Help with some old booze I found

[DiscipleofLerxst]

I had a great-uncle who died in 1985.

 

He left behind a stash of a dozen or so unopened, untouched bottles of various liquors such as Crown Royal, Frangelico, Cuantreau, Grande Manier, Seagrams something or other, Drambuie and a few others who's names I can't remember right now.

 

I'm a cheap beer kind of guy, although I'll drink most booze if I have to (wink, wink), so I don't know squat about this stash except they are at least 23 years old (probably closer to 25 or 30) and never opened.

 

I've thought about drinking them but I'm looking for expert opinions on them.

 

Are they better with age, worse, or is there no change in taste?

 

Is there some kind of market for these things and worth selling?

 

Or should I just drink these things 'cuz it's what old Uncle Milton would have wanted me to do 23 years after his death?

 

I'm just looking for any info at all on old, unopened bottles of booze. Any info would help.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

[Drumnut]

Drink it! http://foolstown.com/sm/druge.gif

[liquidcrystalcompass]

QUOTE (Drumnut @ May 15 2008, 12:52 AM)

Drink it! http://foolstown.com/sm/druge.gif

[Jack Aubrey]

Send me the Drambuie and I'll let you know whether or not it's palatable.

 

[DiscipleofLerxst]

Well....I broke down folks...I took your advice...all 3 of you...Tonight...I broke into Ol' Uncle Miltons stash...

 

I reached into the box and took the first bottle my hand hit..it was Courvoisier...I peeled back the tin wrapper on the top of the bottle, turned the bottle top...and the top broke off in my hand leaving half of the cork in the bottle....unable, and unwilling to get the rest of the cork out...I pushed it down into the bottle...OK..call me an idiot and I'll agree...call me anything else...and I'll probably agree to that too....(But not a Guns-N-Roses fan...never that)...in any case..the bottle actually let out a sigh when I pushed the cork in...yes...I kid you not..it let out a sigh as if to say, "I've been bottled up for close to 30 years....IT'S ABOUT f***ing TIME YOU OPENING ME YOU SHIT!!!!"

 

I poured a glass....does a plastic, 16 ounce Kung Foo Panda, cup from Wal Mart count as a glass?....I didn't think so so I got dear ol' Aunt Soledads brandy snifters out...she was Miltons wife after all...his booze..her glass...Heh...I put his booze in her glass...just like old times for them two...

 

I took the first power gulp...and....well..I've never had Courvoisier before...so there is nothing to compare it to...wait a minute, yes there it...Natty ice...the Courvoisier was better than Natty Ice...it was good and now I can safely say I've had...about 5...and I'm ready for bed.....

 

I don't know what my next conquest for the box-o-Milton will be...I've thought of finishing one bottle at a time....or taking a little from each...probably the route I'll take....

 

I'll try to keep you guys informed of each bottle and my jolly experience opening each.....although...I think none of you will care sadly...'cuz I can't share with you.

 

Funny...well..hardly ..thing about Milton and Soledad...Milton survived the Holocaust, as a prisoner of the Germans in Europe...and Soledad survived the Japanese occupation of the Philippeans as a prisoner there...They met in New York City years later...and I guess America, God bless her, really is the melting pot...without the war on both fronts...and without their meeting...I'd never have this lovely bottle that sits with a cork floating inside of it, in front of me....good night

 

R.I.P Milton and Soledad.

[anagramking]

I've heard of that happening with old bottles, that the cork can break like that. When I decanted a port from 1992, even, I ended up leaving a small piece in the bottle when I tried to uncork it. With the really old bottles, the old school way of opening them was to use tongs. Heat the tongs up, I mean really hot, put them around the neck of the bottle. Then put a very cold soaked cloth around the neck and the neck will snap cleanly.

 

This short video shows how it's done. It's pretty neat. (Though I'm still afraid to try it at home. My first try will be on an empty bottle, for sure.)

 

 

Moving story, by the way. Thanks for sharing that.

Edited September 3, 2008 by anagramking

[Freis968]

There should be no difference in taste. Probably some evaporation has taken place but that is about it. The liquor bottles would only be worth something to someone who collects old liquor bottles. They would, as anything, be worth something if left unopened but I guess it is too late for that.

 

Enjoy!

 

By the way, Grand Marnier and Cointreau are the correct spellings for those two orange/cognac liqueurs and the bottle of Seagram's would be probably either Seagram's V.O. or Seagram's 7. V.O. is a canadian whisky and 7 is an american blended whisky.

 

I have been a liquor salesman for the past 17yrs with a liquor distributor in Florida, so I have a wee bit of knowledge when it comes to different liquor items.

 

PS Contrary to popular belief, liquor does not get better with age. After it is removed from the barrel as for instance VO, then the aging process ends.

Edited September 3, 2008 by Freis968