A Most Unusual Bottle of Scotch Whisky.

[mawnansmiff]

My sister was tasked with sorting out our late Mother's belongings prior to selling her house and she has brought some of her possessions to me.

One in particular is a bottle of scotch Mother bought on one of her (42 in total ) Cunard cruises. It was issued in 2008 and was sold exclusively on the Queen Elizabeth 2, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, all of which Mother sailed on (QE2 was her favourite).

Predictably called 'Three Queens' it comes in a lovely frosted & painted bottle with a 'window' on the front that when looked through one can see the 3 vessels which are printed on the back of the bottle, quite a clever idea I think.

It's tempting to crack it open & sup it (it is sealed) but I think if Mother can sit on it for 14 years then perhaps I should just keep it as is.





One worrying thing I just noticed. The level of the whisky in the bottle above (image borrowed from the web) is a good 3/4 inch higher than what I have here in my bottle. Does this mean it is evaporating? It certainly isn't leaking liquid.

Regards,

Jay.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

It could be evaporation, or just variation in fill level, although a fill below the shoulder seems suspect. Just think of it as having something closer to cask strength.

 

[mawnansmiff]

It could be evaporation, or just variation in fill level, although a fill below the shoulder seems suspect. Just think of it as having something closer to cask strength.

Actually if it's evaporating then it would be weaker in alcohol content not stronger no?....The alcohol would be what is evaporating is what I mean.

Regards,

Jay.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

Actually, the water and alcohol evaporate at roughly the same time, so, the change will be negligible.

You can lose about 2% alcohol per year (the oft mentioned Angel's Share), so, the lower level of your bottle is probably due to that.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Learn something new every day. I always thought the 'angel's share' was what was lost via evaporation from the cask.

Maybe I'd better sup it whilst I still have some!

Regards,

Jay.

 

[jguss]

…the oft mentioned Angel's Share…

Here’s a picture I took of the cemetery adjacent to the Glenrothes distillery while I was on a Speyside spree with friends a few years ago. As you can see the “angel’s share” has turned the grave markers black with the passage of time.

Needless to say evaporation has significant economic consequences and is tracked very closely by revenue authorities to make sure it falls within a narrow acceptable range. Anything above the norm suggests spirits siphoned off for illegal sale.

 

[Andriko]

I don't know if whiskey works like wine, but the reduction may just be part of the natural processes going on in the bottle, though it might be worth looking at the seal.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I always thought the 'angel's share' was what was lost via evaporation from the cask.

It is. Once the liquor gets into a bottle with a screw cap, it's clock starts ticking, because those screw tops are not totally airtight. Aging, always refers to the time in the cask. Once spirits hit the bottle, it is ready to be consumed, and very little happens that is good to a liquor left the age in the bottle. Or, at least this is how it was spelled out for us in Lynchburg while visiting the Jack Daniels Distillery.

For wines, it is still debated. If the bottle is corcked with a synthetic cork, nothing really happens to the wine inside, but if a natural cork is used, micro-oxygenation "can" "might" continue to age the wine. And, despite most people who drop thousands on bottle of rare wines reporting the stuff is vinegar or just shitty tasting, people still throw large bucks at dirty old bottles of swill.

I think this all just depends on who you talk to. If someone is selling an old dirty bottle, it will be nirvana. YMMV

 

[vates]

The general opinion is that whisky is not getting any better once it's bottled. It'll just continue to evaporate (very slowly) or will eat the cork (if left on the bottle's side). My best advice would be to drink it in honor and in the loving memory of your mum on her next birthday.

 

[simong]

42 cruises? Love it! Your late mother certainly knew how to holiday in style jay. I’d be torn between keeping it sealed as a memento & cracking it open asap! Bit of a dilemma, really.

 

[Andriko]

42 cruises? Love it! Your late mother certainly knew how to holiday in style jay. I’d be torn between keeping it sealed as a memento & cracking it open asap! Bit of a dilemma, really.

The bottle can always be kept. When I was still drinking wine, I'd make a few tasting notes and keep the labels in a scrap book (well, my other half did all that, I mainly drank it), so even once it's consumed, there will always be a note of the taste and flavours and the bottle as a reminder.

The 42 cruises is quite impressive!

 

[mawnansmiff]

42 cruises? Love it! Your late mother certainly knew how to holiday in style jay. I’d be torn between keeping it sealed as a memento & cracking it open asap! Bit of a dilemma, really.

She certainly knew how to enjoy herself yes but the downside of that is my share of her legacy means I have to leave my beloved Cornwall & go back up country, house prices being what they are (cheapest house in my village today is £695,000 and my share is nowhere near that....Cunard owe me BIG TIME!

Think I might sup it and drown my (money) sorrows

Regards,

Jay.

 

[simong]

Let us know what it was like, Jay.
For many of us that'll be the closest we can get to the QE 2. Last cruise I was on was the Isle of Wight ferry. Lol
Jay, I know you like your books but how are you with these audio ones? I only ask because I just finished off my last bottle of whisky listening to Seamus Healey's own translation of 'Beowulf'. Made for a very pleasant couple of hours. It's on YouTube if you fancy it.

 

[bullet08]

Back in '97, brought back few bottles of cognac and wine from Paris. One was Eiffel tower bottle wine. With in 10 years, the cork dried out and crumbled. Needless to say, undrinkable. Remy Martin XO didn't survive that long. Drank the damned thing first night back.

 

[Akousticplyr]

Threads like this are why I enjoy this forum.
Interesting discussion, thanks fellas!

 

[anotherbob]

my understanding is the barrels do something to remove the things that make it less smooth and tasty while also imparting the barrel flavor. Almost like it's a really slow form of filtration and marination. That is my understanding.
Me I'd crack the bottle maybe saving for a special time that occurs in under 365 days. Like moms birthday or something special to you like that. The thing is the bottle can be saved. You could even fill it with dyed water and pretend you never drank it and prank your kids in 200 years when they have to take care of your estate.

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

I don't mind sharing with angels.

This is a mini barrel for quick aging. I have lots to make rum, whiskey, bourbon and scotch, but haven't tried it yet.

Right now it's a display piece. But I do have a wet bar to play with in my basement (which includes my office and a full bathroom).

I used to infuse my own liquor and liqueurs (cherry bourbon, apricot brandy, butterscotch whiskey), but fell out of practice. Maybe this winter I'll pick it up again.

 

[romaso]

I've done a number of distillery tours (everyone needs a hobby) and in Kentucky we were told at several places that evaporation causes Bourbon proof to increase, whereas in Scotland, we were told evaporation causes Scotch Whisky proof to decrease. Bourbon always uses a new barrel, whereas Scotch almost always use used barrels (often ex-Bourbon barrels), which may be a factor. Differences in local weather probably affects it also (very different climates).

 

[augiebd]

Thanks for sharing. I would also be hard pressed not to drink it in memoriam.

 

[mawnansmiff]

View attachment 170937
I don't mind sharing with angels.

This is a mini barrel for quick aging. I have lots to make rum, whiskey, bourbon and scotch, but haven't tried it yet.

Right now it's a display piece. But I do have a wet bar to play with in my basement (which includes my office and a full bathroom).

I used to infuse my own liquor and liqueurs (cherry bourbon, apricot brandy, butterscotch whiskey), but fell out of practice. Maybe this winter I'll pick it up again.

I've seen those mini barrels for sale over here.

I was tempted to buy one but read that so much liquid is lost by absorption into the wood it depressed, me so never pulled the trigger.

Regards,

Jay.