The Signs Your Whiskey Has Gone Bad & How To Salvage It Before It's Too Late

It's an unfortunate fact of life that liquor actually does expire. While a sealed bottle stored in a dark, cool, dry place may effectively last forever, most people keep open bottles in their homes that are prone to spoilage. Caitlin Bartlemay, Master Distiller of Hood River Distillers, confirmed this fact with Food Republic, while discussing the signs that your whiskey has gone bad.

"If a whiskey has started to 'go bad' in the bottle, it is either due to sunlight, evaporation[,] or cork taint," Bartlemay told us. "Cork taint is least likely as the vapor in the bottle should keep anything from growing or getting weird, but if the liquid volume is very low it could be a different story." Typically, a bottle afflicted with this problem has a musty, slightly off flavor, almost like a dank cellar.

When it comes to whiskey, it is the sunlight you really have to watch out for. Bartlemay shared, "There is likely not a visual way to tell [if whiskey has been sun damaged], but your nose and palate will know." Drinking whiskey that has gone bad via sunlight won't cause any illness, but the expert warned that it is not pleasant to drink. Evaporation can also cause problems with the flavor and visual of the dark liquor. "[Depending] on the extent, the whiskey could turn cloudy and milky as the proof drops and the oils that create body and flavor in the whiskey come out of solution." Once this happens, it is best to toss your whiskey out. 

Provided it hasn't gone bad, you typically have between six months and two years to finish an open whiskey bottle for the best flavor. While the rate of expiration depends on what conditions you store it in and how much is left in the bottle, you generally don't want to keep the same bottle sitting around for years, expecting it to taste perfectly fine.

When we asked Caitlin Bartlemay about ways to salvage slightly off whiskey, she confirmed that you don't necessarily have to throw out every last bottle that starts to taste a little funny. "If your favorite dram just isn't hitting the same way you remembered ... [there] are a myriad of fun cocktails out there that can correct the balance and give the whiskey the send off it deserves," the expert shared. 

Since your whiskey isn't in tip-top shape, you may want to avoid cocktails that only use small amounts of soft ingredients, like a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned. But a perfect whiskey sour is still within your grasp, thanks to the sheer amount of flavor in its ingredients. Cocktails rich in acidic or sweet ingredients are ideal, as these are great flavors for covering up any flaws in your liquor. Smoking whiskey cocktails is also worth the effort when you're trying to disguise an off-putting taste. Not only will you be a bit distracted by the theater of it, but it also adds powerful layers of new flavor that hide imperfections.