Too Many Open Bottles?

[Awful]

I have searched the forum and I have found a lot of useful information about storing my bottles (keep upright, in a dark cool place, etc.) and it seems that most people here feel that opened bottles have a fairly long shelf life. Although, there are a lot of discrepancies in opinions concerning the length of the shelf life. Some say around 1 year, and others say a lifetime.

 

The above paragraph was written in the hopes of precluding "use the search function" comments.

 

I am pretty new at this and have jumped in with both feet (actually it was really more of a belly flop), though admittedly not quite to the extent of sbmac. I already have 6 opened bottles and I have 4 more on the way (including the 2 DPs and a bottle of Pacifique!). I think of myself as a moderate drinker, but considering my buying habits, I can foresee some of my less liked brands sitting around for a couple of years.

 

Also, it appears that I am not going to get much help with drinking these. My girlfriend hates them (I thought for sure I would sell her on the VC). My friends want to try them, but they aren't really developing a taste for it.

 

So, would you suggest finishing a few bottles before opening new ones? Not that I will be able to resist, but I will certainly take your suggestions into advisement...

[Babble]

I am pretty new at this and have jumped in with both feet (actually it was really more of a belly flop), though admittedly not quite to the extent of sbmac.

 

 

HaHa! Looks like sbmac has become the epitome of the absinthe newbie, and all absinthe newbies will strive to achieve what he has in such short time from now on.

 

Awful: I can't really help you. The longest I've kept an open bottle is for 4 months, it was still good after that, the green faded a bit though.

[rob fritz]

for me, also being new at this, I like to open a bottle, drink it as long as it lasts, no rush and when I get towards the end of the bottle and I know I will want more, go to something different. Like Pacifique vs. a Jade. I have found that this helps develop what characteristics I am looking for in certain situations.

[Awful]

That is probably the sensible approach. I'm sure that I will eventually decide on a few brands as my favorites and buy primarily those, but right now, I like comparing them.

[Awful]

Besides, if I took that approach, I would still be trying to get through bottles of La Fee and La Charlotte.

[Ron]

Hahaha.

 

 

There are a variety of suggestions for longer term storage. I've seen suggestions for putting glass marbles into the bottle to displace the liquid and remove the space which would be occupied by oxygen, then recorking it. I've seen it suggested to even rewax it if you don't plan on getting into it for a while. There are vacuum corks which will remove the oxygen and seal the bottle as well.

 

The booze itself is ridiculously high proof, which will virtually guarantee it to last forever. The oxygen will affect the flavor over time. So basically, remove the oxygen and get a good seal. That's really all you should need to do, aside from the proper storage conditions which you've already researched and listed above.

 

Personally, I've got quite a few open bottles. But I haven't taken any steps to prepare them for long term storage. I've just stuck the cork back in them.

 

Cheers!

[Jack Griffin]

Yes, I suppose I'm the newby maniac of the decade....what can I say! 24 absinthes tasted in 5 months.

 

I find the benefit from having half a dozen bottles open at once is that you can go back and forth to really compare the nuances and character of each. A revisit a few glasses later with a few days between of one brand after several others, and you'll say for example: "Ah...NOW I know what melissa is!". Just this week hyssop revealed itself to me with it's sweet floral pine-like nature after much exploring. Until now, I was noticing it, but didn't know what it was. I actually purchased some hyssop, and hyssop steam-distilled essential oil which I now cold-diffuse as a respiratory aid during pollen season (I practice Aroma Therapy on the side).

 

For me, drinking one bottle at a time, I'd never find the differences as easily and be able to analyze them with as much clarity.

[Jonathan D.]

In my experience, most brands only get better the longer they've been open.

[OMG_Bill]

most brands only get better the longer they've been open

I agree but might change it to: Most brands are more appreciated the longer they've been opened.

 

Like a visit from an old friend. Cheers!

[Brian Robinson]

Most brands are more appreciated the longer they've been opened.

Indeed. Just recently I had glasses of Jade PF1901 and Eddy, both from the original releases, each having been opened since I received them. Both were just as good as when I first had them, if not better.

[Jonathan D.]

Having too few bottles to open is a far greater concern!

[Phoenix]

I say open them, too. The only problem that you'll probably run into is that once you try Walton Waters and Meadow of Love, brands that you previously loved won't taste as good as they used to.

[bksmithey]

Yes, I suppose I'm the newby maniac of the decade....what can I say! 24 absinthes tasted in 5 months.

 

It's fun having you around Scott!

[Touch-Money]

I agree with the statement that they will only get better with age. If a pre-ban can taste great after 100 years then there isn't any reason that a good CO these days won't taste the same, if not better, after a year or more.

[buddhasynth]

my Blanchette and my 1797 have been open for 2-plus years without ill effect. Worry not. Out of 2 dozen bottles in my world, only 6 haven't been opened. 

[Phoenix]

I just counted and I currently have 42 open bottles, and something tells me there are people here who'd put that number to shame.

[Jack Griffin]

Two more open bottles as of tonight.....My cleaning lady has more to dust around now in the dark corner on top of my cabinet.....She is a very religious woman from South America, and with each bi-weekly visit, a new bottle or two appears, and in her eyes, I sink into a deeper level in Dante's vision of Hell.

 

It's hard being the insane absinthe addicted WS newby-fiend... My 2 year old girl saw the fountain the other day and said "Daddy absinthe". My wife shot me a priceless look. You can't make this stuff up!

[Ron]

[MrGreenGenes]

I often delay drinking the last shot or two of absinthe, if the next bottle is going to be a different brand. I always think I want to use it for comparison to another brand. As result I have several bottles with one shot left at the bottom.

 

Ive been fortunate to taste a few samples of pre-ban absinthe. While I do believe the color & taste changes after decades, it does take many years or decades. I've done my last-shot of bottles after a year or two, I don't think there were any changes to color or flavor.

[Awful]

Thanks fellers! You guys are seriously a lot of help.

[Joe Legate]

I sink into a deeper level in Dante's vision of Hell.

Bring a few of those bottles with you. I'm just a few (dozen) levels below you.

[sardonix]

I have the habit of drinking up to about half of each new brand of bottle, then "retiring" it for future consumption. (Hopefully, I'll know that day when the time is right) Call me an absinthe hoarder, I guess. The ones I really like, I'll buy new bottles when I want more. And always looking to add new brands to the collection...

[Touch-Money]

I feel the same way, too many brands is never a bad thing! I actually have a collection of bottles that are empty too. The best one in that empty collection I think is Jade V.S. DP from I think 2004ish, I honestly can't remember. I know that MANY of you can put me to shame with both your empty bottles and your bottles with something remaining inside as well.

Cheers to empty bottles!

[OMG_Bill]

I'm not so good with empty bottles. I struggle with the last sip. I usually give them away before they're empty so I don't have to weep over an empty. Everybody wins!

 

Cheers!

[crow]

I've been reading some of these old threads about open bottles, looking for an answer to a question.

 

I had an experience a couple of weeks ago, finishing the last shot in a bottle of Ridge V. It was remarkably good, pungent, powerful, sweet, one of the best glasses of absinthe I've ever had (in my four month absinthe career). Joe confirmed for me that the last shot is always the best... but my question is: Is this the same for all brands?

 

I am coming down to the bottom of several bottles: VC, VP, MoL, and Pacifique. I have perhaps a drink or two left in each, and I've decided to stick them down in my basement wine cellar for a month or so, hoping that the mini aging period will produce a similar effect that I experienced with that last shot of Ridge V. Is this a good idea or will all that air in the bottles wreck the flavor? I don't plan to leave them for a long time; the Ridge wasn't open for very long at all before I finished it off (no comments please) so aging had little to do with the wonderful flavor. But I thought I'd experiment with leaving some dregs in other brands to see what happens. Opinions?

 

Also, I know absinthe should be stored in dark cabinet. My husband has asked me several times about keeping the absinthe bottles on a bar we have in the dining room because he likes the way the bottles look. I've told him no, that the light will wreck the color. But will the light also wreck the flavor? I assume it will, but I'm not sure.

[OMG_Bill]

I keep my booze in a closet and the colors still change. <shrug>

 

The aroma and taste doesn't seem to suffer.

 

Ron and I tasted some some Jades dated 2005 last spring. They were only about half full and they tasted great. He posted pics on here somewhere that showed the dates. Hell, I still have the bottles and some of the booze in them. They are several years old and seem to be doing just fine.

 

Some of the best absinthe I've ever sipped came from a less than full bottle and was over 100 years old.

 

YUMMEEEEE stuff!

 

Have fun with your experiment.

[Ambear]

Yes, I suppose I'm the newby maniac of the decade....what can I say! 24 absinthes tasted in 5 months.

 

I didn't know we were keeping score!

[Jack Griffin]

That was from 2010. I ran out of fingers and toes, including those of the dogs, a long time ago.

[Père Ubu]

My NO went into the closet after a handfull of drinks, and will stay there until the summer.

 

My Sauvage, came out after hiding for ~4 months. To me, it tastes better than ever.

[Ambear]

After finishing LTV and Lucid last year...I think this year has been 25 absinthes that have been reviewed since then, not to mention the orgy of absinthes at RMGH and others we've tasted.

 

I still have bottles of all of them except for the first 4 that were bought at the beginning of 2011...Kübler, Leopold's whatever-batch-it-was, Pacifique, and Obsello.