Ralfy, I use clean glass marbles to insert in bottles of both whiskey and wine to displace the air so I can raise the whiskey up to the top leaving just enough space for the whiskey to settle. It really extends the life of a bottle of wine but then again with two of us there not too many bottles that go in unfinished.
To keep my bottles fresh. I use the same technique as I do with my carboys when making ale. I drop sterilised, rinsed, and dry marbles into the whisky displacing the volume of air, thus raising the level so it stays in the narrowest part of the neck below the stopper cork; almost as it it was never opened. Of course there is a point usually the last 1/3rd. when you're simply filtering the whisky through marbles, then you ought to finish the bottle.
Ralphy its not the CO2 but the inert heavy argon which blankets the liquor. Argon is chemically unreactive and we use same techniques in the lab to exclude oxygen from reactions. Cheers!
@@testnameone806 CO2 is not chemically inert and will react with water to form carbonic acid. The pH of your liquor will drop over time or to describe it differently, your liquor will become more acidic. Nitrogen or Argon is the gas you want to use if you want to be inert. (nitrogen is cheaper but not as heavy as argon)
Mixing a third of three bottles is a brilliant way to start a solera bottle. Thank you Ralfy for both ideas. I have spent too much time worrying about my spirits going bad. I will be doing this, though I will be much more adventurous. I'm already fond of mixing bourbon and cognac, although I will never mix cognac and rum again!
Just to avoid a boff experience Ralfy, a word to the wise, a word to the wise. Unless you've just come off the bender of all benders, under no circumstance prepare your whisky sample bottles anywhere near your urine sample bottles.
I've been drinking single malts for more than fifty years, and I always learn something new from you. Would that I had found yout channel years ago! Tnahk you.
I guess it is okay now after this informative video to mix remnants of whiskey into smaller bottles to reduce oxidization !!!! I am so tired of my dribs and drabs of my Whiskey to lose their potency ..Thank you Dearest Ralphy !!!! Now I am in search of smaller bottles!!!!
This is the first time I've stumbled upon this channel and what a great find you are! This has been one of the most enjoyable reviews I have ever watched - absolutely fantastic personality and excellent command of English made this rather lengthy clip a breeze. Thank you for doing what you do!
I know this is a 9 year old video but thought I'd throw in my 2 cents. I'm not sold that whiskies (peated or otherwise) change in the bottle as much as our palates change over time. I know the first bottle of Laphroaig 10 year old I bought in the late '90s was such a shock to my system I put it away for 5 years. On re-tasting it seemed much better but still not my cup of tea. 5 more years and I tried it again and what do you know, I liked it! I visited a friend of mine and commented on how much my 10 year old bottle of 10 year old had improved. He pulled out a brand new Laphroaig bottle and we had a taste. Tasted exactly like my old bottle. I can only conclude that my palate had changed much more than the whiskey over 10 years. Now that bottle did not have a lot of air space, maybe 4-5 ounces. And I will admit I bought myself a can of pure argon as I'm drinking more whiskey than ever. I used to only have 6-8 bottles open at one time but I've got 40 open now and with the prices going up I think it is only prudent. I really enjoy your channel, I've only begun to scratch the surface of all your reviews. I hope to make it to IOM someday and if I do I'll try to look you up.
Thank you Ralfy on showing us how to make your own blends. I've married half empties of scotch and Irish. Here's my current blends: HighlandBunnahabain12 and Writer's Black Bush Tears. Cheers!
An interesting experiment would be to take a sample just after opening the bottle for the first time, then take a second sample when the bottle is half empty. Once you're down to your last dram, do a comparison of the two samples taken earlier against the last dram in the bottle. You'll get a nice indication of how oxidization affects the whisky...especially if you take several months (or longer) to empty a bottle. Sometimes you'll find that the first sample isn't necessarily the best. I often find that whisky hits a "sweet spot" when the bottle is about half empty. The oxidization helps to improve the flavor, but the whisky hasn't yet gone flat.
Thanks for another great vid, Ralfy! I've also noticed that oxidisation seems to have helped some of my single malts 'settled down' and unfold their flavours much better after the bottles have been opened! Although I must say, none of my bottles are currently missing more than 25% volume. Therefore I wanted to ask, at which point would you recommend decanting/spray-treating/etc. a bottle? When it's about half-empty? Earlier? Later? Thanks!
Thanks a lot for this review. Very informative (as usual) Regarding pouring the golden liquid over to small bottles as you're doing at 7:30 I have a found a small stainless steel funnel (designed for hip flasks) to be very helpful. Problem is to find them in the stores (at least where I live) - but on eBay you'll find anything - including this. And they are almost free also, costing less than a dollar delivered. Highly reommended (ebay keywords: stainless steel for funnel flask)
Hi Ralfy, I heard of another way to prevent oxidisation by putting (clean) glas marbles in the bottle to raise the whisky. Not my first choice though, but maybe a bit more aesthetic than refilling the whisky in small, ugly bottles. This way you can also adapt to the amount of whisky left in the bottle. And one question, what happened to your blend? Did you test it already?
I think the vapor pressure in a bottle of whiskey that it not very nearly empty should be enough to exclude air, given the relatively small diameter of the bottleneck. It would also help to store the bottle at a somewhat lower temperature than room, which is often easily accomplished. Most whiskey bottles on the pub shelf have a positive (outward) net vapor pressure.
Hi Ralfy: Thank you very much for your positive review of PP! Siegel & Associates exports and distributes Private Preserve worldwide. People have seen #218 and have contacted me. We really appreciate you finding us. Sir Phillip Hills supported us! Thanks again.
Nature abhors a vacuum. Nature finds a way. Over time air finds the vacuum and negates it. It is an on earth thing. In the vacuum of space all bets are off.
I have a 12 year old bottle of Ancnoc which I opened around eight years ago, since I only have a small glass once a month or less, this is actually a problem for me. On the other hand its interesting to smell/taste how it evolves.
Interesting - thanks! I had a few older bottles of single malts like Glenfiddich 12YO and Glenlivet 12YO at home that I "saved" for later, with the bottles about 1/4 full. When I tasted them later on they were really flat and, while still not bad, nowhere near the flavour they were when I purchased them. I will have to take these tips to heart - smaller glass bottles is really really cheap, so no use not using the information.
when you decant the whisky, either into the smaller jars or via the funnel, you're causing a lot of bubbling. Isn't this going to oxygenate the whisky more and speed up the process. That's why decanting wine allows it to breathe more. Just a thought. You could do it more slowly and carefully I guess.
it truly causes this bubbling and youre right, it coukd be done more carefully, but you might rethink your point with wine decanting when decanting a wine you give it in a decanter with a lot wider neck and bowl and like twice or even more the volume of the wine you decant and leave it for at least half an hour so you highly increase the contact surface of wine and oxigen and give the reaction time to take place cause it isnt happening instant when you now take what ralfy does in comparison, you see, that he uses containers right the size to fit in the whisky, so minimum oxigen is in there and closes them immediately furthermore the whisky does not quite hold the bubbles, so the increased contact surface is of such a short duration, that yes some reaction might take place, but as i think not as much as leaving it in the huuuge bottle
My technique is to have only one open bottle at a time and finish it within about 3 - 4 months, then opening another. Oddly, I once had a bottle of bourbon opened and forgot about it for over ten years. When I drank it, it was still quite good.
If your consumption is 1 bottle every 3-4 months then you have my utmost respect! I try to keep mine at 1 bottle every 2.5 months. I think that what we’re doing a good thing!
Keegan Boodoo sorry didn’t see this. Yes on the whole it’s successful i drink multiple bottles but once they get to 1/3 I either gas them, blend em or finish em
I'm quite the Springbank fan and loved my Hazelburn 12yo but I think I would never had the balls to do what you did. Really looking forward to your review!
Hi Ralfy. I've seen a reference to 'old bottle effect' possibly having an influence on a whisky from the 1970's. Could you tell we what 'old bottle effect' is, how it comes about and how you might discern if a vintage bottle of malt was affected by it?
Good advice all, as always! One problem: I now have a small fleet of 4oz whisky sample bottles that I don't know what to do with. There is another option for dealing with near-empty bottles, slightly off-the-topic: if you're down to 1/4 of a bottle or so, finish the damn thing! At Chateau de Fasterisc, near-empties become my house malts. And I've got a special place set aside for them at the front of the cupboard, so's that I don't forget!
Hello Ralfy. I live in a very hot country, where average temperature at night is 26ºC. I do love Whisky, but sometimes it makes me sweat. I know that cooling the whisky weakens it's smell, but is that true even on higher temperatures? I don't use ice nor stones, but I was thinking about using cold water (around 10ºC) instead of room temperature water. That would cool my whisky to about 20 to 22ºC, and wouldn't numb my palates. Would that be wise or will it just kill my whisky?
I can’t remember where I saw it eBay, Etsy or possibly Amazon but they had these glass marbles to bring the level up in the bottle. They were in with a gift set with a couple of tumblers and those granite ice cubes.
I too have been experimenting with nitrogen for the preservation of my whisky bottles and, although pricey, it does undoubtedly work. I do suggest using teflon for wrapping the stopper, it doesn't leave the sticky mess that electrical tape leaves on the stopper and bottleneck.
One thing to try, add a very small pellet of dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) and let it bubble away. Carbon dioxide is heavier than air, so it will stay sunken in the bottle. If you are concerned about carbonic acid, it will okay, because the solubility to carbon dioxide in water is relatively low at room temperature. Also, carbonic acid has a pH of approximately 6, which also just happens to be the pH of most whisky.
Argon, being a heavier noble gas, will force oxygen out while not reacting with the contents. Nitrogen is somewhat reactive, though, so it's interesting that was included. Something to try might be dry ice. It sounds bizarre, but put a funnel in the bottle and hold dry ice over it for several seconds. Dry ice decomposes to CO2, the same as holding a flame in the bottle would generate. Also, since it is cold CO2, it will stay in the bottle better while corking it.
Ralfy, one thing I don't get is why the oxygen apparently harms the whisky more in a bottle than in a cask. I mean, in the cask, there's also plenty of oxygen, and it's continuously becoming more!
Ralfy how do I wash my glencairn glass or any receptacle that will be used to contain whisky. Should I use a special dishwashing liquid or does a common one work? I ve heard some people wash whisky glasses or whisky receptacles only with water cause a dishwashing liquid can leave impurities in the glass that can affect the whisky.
I've had a couple of malts, a Glendronach 1968 and an Ardbeg 1975, for over 20 years. I am guessing they have lost something, but in my opinion, not a lot! They both taste and smell pretty much as good as ever. I keep them in a cold dark cupboard, and they are not regularly opened. I am, of course sure some oxidation has taken place, but to me not a discernable amount I presume due to the lack of disturbance if you get me. They both have approximately 1/3 left, but I am reluctant to attempt a blend, but will certainly get a private preserve and use in the future. Apart from "I should drink them sooner" do you have any thoughts Ralfy?
@@thewhiskybothy thanks for that suggestion Ralfy, much appreciated. That is pretty much the unplanned approach I have taken over time, and happy to continue!
@havisFin Chemist here. Don't you worry about that. As soon as you pour yourself a glass, air gets into the bottle. There's oxygen in the air, so now oxydation is starting. BUT: this is a very slow process, so whether you leave the bottle open for 10 minutes or immediately close it won't make ANY difference oxidation-wise. (It would only make a difference in that time some oxygen was already "used up" by oxidation, which won't be the case) There's gonna be more change by the whisky evaporating.
Hello Ralfy, thank you for your wonderful videos. I have a question for you. I got a bottle of Balvenie 17 year old double wood which I opened a while ago. It’s missing about 100-150ml now. Since this bottle has been discontinued here would it be fine to top off the bottle with miniatures of the same balvenie 17 years in order to minimize the air volume in the bottle? Thank you.
I don't know is his has been asked before, but have you considered the rubber stoppers that enable you to pump the air out of the bottle? Often used in bars to keep wine fresh. Perhaps they are not good for long term use?
Ralfy, you occasionally say that a whisky in fact improves over time as the bottle empties. So when you have a bottle you are unfamiliar with should we try these methods of in fact just leave as is? Also when taking a sample for the future should it be taken when the bottle is near full/near empty/somewhere in the middle?
Ralfy, what about that treated Laga 12yo, did the aerosol work as planned or is this experiment still maturing and waiting for a suitable tasting moment?
Great video as always! I have a 12 pack of 8 oz boston round bottles on the way. When my bottles get below 1/3 I'll make the transfer, and try to keep them around as sample bottles to A/B compare with newer purchases :)
Argon would be better then the nitrogen based Private Reserve. It is available in a similair spray can, with the long straw as Bloxygen. Made to keep varnish and types of paint fresh, but works just as well. With argon being heavier it will settle down below the oxygen by itself much easier. Search for Bloxygen on Amazon.
I have another vacuum sucker for also wine etc which closes the bottle and can put it upside down without spoiling a drop... would that perhaps be some kind of suitable?
Any thoughts on what the argon and nitrogen are doing? Presumably, just spraying into the bottle C02 is inadequate. But why? Also, regarding the vacuum stopper. After vacuuming, I put a few layers of plastic food wrap over the stopper, wrap the excess tightly and secure it with a rubber band. I imagine it works to prevent any air from getting back into the bottle. (I have not tested to see how well this works.)
If you want to remove the oxygen out of the bottle, instead of using the lighter inside the bottle and risking the butane ruining the whiskey couldn't you use one of those fireplace matches? They are up to 12 inches long. Just an idea. I don't know if you have tried it and dismissed it or not.
I prefer Ardbeg, Talisker and Lagavaulin (personal favorite) after a little oxidation, They soften a little and have a slightly more vanilla element to them. The first dram is much more rough. Although a 15 minute rest in the glass and a bit of body warmth also help.
ok cheers for reply, ive been breathing in it until today when i received the wine preserver which ill fill up tommorrow Cheers for your reply, wonder what the big distillaries do when they have a 50 year old which was opened after 25 or years and oxygen got in
Hi Ralfy, I have a bottle of Glenmorangie and I'm trying a Soda Stream. Pure CO2. You have to be careful because it can spray the whisky everywhere :-). Couple of short bursts into the top of the bottle and I wonder how that will do. I've not got a control sample but I might take some out and add it to an old Abelour botttle.
10:20 'the balls to do it'...... once while on holiday on the Isle of Skye, bringing a small selection of whiskies with us, my climbing partner and I mixed 1 part Talisker Storm with 2 parts 15 yo Springbank and took the result up the Cuillin Ridge (150ml bottle). The blend worked out better that expected... the weather during the 2-day traverse did as well. After a bivouac and about 28 hours of climbing, an approaching storm strongly suggested we use one of the last possible escape routes and retire, which we did, 2 peaks before the end. Too bad we didn't complete but what an adventure! We went off to the Sligachan hotel to celebrate in good tired fashion, had a good hot meal and of course a few more drams :-)
Good tips, used the blending one and decanter myself, so far all my blends have been a great succes. So I can only recommend doing that, can't wait for your review on the blended you did :)!
Wow, I love the idea with the gas. Unfortunately it's not available in my country. I use to put glass spheres into my bottles. I think that's a simple but effective method to keep the air out of them. Prost :)
You could buy a bottle cap with a valve that you connect to a pump to pumpt the air out. I've tried some ones made of rubber and plastic and they work OK for red wine so should be better than nothing for a whisky bottle as well.
Ralfy, I've heard you talk about screw caps sealing bottles just as well or even better than corks do. I'm sure plastic ones are fine, but what about metal ones? I imagine they might warp slightly when opened and thus not maintain as perfect a seal. What's your take on this?
Maybe its me but I think that lesser peated/smoky whiskies get more peaty with oxidisation. I'm thinking of things like Highland Park, Clynelish and Longrow CV - for maybe the first few weeks the peat/smoke can appear non-existant, but after that it seems to find its way through to the surface.
Hi again ralfy! Did you ever end up getting around to reviewing that Lagavulin 12 bottle you used the wine preservation spray on? I'd love to know if the spray worked (and continues) to work out for you. I have a few bottles that I'm sipping on very slowly but I want to preserve them over time. They're not the kind of spirit I'm going to buy quite often! Thanks for all you do :)
Hi Ralfy...it's very warm these days here and the temperature is too high in my appartment so i've stored my bottles in the only cool place instead of being exposed to warmth; is it OK to store the bottles in the fridge (lower level not the coolest) ? Could it do harm to the flavors if kept two weeks at 40°F ? thank you
What about dropping a small but sufficiently-sized piece of dry ice into the bottle? Won't that form a layer of CO2 the same way without damage to the contents? Just wondering.
Hey Ralfy, Malt-Matador here. So how many bottles of whisky do you have at home anyway? Inspired by your videos, I have started building a small collection of my own. Ardbeg 10yo and Aberlour A'bunah to name a couple of the better ones I have at home right now.
A lot of information here and it does sound well worthwhile. A tip to first time Ralfy watchers though. He takes a while to get to the point on this one. Put him on double speed and you'll be rewarded on the double.
Howdy Ralfy! Thanks for sharin" such a valuable info) Will ya please tell me whether those methods are appropriate just for whiskies or for rums and cognacs as well?
Ralfy: What can you use to replace a damaged cork? Had a bottle of Glenfarclas for which the cork crumbled to bits (apparently a very old bottle -- still tasted good, however), and the only thing I had available to replace it was one of those cheap rubber vacuum corks. Your advice and my instincts tell me this isn't the best solution. Any suggestions?
Good stuff as always Ralfy. I think using gas is certainly the way to go. As a homebrewer I have a tank of CO2 on hand so I can use it for such a purpose. That or pure nitrogen would work just as well as the special mix (which is a similar mixture to what welders use).
I've recently witnessed oxidized whisky and know how horrible it can be. My concern is: anytime you are pouring liquid, especially through a funnel you are introducing lots of oxygen. Does this not bind to the spirit? Especially over repeated pouring lots of oxygenation is being introduced. Does moving a half bottle into a smaller bottle actually preserve the spirit or if it's been sitting for a few months, isn't it already too far gone?
I've noticed that with the Ardbeg 10 I just bought. The first sip was transcendent but it's lost some of its peat and brine character now that I've had it a few weeks.
ralfy - what i do as an experiment. i pour last dram of a bottle in another bottle and slowly but surely this "blended" bottle keeps filling up. as i drink almost only islay whiskey i guess i do not have to worry that the new blended whiskey could not fit due to the mix i do. i must even say, i tasted lately a bit to see what it is all about. it tasted just gREAT! but yeah, i might use this argon stuff on it. what do you think of my idea?
i never understood how oxidation does not reach the whisky during it's processing at the distillery or bottling plant,,the barels are emptied in a rush of air into a large vat that is exposed to the air all before bottling,how come this is also not an issue with those making moonshine or whisky at home?
Hi Ralfy - about this wine preserver. If you blanket a CO2 over the surface of the whisky separating it from the oxygen, my guess would be that you need to keep the bottle steady afterwards, cause any shaking or moving may cause the CO2 and oxygen to mix. Or even if they mix, would heavier CO2 fall down and separate the whisky from the oxygen again? From wikipedia: Carbon dioxide has one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms, and a molecular weight of 44 grams per mole ( a certain number of molecules). ... Hence, carbon dioxide has a higher density, or is heavier than oxygen. That would mean that even if you shake the contents of the bottle a bit, you will get the CO2 to settle down under oxygen. Amirite?
Hello Ralfy, John here from U.S. Nj. I have a bottle of Johnnie Walker green label, and Peat monster on a bookshelf with some lighting. After I'm done having a drink with them, I store them in the same boxes they came in , is that dark enough to save the whiskey from getting ruined??
Dear Ralfy Products like Private Preserve are almost impossible to get hold of where I live, and it often takes me many a month to empty a bottle of whisky (yes I'm a slow drinker). Do you know if it is recommendable to use other, more easily obtainable gases, such as pure CO2?
weird I did not know such thing existed ! By the way, I must admit I'm not familiar with the springbank hazelburn longrow range. But if you blend one, do you blend even what? I mean, blennding peat with citrus and another very sweet whisky, isn't that going to taste very horrible?
Hi, Ralfy. I have poured my whisky into 20 cl apple juice bottle with metal cap, such as yours. And I think, that there is a metal taste in it now after a week. What do you think about it? Is there a way to prevent such a disaster in future or even correct my mistake?
We use this method for keeping liquid chemicals that need to be stored in an inert atmosphere (if we wish to have the ressure in the continer at atmospheric pressure). We generally bubble the CO2 slowly through the bottom of the liquid.
hey ralfy! question; how about using an oxygen absorber like the preppers do with dried food storage to prevent oxidation? it would have to be kept out of the liquid, but they are cheap and would remove most of the oxygen. they could be replaced each time the bottle was used 'cause they're cheap.
Thanks. Your answer doesn't quite address my question. Is CO2 alone inadequate, for some reason? (Nitrogen is not inert.) Is argon too expensive to simply use it to displace air in the bottle, instead of CO2? Why is CO2 alone inadequate? (I was thinking of buying a CO2 canister, vacuuming air out the bottle, then pumping CP2 back in.) Someone else suggested argon would help displace oxygen, since it will sink and force the oxygen out of the bottle.
hiya, loving the whisky reviews! thank you! Quick question please? I have a Lagavulin 16 and Talisker 10 I bought just over 10 years ago, unopened. I know these do not usually age in the bottle, but wondered if they have any other interest value to them based on changes in quality/taste to the bottles from today? And therefore coming to the conclusion on if I should keep them as is, or get drinking?! :) I actually bought a new bottle of Talisker a few weeks ago instead of opening this one!
I buy one bottle and it generally lasts me 3-4 weeks so i don't have the problem of worrying about fading. However i must have been a bloody great dad this year as i received one beautiful Glenfiddich Rich oak 14 year and one superb Glenlivet 12 year. Dilemma! do i double up on the drammage or do i heed your advice on the vid Ralfy? ; )
Glass beads could be added to a bottle as this would displace air. It would add to the weight of the bottle. It would also pose a choking hazard unless there was a strainer added.
Nice little segment Ralphy boy, but FYI if your vac seals only hold vacuum for (I think you said 24 hrs or something) try another brand, I've got bottles I've forgotten about for 6 to 12 months (on numerous occasions) which still have a vacuum seal. The only way they will lose their seal is by perishing, and I've had them for more than a decade and there's no sign of that, and that's from two different manufacturers. Just to add to your segment, I'd like to mention that I think most of my whiskys improve after opening I'm talking within hours right up to weeks of the first opening. And Then at the other end of the scale, I've even had a Laphroaig 10 Y/O that was bought 20-30 years ago (owned by a friend) that I thought was trying to make love to my taste buds (not the friend - the whisky) it was that good, and have sampled the same recently bottled 10 Y/O twice and no comparison, hands down as low as they could go the older bottle wins, by a mile.
Ralfy, I use clean glass marbles to insert in bottles of both whiskey and wine to displace the air so I can raise the whiskey up to the top leaving just enough space for the whiskey to settle. It really extends the life of a bottle of wine but then again with two of us there not too many bottles that go in unfinished.
This is actualy a brilliant idea!
To keep my bottles fresh. I use the same technique as I do with my carboys when making ale.
I drop sterilised, rinsed, and dry marbles into the whisky displacing the volume of air, thus raising the level so it stays in the narrowest part of the neck below the stopper cork; almost as it it was never opened. Of course there is a point usually the last 1/3rd. when you're simply filtering the whisky through marbles, then you ought to finish the bottle.
Ralphy its not the CO2 but the inert heavy argon which blankets the liquor. Argon is chemically unreactive and we use same techniques in the lab to exclude oxygen from reactions. Cheers!
. . . thanks for the clarity !
Would CO2 work?
@@testnameone806 CO2 is not chemically inert and will react with water to form carbonic acid. The pH of your liquor will drop over time or to describe it differently, your liquor will become more acidic. Nitrogen or Argon is the gas you want to use if you want to be inert. (nitrogen is cheaper but not as heavy as argon)
They must be making an absolute fortune flogging cans of common atmospheric gases for £14/15 each.
@@DM-kv9kj maybe but separating the gases from the atmosphere isn't something you can do in your shed on a long weekend so better than nothing
Mixing a third of three bottles is a brilliant way to start a solera bottle. Thank you Ralfy for both ideas. I have spent too much time worrying about my spirits going bad. I will be doing this, though I will be much more adventurous. I'm already fond of mixing bourbon and cognac, although I will never mix cognac and rum again!
Beginnings of the infinity bottle concept. Love you Ralfy.
Just to avoid a boff experience Ralfy, a word to the wise, a word to the wise. Unless you've just come off the bender of all benders, under no circumstance prepare your whisky sample bottles anywhere near your urine sample bottles.
I've been drinking single malts for more than fifty years, and I always learn something new from you. Would that I had found yout channel years ago! Tnahk you.
I guess it is okay now after this informative video to mix remnants of whiskey into smaller bottles to reduce oxidization !!!! I am so tired of my dribs and drabs of my Whiskey to lose their potency ..Thank you Dearest Ralphy !!!! Now I am in search of smaller bottles!!!!
This is the first time I've stumbled upon this channel and what a great find you are! This has been one of the most enjoyable reviews I have ever watched - absolutely fantastic personality and excellent command of English made this rather lengthy clip a breeze. Thank you for doing what you do!
I know this is a 9 year old video but thought I'd throw in my 2 cents. I'm not sold that whiskies (peated or otherwise) change in the bottle as much as our palates change over time. I know the first bottle of Laphroaig 10 year old I bought in the late '90s was such a shock to my system I put it away for 5 years. On re-tasting it seemed much better but still not my cup of tea. 5 more years and I tried it again and what do you know, I liked it! I visited a friend of mine and commented on how much my 10 year old bottle of 10 year old had improved. He pulled out a brand new Laphroaig bottle and we had a taste. Tasted exactly like my old bottle. I can only conclude that my palate had changed much more than the whiskey over 10 years. Now that bottle did not have a lot of air space, maybe 4-5 ounces. And I will admit I bought myself a can of pure argon as I'm drinking more whiskey than ever. I used to only have 6-8 bottles open at one time but I've got 40 open now and with the prices going up I think it is only prudent.
I really enjoy your channel, I've only begun to scratch the surface of all your reviews. I hope to make it to IOM someday and if I do I'll try to look you up.
Very Interesting subject Ralfy! We don't want to rush our whisky and alternatively we don't want our whisky to fade over time.
Hi Ralfy! Did you ever make a new video or post about this Lagavulin 16 bottle you sealed with wine preserver here?
Thank you Ralfy on showing us how to make your own blends. I've married half empties of scotch and Irish. Here's my current blends: HighlandBunnahabain12 and Writer's Black Bush Tears. Cheers!
. . . happy to help !
An interesting experiment would be to take a sample just after opening the bottle for the first time, then take a second sample when the bottle is half empty. Once you're down to your last dram, do a comparison of the two samples taken earlier against the last dram in the bottle. You'll get a nice indication of how oxidization affects the whisky...especially if you take several months (or longer) to empty a bottle. Sometimes you'll find that the first sample isn't necessarily the best. I often find that whisky hits a "sweet spot" when the bottle is about half empty. The oxidization helps to improve the flavor, but the whisky hasn't yet gone flat.
MN 45s **half full** ;)
Thanks for another great vid, Ralfy! I've also noticed that oxidisation seems to have helped some of my single malts 'settled down' and unfold their flavours much better after the bottles have been opened! Although I must say, none of my bottles are currently missing more than 25% volume. Therefore I wanted to ask, at which point would you recommend decanting/spray-treating/etc. a bottle? When it's about half-empty? Earlier? Later? Thanks!
Thanks a lot for this review. Very informative (as usual)
Regarding pouring the golden liquid over to small bottles as you're doing at 7:30 I have a found a small stainless steel funnel (designed for hip flasks) to be very helpful.
Problem is to find them in the stores (at least where I live) - but on eBay you'll find anything - including this. And they are almost free also, costing less than a dollar delivered. Highly reommended
(ebay keywords: stainless steel for funnel flask)
Hi Ralfy, I heard of another way to prevent oxidisation by putting (clean) glas marbles in the bottle to raise the whisky. Not my first choice though, but maybe a bit more aesthetic than refilling the whisky in small, ugly bottles. This way you can also adapt to the amount of whisky left in the bottle.
And one question, what happened to your blend? Did you test it already?
I think the vapor pressure in a bottle of whiskey that it not very nearly empty should be enough to exclude air, given the relatively small diameter of the bottleneck. It would also help to store the bottle at a somewhat lower temperature than room, which is often easily accomplished. Most whiskey bottles on the pub shelf have a positive (outward) net vapor pressure.
I had a question Malt master Ralfy! A 190 litre bourban barrel fillled 60 litres of whisky has oxygen in it, will all the whisky go off?
Hi Ralfy: Thank you very much for your positive review of PP! Siegel & Associates exports and distributes Private Preserve worldwide. People have seen #218 and have contacted me. We really appreciate you finding us. Sir Phillip Hills supported us! Thanks again.
+Steven J. Siegel . . . effective products like PP are well worth the mention, happy to see the 'mention' working for you.
Did you try to just seal the bottle up with tape without using the spray?
Whats wrong with just using a one way valve to suck the air out the bottle and keep it vacuum sealed? Does that not work or something?
i think it remove a little alcool every time you use it .
Nature abhors a vacuum.
Nature finds a way.
Over time air finds the vacuum and negates it.
It is an on earth thing. In the vacuum of space all bets are off.
Nature abhors a vacuum.
I have a 12 year old bottle of Ancnoc which I opened around eight years ago, since I only have a small glass once a month or less, this is actually a problem for me. On the other hand its interesting to smell/taste how it evolves.
Interesting - thanks! I had a few older bottles of single malts like Glenfiddich 12YO and Glenlivet 12YO at home that I "saved" for later, with the bottles about 1/4 full. When I tasted them later on they were really flat and, while still not bad, nowhere near the flavour they were when I purchased them. I will have to take these tips to heart - smaller glass bottles is really really cheap, so no use not using the information.
when you decant the whisky, either into the smaller jars or via the funnel, you're causing a lot of bubbling. Isn't this going to oxygenate the whisky more and speed up the process. That's why decanting wine allows it to breathe more. Just a thought. You could do it more slowly and carefully I guess.
it truly causes this bubbling and youre right, it coukd be done more carefully, but you might rethink your point with wine decanting
when decanting a wine you give it in a decanter with a lot wider neck and bowl and like twice or even more the volume of the wine you decant and leave it for at least half an hour
so you highly increase the contact surface of wine and oxigen and give the reaction time to take place cause it isnt happening instant
when you now take what ralfy does in comparison, you see, that he uses containers right the size to fit in the whisky, so minimum oxigen is in there and closes them immediately
furthermore the whisky does not quite hold the bubbles, so the increased contact surface is of such a short duration, that yes some reaction might take place, but as i think not as much as leaving it in the huuuge bottle
My technique is to have only one open bottle at a time and finish it within about 3 - 4 months, then opening another. Oddly, I once had a bottle of bourbon opened and forgot about it for over ten years. When I drank it, it was still quite good.
If your consumption is 1 bottle every 3-4 months then you have my utmost respect! I try to keep mine at 1 bottle every 2.5 months. I think that what we’re doing a good thing!
What is going on here? 3 months for a bottle?
Respect I have 12 plus open bottles because I like variety. I just use argon gas canisters to keep them fresh
@@atb8660 has this been successful?
I have a few bottles open that are between 100 to 250ml and I'm afraid of oxidation.
Keegan Boodoo sorry didn’t see this. Yes on the whole it’s successful i drink multiple bottles but once they get to 1/3 I either gas them, blend em or finish em
I'm quite the Springbank fan and loved my Hazelburn 12yo but I think I would never had the balls to do what you did. Really looking forward to your review!
Hi Ralfy. I've seen a reference to 'old bottle effect' possibly having an influence on a whisky from the 1970's.
Could you tell we what 'old bottle effect' is, how it comes about and how you might discern if a vintage bottle of malt was affected by it?
Good advice all, as always! One problem: I now have a small fleet of 4oz whisky sample bottles that I don't know what to do with.
There is another option for dealing with near-empty bottles, slightly off-the-topic: if you're down to 1/4 of a bottle or so, finish the damn thing! At Chateau de Fasterisc, near-empties become my house malts. And I've got a special place set aside for them at the front of the cupboard, so's that I don't forget!
Hello Ralfy. I live in a very hot country, where average temperature at night is 26ºC. I do love Whisky, but sometimes it makes me sweat. I know that cooling the whisky weakens it's smell, but is that true even on higher temperatures? I don't use ice nor stones, but I was thinking about using cold water (around 10ºC) instead of room temperature water. That would cool my whisky to about 20 to 22ºC, and wouldn't numb my palates. Would that be wise or will it just kill my whisky?
I can’t remember where I saw it eBay, Etsy or possibly Amazon but they had these glass marbles to bring the level up in the bottle. They were in with a gift set with a couple of tumblers and those granite ice cubes.
I too have been experimenting with nitrogen for the preservation of my whisky bottles and, although pricey, it does undoubtedly work. I do suggest using teflon for wrapping the stopper, it doesn't leave the sticky mess that electrical tape leaves on the stopper and bottleneck.
There isnt that much whisky can oxidize with at 40% alcohol. Did you try to just seal the bottle up with teflon? Maybe thats all it takes.
That's what I do with the cheaper bottles. Only my high-end bottles get the nitrogen treatment, call it overprotective, just to have peace of mind ;)
One thing to try, add a very small pellet of dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) and let it bubble away. Carbon dioxide is heavier than air, so it will stay sunken in the bottle. If you are concerned about carbonic acid, it will okay, because the solubility to carbon dioxide in water is relatively low at room temperature. Also, carbonic acid has a pH of approximately 6, which also just happens to be the pH of most whisky.
Looking back at this, another idea would be to buy those wine cork pump devices to suck out the air?
Argon, being a heavier noble gas, will force oxygen out while not reacting with the contents. Nitrogen is somewhat reactive, though, so it's interesting that was included.
Something to try might be dry ice. It sounds bizarre, but put a funnel in the bottle and hold dry ice over it for several seconds. Dry ice decomposes to CO2, the same as holding a flame in the bottle would generate. Also, since it is cold CO2, it will stay in the bottle better while corking it.
Ralfy, one thing I don't get is why the oxygen apparently harms the whisky more in a bottle than in a cask. I mean, in the cask, there's also plenty of oxygen, and it's continuously becoming more!
Ralfy how do I wash my glencairn glass or any receptacle that will be used to contain whisky. Should I use a special dishwashing liquid or does a common one work? I ve heard some people wash whisky glasses or whisky receptacles only with water cause a dishwashing liquid can leave impurities in the glass that can affect the whisky.
I've had a couple of malts, a Glendronach 1968 and an Ardbeg 1975, for over 20 years. I am guessing they have lost something, but in my opinion, not a lot! They both taste and smell pretty much as good as ever. I keep them in a cold dark cupboard, and they are not regularly opened. I am, of course sure some oxidation has taken place, but to me not a discernable amount I presume due to the lack of disturbance if you get me. They both have approximately 1/3 left, but I am reluctant to attempt a blend, but will certainly get a private preserve and use in the future. Apart from "I should drink them sooner" do you have any thoughts Ralfy?
. . . monitor them a few times a year and then decide, keep or drink ! Eventually, they will fade, but it can take some time.
@@thewhiskybothy thanks for that suggestion Ralfy, much appreciated. That is pretty much the unplanned approach I have taken over time, and happy to continue!
Those are some good ideas Ralphie I'm glad I got to watch this cheers
@havisFin Chemist here. Don't you worry about that. As soon as you pour yourself a glass, air gets into the bottle. There's oxygen in the air, so now oxydation is starting. BUT: this is a very slow process, so whether you leave the bottle open for 10 minutes or immediately close it won't make ANY difference oxidation-wise. (It would only make a difference in that time some oxygen was already "used up" by oxidation, which won't be the case)
There's gonna be more change by the whisky evaporating.
Hello Ralfy, thank you for your wonderful videos. I have a question for you. I got a bottle of Balvenie 17 year old double wood which I opened a while ago. It’s missing about 100-150ml now. Since this bottle has been discontinued here would it be fine to top off the bottle with miniatures of the same balvenie 17 years in order to minimize the air volume in the bottle? Thank you.
I love that spray man. That's such a smart idea. CO2 layer to prevent oxidation. Smart.
I don't know is his has been asked before, but have you considered the rubber stoppers that enable you to pump the air out of the bottle? Often used in bars to keep wine fresh. Perhaps they are not good for long term use?
Ralfy, you occasionally say that a whisky in fact improves over time as the bottle empties. So when you have a bottle you are unfamiliar with should we try these methods of in fact just leave as is? Also when taking a sample for the future should it be taken when the bottle is near full/near empty/somewhere in the middle?
Ralfy, what about that treated Laga 12yo, did the aerosol work as planned or is this experiment still maturing and waiting for a suitable tasting moment?
Great video as always! I have a 12 pack of 8 oz boston round bottles on the way. When my bottles get below 1/3 I'll make the transfer, and try to keep them around as sample bottles to A/B compare with newer purchases :)
Argon would be better then the nitrogen based Private Reserve. It is available in a similair spray can, with the long straw as Bloxygen. Made to keep varnish and types of paint fresh, but works just as well. With argon being heavier it will settle down below the oxygen by itself much easier. Search for Bloxygen on Amazon.
I have another vacuum sucker for also wine etc which closes the bottle and can put it upside down without spoiling a drop... would that perhaps be some kind of suitable?
Any thoughts on what the argon and nitrogen are doing? Presumably, just spraying into the bottle C02 is inadequate. But why?
Also, regarding the vacuum stopper. After vacuuming, I put a few layers of plastic food wrap over the stopper, wrap the excess tightly and secure it with a rubber band. I imagine it works to prevent any air from getting back into the bottle. (I have not tested to see how well this works.)
If you want to remove the oxygen out of the bottle, instead of using the lighter inside the bottle and risking the butane ruining the whiskey couldn't you use one of those fireplace matches? They are up to 12 inches long. Just an idea. I don't know if you have tried it and dismissed it or not.
What about putting glass marbles into the bottle in order to reduce the amount of air within the bottle? I think this is done with red wine, too.
I prefer Ardbeg, Talisker and Lagavaulin (personal favorite) after a little oxidation, They soften a little and have a slightly more vanilla element to them. The first dram is much more rough.
Although a 15 minute rest in the glass and a bit of body warmth also help.
ok cheers for reply, ive been breathing in it until today when i received the wine preserver which ill fill up tommorrow
Cheers for your reply, wonder what the big distillaries do when they have a 50 year old which was opened after 25 or years and oxygen got in
Hi Ralfy, I have a bottle of Glenmorangie and I'm trying a Soda Stream. Pure CO2. You have to be careful because it can spray the whisky everywhere :-). Couple of short bursts into the top of the bottle and I wonder how that will do. I've not got a control sample but I might take some out and add it to an old Abelour botttle.
10:20 'the balls to do it'...... once while on holiday on the Isle of Skye, bringing a small selection of whiskies with us, my climbing partner and I mixed 1 part Talisker Storm with 2 parts 15 yo Springbank and took the result up the Cuillin Ridge (150ml bottle). The blend worked out better that expected... the weather during the 2-day traverse did as well. After a bivouac and about 28 hours of climbing, an approaching storm strongly suggested we use one of the last possible escape routes and retire, which we did, 2 peaks before the end. Too bad we didn't complete but what an adventure! We went off to the Sligachan hotel to celebrate in good tired fashion, had a good hot meal and of course a few more drams :-)
Good tips, used the blending one and decanter myself, so far all my blends have been a great succes. So I can only recommend doing that, can't wait for your review on the blended you did :)!
Wow, I love the idea with the gas. Unfortunately it's not available in my country. I use to put glass spheres into my bottles. I think that's a simple but effective method to keep the air out of them. Prost :)
You could buy a bottle cap with a valve that you connect to a pump to pumpt the air out.
I've tried some ones made of rubber and plastic and they work OK for red wine so should be better than nothing for a whisky bottle as well.
Ralfy, I've heard you talk about screw caps sealing bottles just as well or even better than corks do. I'm sure plastic ones are fine, but what about metal ones? I imagine they might warp slightly when opened and thus not maintain as perfect a seal. What's your take on this?
Maybe its me but I think that lesser peated/smoky whiskies get more peaty with oxidisation. I'm thinking of things like Highland Park, Clynelish and Longrow CV - for maybe the first few weeks the peat/smoke can appear non-existant, but after that it seems to find its way through to the surface.
Hi again ralfy! Did you ever end up getting around to reviewing that Lagavulin 12 bottle you used the wine preservation spray on? I'd love to know if the spray worked (and continues) to work out for you. I have a few bottles that I'm sipping on very slowly but I want to preserve them over time. They're not the kind of spirit I'm going to buy quite often! Thanks for all you do :)
Hi Ralfy...it's very warm these days here and the temperature is too high in my appartment so i've stored my bottles in the only cool place instead of being exposed to warmth; is it OK to store the bottles in the fridge (lower level not the coolest) ? Could it do harm to the flavors if kept two weeks at 40°F ? thank you
What about dropping a small but sufficiently-sized piece of dry ice into the bottle? Won't that form a layer of CO2 the same way without damage to the contents? Just wondering.
Hello Raffy, would you recommend putting the wisky in thosen nice glass or chrsystal bottless? you those that dont have label or anything.
Hey Ralfy, Malt-Matador here.
So how many bottles of whisky do you have at home anyway?
Inspired by your videos, I have started building a small collection of my own. Ardbeg 10yo and Aberlour A'bunah to name a couple of the better ones I have at home right now.
A lot of information here and it does sound well worthwhile. A tip to first time Ralfy watchers though. He takes a while to get to the point on this one. Put him on double speed and you'll be rewarded on the double.
Howdy Ralfy! Thanks for sharin" such a valuable info) Will ya please tell me whether those methods are appropriate just for whiskies or for rums and cognacs as well?
Ralfy: What can you use to replace a damaged cork? Had a bottle of Glenfarclas for which the cork crumbled to bits (apparently a very old bottle -- still tasted good, however), and the only thing I had available to replace it was one of those cheap rubber vacuum corks. Your advice and my instincts tell me this isn't the best solution. Any suggestions?
Good stuff as always Ralfy. I think using gas is certainly the way to go. As a homebrewer I have a tank of CO2 on hand so I can use it for such a purpose. That or pure nitrogen would work just as well as the special mix (which is a similar mixture to what welders use).
Im very happy to have my Tullamore dew its satisfying 👍 happy New year😄✨🇺🇸.
I've made special bottles last up to a year using the argon spray method. Does work.
Do you know if putting marbles in the bottle work? It displaces the oxygen, supposing.
yes, but it's a lot of hassle ! better with 'private preserve' gas
***** thanks so much. you are my whiskey idol.
I've recently witnessed oxidized whisky and know how horrible it can be. My concern is: anytime you are pouring liquid, especially through a funnel you are introducing lots of oxygen. Does this not bind to the spirit? Especially over repeated pouring lots of oxygenation is being introduced. Does moving a half bottle into a smaller bottle actually preserve the spirit or if it's been sitting for a few months, isn't it already too far gone?
. . . smaller bottles with less air gaps help !
I've noticed that with the Ardbeg 10 I just bought. The first sip was transcendent but it's lost some of its peat and brine character now that I've had it a few weeks.
ralfy - what i do as an experiment. i pour last dram of a bottle in another bottle and slowly but surely this "blended" bottle keeps filling up. as i drink almost only islay whiskey i guess i do not have to worry that the new blended whiskey could not fit due to the mix i do. i must even say, i tasted lately a bit to see what it is all about. it tasted just gREAT! but yeah, i might use this argon stuff on it.
what do you think of my idea?
i never understood how oxidation does not reach the whisky during it's processing at the distillery or bottling plant,,the barels are emptied in a rush of air into a large vat that is exposed to the air all before bottling,how come this is also not an issue with those making moonshine or whisky at home?
Hi Ralfy - about this wine preserver. If you blanket a CO2 over the surface of the whisky separating it from the oxygen, my guess would be that you need to keep the bottle steady afterwards, cause any shaking or moving may cause the CO2 and oxygen to mix. Or even if they mix, would heavier CO2 fall down and separate the whisky from the oxygen again?
From wikipedia:
Carbon dioxide has one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms, and a molecular weight of 44 grams per mole ( a certain number of molecules). ... Hence, carbon dioxide has a higher density, or is heavier than oxygen.
That would mean that even if you shake the contents of the bottle a bit, you will get the CO2 to settle down under oxygen. Amirite?
. . . I agree that gassed bottles should not be disturbed, but they are still the best option out there.
i also tought of doing the decanting with small mason jars . Hope it works well
Hello Ralfy, John here from U.S. Nj. I have a bottle of Johnnie Walker green label, and Peat monster on a bookshelf with some lighting. After I'm done having a drink with them, I store them in the same boxes they came in , is that dark enough to save the whiskey from getting ruined??
Ralfy,
Is there any problem with storing opened or unopened whisky bottles on their sides?
Thanks,
Curtis
I like to think I am Risk averse...VUT
Is there anyway I can stop the oxidation over the nearly whole week that they remain undrunk?
Dear Ralfy
Products like Private Preserve are almost impossible to get hold of where I live, and it often takes me many a month to empty a bottle of whisky (yes I'm a slow drinker). Do you know if it is recommendable to use other, more easily obtainable gases, such as pure CO2?
weird I did not know such thing existed ! By the way, I must admit I'm not familiar with the springbank hazelburn longrow range. But if you blend one, do you blend even what? I mean, blennding peat with citrus and another very sweet whisky, isn't that going to taste very horrible?
Have you tried putting marbles in the whisky bottle so it raises the levels so less air gets at the whisky? Bad idea?
hi ralfy, would you recommend using smaller hermetic bottle for long term storage?
Hi, Ralfy. I have poured my whisky into 20 cl apple juice bottle with metal cap, such as yours. And I think, that there is a metal taste in it now after a week. What do you think about it? Is there a way to prevent such a disaster in future or even correct my mistake?
We use this method for keeping liquid chemicals that need to be stored in an inert atmosphere (if we wish to have the ressure in the continer at atmospheric pressure). We generally bubble the CO2 slowly through the bottom of the liquid.
hey ralfy! question; how about using an oxygen absorber like the preppers do with dried food storage to prevent oxidation? it would have to be kept out of the liquid, but they are cheap and would remove most of the oxygen. they could be replaced each time the bottle was used 'cause they're cheap.
. . . good idea to check out !
What do you think about Wine Guard? It should work, at least in theory and its really easy to do.
Ralfy, sodastreams are very common in most homes theses days and it is a convenient and cheap way to add Carbon Dioxide to your wine or whisky.
Thanks. Your answer doesn't quite address my question. Is CO2 alone inadequate, for some reason? (Nitrogen is not inert.) Is argon too expensive to simply use it to displace air in the bottle, instead of CO2? Why is CO2 alone inadequate? (I was thinking of buying a CO2 canister, vacuuming air out the bottle, then pumping CP2 back in.)
Someone else suggested argon would help displace oxygen, since it will sink and force the oxygen out of the bottle.
Thanks for the tip on moving my whiskey into the smaller bottles!
hiya, loving the whisky reviews! thank you! Quick question please? I have a Lagavulin 16 and Talisker 10 I bought just over 10 years ago, unopened. I know these do not usually age in the bottle, but wondered if they have any other interest value to them based on changes in quality/taste to the bottles from today? And therefore coming to the conclusion on if I should keep them as is, or get drinking?! :) I actually bought a new bottle of Talisker a few weeks ago instead of opening this one!
I just finished watching the video and saw the bit about vacuum pumps, why is it that they don't really work for whiskey?
I buy one bottle and it generally lasts me 3-4 weeks so i don't have the problem of worrying about fading.
However i must have been a bloody great dad this year as i received one beautiful Glenfiddich Rich oak 14 year and one superb Glenlivet 12 year. Dilemma! do i double up on the drammage or do i heed your advice on the vid Ralfy? ; )
Very informative as usual Ralfy, thanks for posting !
Glass beads could be added to a bottle as this would displace air. It would add to the weight of the bottle. It would also pose a choking hazard unless there was a strainer added.
I see, thanks. I would have thought the corks would have done better being wet as do wine corks. The mysteries of life.
Best Regards,
Curtis
Nice little segment Ralphy boy, but FYI if your vac seals only hold vacuum for (I think you said 24 hrs or something) try another brand, I've got bottles I've forgotten about for 6 to 12 months (on numerous occasions) which still have a vacuum seal. The only way they will lose their seal is by perishing, and I've had them for more than a decade and there's no sign of that, and that's from two different manufacturers.
Just to add to your segment, I'd like to mention that I think most of my whiskys improve after opening I'm talking within hours right up to weeks of the first opening. And Then at the other end of the scale, I've even had a Laphroaig 10 Y/O that was bought 20-30 years ago (owned by a friend) that I thought was trying to make love to my taste buds (not the friend - the whisky) it was that good, and have sampled the same recently bottled 10 Y/O twice and no comparison, hands down as low as they could go the older bottle wins, by a mile.
What about those air removing sealed tops you can use with wine bottles? the ones that you pump out the air. Have you tried one of those?
its posible to mixt scotch and whisky in the same bottle or it will taste like crap .