-discover it the next day. It's absolutely horrid and undrinkable. And yet, archaeologists are unearthing wine from Greece, from over a thousand years ago that is perfectly drinkable today. It's the oxygen.

To PREVENT it however, there are systems out there that allow you to suck the air out of bottles that have already been opened, essentially re-sealing them back to an almost pre-opened state. I don't know how long this will extend the life -- but it may be worth a shot.

[tundramanq]

I'm a bit gun shy of putting pressure or vacuum on these non pressure type bottles. I'll shop around in Texas and I'll bet I can find a CO2 dispenser to purge the air out with for the future bottles. Thinking maybe the whipped cream dispensers but don't know how long a CO2 cartridge lasts once breached. Maybe there are still some cans of CO2 dust blowers still around.

[mookien]

I have to second the comments by Scout and "Destin scot". The oxygen in the air oxidizes the organics in the scotch resulting in a change of flavor to the drinker. Think of what happens to iron in the presence of oxygen - rust.

It has been my largely unpleasant experience that once a bottle is opened it is good for a year or two on the shelf. The deterioration process is accelerated in inverse proportion to the level of the scotch (ie directly proportional to the amount of oxygen) in the bottle. Thus, as has been suggested, when the level in the bottle reaches a certain minimum, drain the bottle and set it free. I save the tubes/boxes as sentimental tokens.

Finally, and unfortunately, I doubt there is any way to rejuvenate a tainted remnant. You have my empathy.

[tundramanq]

I found and bought a CO2 powered Air duster on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/CleanDr-CO2-Ai...ywords=3010300
8.99 + 3.98 S+H = $12.97
Will see how it works.

PS - I dumped one - water or not it tasted soapy.

A little on line search - Whisky Addict confirms what all are saying. Store upright, dark, cool, use up in a year once opened.
We can't wet the cork with the 80+ proof as it will eat the cork. Once the cork loosens a bit with age and use the bottle will breath with changes in barometric pressure so the more air inside the bottle deeper the breath.