Cloudy Bourbon.

[mawnansmiff]

Earlier this week I spotted an old bottle of Rebel Yell bourbon in my kitchen. I bought it sometime in 2020 and there was about 3 inches left.

I picked it up to pour it into my glass when I noticed it was pretty cloudy!. I sniffed it and it seemed ok so poured it. It tasted a little 'strange' at first but it certainly didn't taste 'off'.

Has anyone here ever experienced bourbon going cloudy? What would make it do that? The bottle was well sealed with its cork so I'm a little baffled.


Regards,

Jay.

 

[Briar Lee]

Yes, that happened to a bottle of Jim Beam Black I kept at the farm.

What I drink doesn’t amount to much, but I keep good bourbon for my friends.

It didn’t seem to affect the taste of it, but a man who inherited a nice farm ought to not serve cloudy whiskey to his guests.

I looked it up, and you should drink an opened bottle of bourbon within a few months, or it clouds up.0

What I’ve learned to do is take an unopened fifth to deer camp and have one drink and leave it on the table.

Over the weekend the bottle becomes a target, you know?

The rest of the year, I keep a few 100 ml bottles for company.

 

[PipesRock]

If it was 80 proof to start with (low apv) and more air volume in bottle than bourbon then this likely applies...

"So why does whiskey go cloudy? Whiskey goes cloudy because it contains fatty acids, esters and proteins that dissolve in alcohol but not in water. When the alcohol concentration becomes low enough these molecules un-dissolve and clump together, making the whiskey cloudy. Chilling whiskey to lower than room temperature, can also cause this un-dissolving to occur."

from:

| Whisqiy.com

Whiskey is known for having a glossy and golden appearance, so it’s only natural for people to wonder what’s going on when it becomes cloudy.…

www.whisqiy.com

 

[mawnansmiff]

If it was 80 proof to start with (low apv) and more air volume in bottle than bourbon then this likely applies...

"So why does whiskey go cloudy? Whiskey goes cloudy because it contains fatty acids, esters and proteins that dissolve in alcohol but not in water. When the alcohol concentration becomes low enough these molecules un-dissolve and clump together, making the whiskey cloudy. Chilling whiskey to lower than room temperature, can also cause this un-dissolving to occur."

from:

| Whisqiy.com

Whiskey is known for having a glossy and golden appearance, so it’s only natural for people to wonder what’s going on when it becomes cloudy.…

www.whisqiy.com

I never knew that so thanks for the info chum .

As Briar Lee says above, it must be drunk within a few months so I'll have to check my bottles & finish those part empties sharpish.

I never drink the same tipple on 2 nights running, I like to rotate my bourbon/rum/scotch collection so that explains why I have part full bottles.

Regards,

Jay.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

You can also transfer to smaller bottles to cut down on the air to spirit ratio. It’s not dissimilar to using small jars for tobacco.