Vintage Bourbon Bottle Identification?

organizedmadman · May 3, 2014

A friend of mine gave me a bottle of vintage Bourbon today. It was given to him as a gift after his restoration work on the Kentucky Bourbon Museum last month. It was bestowed to me because he doesn't drink. All he knows about it is that it's old. Does anybody have any info on this?

murf · May 3, 2014

I would need to taste it first... :roll:

metarzan · May 3, 2014

If the embossing above the label say "FEDERAL LAW FORBIDS SALE OR RE-USE OF THIS BOTTLE" then it should date between 1935 and the mid 60's. Looks like Macy's had different bourbons bottled throughout the years and some are pretty valuable. Could find no specific information on your bottle. Once bottled the flavor does not change as it ages but it sure does become more rare. Is the seal cracked?

organizedmadman · May 3, 2014

When I received the bottle, the lid was not tight, and I could smell bourbon when I sniffed the cap. I was able to tighten the cap about ⅛ turn, but it broke the seal as you see here. I believe the interior lid seal had deteriorated over the years, allowing the cap to not be as right as it once was.

beefeater33 · May 4, 2014

No info on the specific bottle per se, but with the seal broken, its not worth much on the collectors market, money wise. I would enjoy it amongst friends as a one of a kind treat-- for special occasions with special friends! Decant it to a bottle with a good seal, to keep it from evaporating, and keep the original bottle to muse over whilst enjoying :D

topd · May 4, 2014

I'm with beefeater... The bad thing about whiskey is that it's done aging once it's removed from the barrel and bottled. It doesn't continue to age like a wine does. Seeings how the seal is broken, I'd drink it!

pipeinhand · May 4, 2014

This is a private bottling of Heaven Hill whiskey. The Master distiller there has always been a Beam so I am sure it will taste pretty close to the current offering, but their Elijah Craig is a superb whiskey. The current Green Label is close to Jim Beam as one may expect, which I would speculate this recipe is. You can contact them at www.heavenhill.com and see if they have the details of the Macy's bottling. It is the last all family owned distiller in the USA so I would bet records are still there. If not research with BATF since you still have the tax stamp.
My advice, drink it.
BTW since the seal look s a little weak, I would think a lot of the alcohol has gone to the Angels but it may taste OK. Only a sip will tell you!

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organizedmadman

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