Hi- I have come into possession of 2 bottles of Amaretto (Saronno) and 1 bottle of Baileys Irish Cream, all full. They are far from new, could be about 15 years old.
I believe scotch and such last "forever" but does anyone know about this type of product?
Thanks in advance. Gino
Both contain enough alcohol so that they should be safe. So open them when you are ready and taste. Most drinks of this sort do not change much in taste or smell with time if they have not been opened. If exposed to light, some will fade in color over time. Since the Baileys contains cream, I wonder how well it remains mixed after very many years, since I have never had a bottle of it this old. I have seen bottles much older than these being sold at auction.
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I once had a bad bottle of Bailey's, quite noticeable by the contents having separated in the bottle and by a definitely rank smell. You could probably assume that if it looks and smells good it will be ok; but remember that the alcohol content of Bailey's is not all that high, far from the 80-proof Scotches and their ilk. Your spoilage risk will be inversely proportional to that alcohol content.
pavane
Baileys is spoiled the cream used in it has curdled. Baileys now puts a used by date or their products. I have had customers who come down here for the winter and try to return bottles of Baileys that have been in there winter homes during the summer season. None of it is good. As to the Amaretto and Scotch you might find when you open them that the corks have shrunken like those in older bottles of Champagne. You might have trouble taking the caps of the bottles and you will have some evaporation.
On Mar 4, 3:33 pm, "sibeer" wrote:
My spirits are stored in the same room with the wine at low temperature and controlled high humidity. Thus some of my experiences may not be typical for those who store spirits in a heated room and the spirits may be exposed to bright light, especially sunlight. I don't drink Bailey's often. However I have stored it at least 2 years before opening without problems, although I consumed it fairly soon after opening because I wondered what exposure to oxygen in the air would do to the cream. I have some spirits stored for up to about 50 years. Some of the older ones used corks, but many used screw caps, even many years ago. I have used sealing wax over the tops of some of the older bottles that I wanted to keep a long time. I have a nice collection of pre-revolutionary Cuban Bacardi rums including Anejo, Carte de Oro, and Carta Blanca. Bacardi made rums in various places before the revolution, but their Cuban rums were considered best. Bacardi left Cuba after the revolution. Their old pre-revolutionary rums from Cuba remain superior to anything they are making today elsewhere. I bought these rums just before they became unavailable in the very late 50s. Then there is a small bottle of Ng Ky Py that is over 40 years old and has been opened. The best I can tell, it has not changed much if any. This apparently is based on broom corn and who knows how many herbs and spices are added. It is nearly a fluorescent red-yellow color. The taste and bite are nearly beyond belief. I have yet to find anyone who likes it. I mentioned it to an engineer at work several years ago. He was from Burma and was of Chinese background. He gave me one of those "I know more than I am saying" laughs, and asked me how I liked it. I replied that it had the worst taste of any drink I ever had. He laughed and said it was used as a medicine, but would say no more. After much research, I found that some Chinese drink it because they think it will improve their love life.
Mezcal con Gusano keeps well, but the worm in it looks a little worse after several years. Some fruit liqueurs tend to taste less fresh after being opened and exposed to some air for a while. I have found this especially true for Chambord. Some of the flower liqueurs such as Parfait Amour, Creme de Rose and Creme de Violettes tend to fade in color on long storage, especially if they have been opened.
The list of spirits and liqueurs seems to be nearly endless. Some that are not likely to be at the corner store in the US include: Okolehao, Batava Arak, Turkish Raki, Cloudberry Liqueur, Damiana, Pisang Ambon. I have had all of these and many more at one time.
I actually keep Bailey's in the refrigerator.
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