Is This Still Good? Check Out This Ultimate Guide to Alcohol Shelf Life

If you enjoy drinking alcoholic beverages straight, on the rocks, or mixed in with a cocktail, you must learn about alcohol shelf life. It might seem impossible for liquor and spirits to go bad, but some alcoholic drinks are only good for so long. Depending on a few factors, your alcohol may last a few years or more than a decade. You need to understand how different ingredients, temperatures, exposure to light and oxygen, and where you store your alcohol will impact its shelf life. Before you take that first sip of your drink, make sure it is safe to consume responsibly. Let’s talk about alcohol shelf life and how to determine whether your liquor, wine, or beer of choice is still refreshing and delicious to your palate.

What Is Alcohol Shelf Life and Why Does It Matter?

So, what is the shelf life of alcohol on average, and why is it important to know? The shelf life of an item, such as a bottle of wine or whisky, is the length of time that it is still fit to consume, use, or sell. Every alcohol will have a different shelf life, depending on whether it is unopened, open, or other conditions. 

Expiration

Can expired alcohol make you sick or worse if you drink it? When your alcohol is past its prime and unfit to drink, it might develop discoloration, cloudiness, a different taste, or unpleasant odors. Like it or not, controlling bacteria and a bit of chemistry come into play to create and protect the quality and performance of your liquor or spirits.

Ingredients

Typically, alcoholic beverages with a cream base will have a shorter lifespan than dairy-free spirits. The next problem is controlling exposure to oxygen and light, which will quickly escalate the deterioration of your alcohol. Many liquors and spirits are stored in glass bottles that are dark in color to keep the liquid in good condition and drinkable. They may also use caps, corks, or other methods to seal alcohol from unwanted impurities.

Exposure

Exposure to light, oxygen, and undesirable temperatures will eventually ruin your alcohol. It will likely lead to a proliferation of bacteria in your drink or cause your spirits to transform into vinegar. Before you anticipate a tasty beverage and freely pour your alcohol, look it over to see if there are signs that it is expired and unfit for your glass.

Tell-Tale Signs Your Alcohol Is Going Bad

Now that you know drinking expired distilled liquor or spirits will not send you to the hospital or worse, let’s cover signs your alcohol is past its prime. Once you open a bottle of wine, rum, or gin, it will change because of exposure to oxygen. Using a quality stopper, controlling temperature, and reducing exposure to oxygen and light will help somewhat. However, your drink will change within six months to two years once you open a bottle. The following factors will help you understand what’s going on with your alcoholic beverage:

  • Color
  • Smell
  • Taste
  • Appearance (Cloudy or Curdling)

Remember, most cream-based liqueurs and spirits will begin to separate and curdle after being open for a while. Plan to enjoy your cream-based alcoholic beverage within six months to a year, as this is the average alcohol shelf life after opening. Also, use proper storage to prevent spoilage. Drinking expired cream-based alcohol will likely turn your stomach and turn you off from enjoying an adult beverage for a while. If your drink has separated and has an off-putting odor, flavor, and appearance, toss it in the trash.

Beer

Pucker up if your beer has gone bad because it now tastes or smells similar to sulfur or cabbage or has an unintended sour taste. Usually, your beer will taste flat or unpalatable when it goes bad. You might experience a drink with a weird mouthfeel that smells similar to a skunk or urea. Once a beer is beyond its shelf life, it won’t kill you, but you won’t want to drink it. Unopened bottled beer can go bad after three months in a warm environment and last up to six months refrigerated.

Brandy

The taste of brandy is relatively sweet, but once it is old, it may develop a dull, vinegary, or nutty taste that is off-putting.  The ABV of brandy is usually between 35 to 40% so that this spirit won’t spoil or develop mold, bacteria, or fungi. However, the flavor profile that makes this beverage desirable will turn and cause an uproar in your glass. If you wish, try storing brandy in the fridge or a cool, dry place away from the sun.

Gin

Try to enjoy your gin within a year after you open it. After a year or two, the flavor profile of your drink will change for the worse, thanks to oxygenation. Stick to a quality brand with a high ABV, keep it away from radiators and sunlight, and ensure it has a tight seal. When stored properly, this liquor and spirit has an indefinite liquor shelf life.

Rum

One reason alcohol is a preservative and deters the growth of undesirable bacteria, mold, or fungi is the ABV. However, drinks like rum with a high sugar content will lose their alcoholic punch and power when it expires.  If your rum isn’t open, it may last for a decade or longer. But once rum is open, drink it within six months. Rum that has gone bad may taste bitter or sour or smell like cardboard or burnt sugar. It should not look cloudy or have a thick texture.

Sake

As a timeless alcoholic beverage with a long tradition, sake doesn’t have an expiration date. However, as with most distilled beverages, it won’t make you sick or spoil, but the flavor and experience will be poor. If your sake should look clear, but it has a yellow tint or rancid odor, discard it. Keep your sake unopened in the fridge or in a cool, dry place safely for six to ten years. Open sake should stay in the refrigerator, tightly sealed, and remain fit to drink for one to two years.

Tequila

Thanks to the agave plant, we can enjoy the Mexican spirit tequila for its distinct flavor profile. However, when tequila suffers from too much exposure to light or oxygen, and if the cap isn’t secure, it will spoil. Typical signs that your tequila is no longer good include a brown or yellow tint, a sour, off-putting odor, and if it tastes terrible. If your drink tastes sour, you can risk mixing it into a cocktail to mask it, but it might not be worth the hassle. When in doubt, try to enjoy tequila within a year of opening.

Vodka

Keep your bottle of vodka sealed; it will last on the shelf for decades. Once opened,  keep it in the fridge or a dark, cool place for best results. Taste your vodka if it’s been around for a while, as it may develop an off-putting odor, color, or terrible taste.

Whiskey

If you can hold onto your bottle of whisky and avoid opening it, this tasty beverage should enjoy an indefinite liquor shelf life. Once open, however, whisky will change in flavor, color, and smell between six months to two years. A fuller bottle will last longer than one with a scant amount of alcohol.

Wine

Most wines will continue to age and develop beautifully inside their bottle if unopened and under ideal storage containers. However, enjoy sparkling wines within hours of opening unless you like a flat drink. Open wine can last a few days to a week if you refrigerate it and ensure it has a tight seal with a quality stopper.

Are There Ways to Improve Alcohol Shelf Life?

Improve the odds in your favor and look for certain factors to improve the shelf life of your favorite brew, wine, liquor, and spirits. Keep in mind the following points that strongly influence the shelf life, taste, color, and overall quality. Ideally, if you can control factors that will destroy the flavor profile, notes and scents, and composition of your alcohol, you should be able to enjoy it longer.

  • The Alcohol By Volume (ABV) – The higher the ABV, the better the quality of your drink, and there’s more alcohol to hang around to fight off evaporation. Beverages with a higher ABV are usually more shelf-stable.
  • The size of the bottle – Step down your bottle size as you consume your beverage to reduce exposure to oxygen and promote your liquor or spirit’s longevity.
  • Age of your alcoholic beverage – Wine might become more mature and develop a rich flavor complexity in the bottle. But this isn’t true for distilled spirits. Between six months and two years, the flavor profile of your unopened whisky, gin, or brandy may change. Open bottles will lose their potency and desirable qualities faster.
  • Storage conditions and position of your bottle – Find a cool, dry place and store your bottle upright, away from the cap, cork, or stopper.
  • Minimizing exposure to oxygen and light – Exposure to oxygen and light will destroy your alcohol.
  • Keeping your alcohol in an ideal temperature range – Avoid exposure to extreme cold or heat, which can bring out undesirable qualities in your alcoholic beverage.

Storing Alcohol

Many liquors will gradually lose their initial flavor profile and desirable qualities within one to two years after opening a bottle. Store your alcohol in an upright position and in a stable, cool, dry place to promote its longevity. Realize that some liquors and spirits will go bad, even in ideal storage conditions, after opening. Sparkling wine and beer have the shortest life spans and should be consumed shortly after opening. 

Vodka is one beverage that has a long liquor shelf life, even after opening. Open vodka will stay good to drink for 10 to 20 years. Exposure to oxygen will gradually alter the flavor profile and drinking experience of most open liquor or spirits within one to two years. For an opened bottle of whisky and other hard liquors, the flavor, depth, and character may change for the better at first. But as the years go on, the progress triggered by oxygenation won’t delight your senses the same way, and it will taste like swill.

But Will Drinking This Really Be Bad?

Is it safe to drink alcohol that is expired or passed its expected shelf life? One problem with alcohol shelf life is wondering whether drinking this beverage will make you sick or worse, right? If you enjoy drinking whisky, tequila, or other hard liquors, it isn’t likely to significantly harm you if you drink an open bottle 20 years later. However, a lower alcohol content because of evaporation, oxygenation, and other chemical changes might make your drink taste bad.

Another concern for anyone who enjoys drinking alcoholic beverages is the sugar content. Many liquors and spirits have exciting flavors and a high sugar content., which will impact how it tastes and ages. Any beverages that are less than 80% proof and have a lot of sugar will have a shorter lifespan. Brandy, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, and whisky are very shelf-stable when left unopened, thanks to their low sugar content.

The bottom line is no; your alcohol will most likely result in anything tragic. Typically, most expired liquor and spirits will develop a turned flavor profile and lose their alcoholic punch. Stick to alcoholic beverages produced by a professional distillery to stay safe. If you aren’t an expert distiller, however, your homemade alcohol might have botulism or too much methanol, which could make you ill or worse. 

Know That Alcoholic Beverages Change With Time

We provided some information about popular alcoholic beverages and how they usually change. Depending on how you store your alcohol and whether it is open or unopen, enjoy drinking responsibly. Remember, most expired liquor and spirits won’t spoil or make you terribly ill or worse, but they will lose their alcoholic potency and not taste as you would expect. If your liquor and spirits still smell, taste, and look good, bottoms up!

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