When I came home from a trip to England, I stopped by the duty free store and picked up half a dozen bottles of Scotch at the “World of Whisky” store in Heathrow. As a friend of Scotch, I drink it regularly but even half a dozen bottles, especially of types I don’t normally get, is something that will last for quite some time so I needed to figure out how I was going to store it.
Fortunately, storing scotch whisky is like storing wine. Keep it out of the sunlight and in a cool, dry place. For us, that’s the basement. If you keep it in a cool, dry place you can store a bottle of whisky indefinitely. The only risk you have is that the cork disintegrate in older bottles, but that’s not a concern for us since all my bottles are fairly new.
If the bottle is opened, the character of the whisky starts to change because of the air inside. The more air, the more it changes. This means the whisky will change faster as you consume it because there will be more air (less whisky) as you drink it. You can go as far as getting a vacuum pump and special stoppers to remove the air, but I find that to be unnecessary most of the time.
(Photo: roblisameehan)
Hi Jim,
I’m relatively new to whisky in general and Scotch in particular. A friend introduced me to 12 yr Glenlivet with a fine cigar sitting in overstuffed worn leather chairs. An incredible experience! I purchased a bottle and need to understand more with regard to gaining the most enjoyment from it. My friend gave a straight pour, but I understand adding water may be beneficial to the aroma, flavor, etc. I don’t want to ruin the experience. I’m willing to be taught the finer points.
Thanks.
Like life, whisky is all about the experience around it as much as it is the dram. The best dram in a plastic cup in a back alley won’t match your experience. 🙂
Try it both ways and see which you prefer!