Here’s a bottle of brandy from the 1870's or 1880's.

Storage and the integrity of the cork seal is everything. Whiskey will go bad when enough of the alcohol evaporates through to cork and it starts to turn into a cloudy brown sludge. This can take months or many years depending on how good the seal is. Wine doesn’t last very long if it’s not stored properly on its side…

I’ve been very lucky lately and have found several full pre-prohibition whiskey and brandy bottles at various antique shows and yard sales. Oldest one is “Otard brandy” from the 1870's still full and sealed. Also a 1910 Gibson Rye, 1914 Old Charter whiskey, 1915 Old Glory and more. Would have had a full 1918 Braddock…

I got the book as a gift too, and immediately noticed an error on the front cover where it says a “bottled in bond” whiskey is 101 proof(Bottled In Bond means it must be 100 proof not 101 proof). Makes me wonder just how much the writers really know about whiskey.

I remember reading about a bar in New York city selling one glass of 100 year old whiskey for $150 each. Old bottles of whiskey can be quite valuable and quite tasty too. Pre-prohibition era(pre-1920) is the most rare and valuable to find. Old bottles of scotch and American whiskey can sell for many thousands of…