whiskey breathing - does it have any effect?

[StillShaving]

In your experience does an opened bottle of Whiskey or Tequila breathe and significantly change in taste like an opened bottle of red wine? I have never noticed much change with Bourbon or Scotch, but I recently got a bottle of Tequila after reading the thread on Need Tequila Recommendations. Initially the Sauza Añejo tasted pretty bad, so much so that I wondered if I would ever finish it. But I recently tried it again and found it better, still not great but not as harsh as before with a better flavor.

I can't determine if the flavor actually changed, or it was my expectations that changed. Thanks.

 

[TimmyBoston]

Many whiskies change immensely as they breathe.

 

[ginantonix]

Breathing is essentially oxidization, plus possibly some evaporation of volatiles in the liquid. I'm not an expert on Tequilas, but I have had some experience with whiskies...

Whiskies that have been poured into a glass will change with resting. Some will claim that this is due to the settling of 'bottle shock' as they were poured, and let a glass sit for 10-20 minutes before enjoying then make sure that the liquid is disturbed as little as possible while drinking (i.e. no swirling the glass.) Others claim this is just 'development' of the whisky as the above processes occur (oxidization and evaporation.) Either, or both, will definitely cause some subtle changes in the taste of the whisky, sometimes better, sometimes worse. Definitely a case of YMMV here.

As far as the stuff in the bottle, as long as the cap is not left open for an extended period of time the whisky in the bottle should not change much, if at all, in between drawing off drams. Once the level in the bottle drops below 1/3 to 1/4, however, it will start to oxidize. I'm not so picky myself, but I know several experts with much more knowledge and experience than myself who insist that once the level drops to this point, they make a point of finishing off the bottle within a couple of weeks.

My only experience with Tequila changing was with a bottle of Clase Azul (excellent stuff!) that a friend gave to me a couple of years ago. I only had it occasionally, as it was essentially irreplaceable by me (not available anywhere around here.) By the time I got to the last few glasses, (took me about a year,) it had definitely darkened considerably compared to the new bottle I opened shortly afterwards. Different taste, too.

 

[slcsteve]

Whiskey breath certainly has an effect but not so dreadful as beer breath.

 

[The Knize]

Some think that tequila in a serious tasting should be literally shaken in the tasting glass by putting a hand over the top of the glass. I think of that as designed to bring out the aromas than to let the tequila breathe, but it surely does that, too. I do not usually think to shake tequilas when tasting them, but I did just now with three different tequilas--a blanco and two reposados--and I would say that it improved the taste of each one.

I would not have thought of shaking whisky or whiskey. I would think that some breathing or aeration would have to have some effect on some of them. The effect on some wines is immediately apparent.

 

[BigRich]

Many whiskies change immensely as they breathe.

Unfortunately the scientific evidence over the short term is dubious at best. Longer term if there is a significant amount of air in the bottle then oxidation seems to take it's toll. Obviously, this depends on the amount of air in the bottle, the temperature, humidity, etc. Just to be on the safe side I use the same type of inert gas wine shops sell to store all my bottles that I've had more than a couple of glasses from and don't drink from regularly.

 

[The Knize]

A little further input. We had a bunch of folks over last night and I pulled out all the tequila I had to use some of it up. Purely anecdotal but I had some anejo tequila that only had three quarters of an inch or so left in the bottom of the bottle. My wife confirmed that it tasted like all the alcohol evaporated. Left decent tequila flavor behind. Now maybe the actual cork top was loss compared to the usual whiskey bottle, but I thought it was pretty interesting that alcohol would actually dissipate in a closed bottle of any kind. Also interesting that the flavor was not utterly changed/destroyed through oxidation. Of course in an anejo the oak/tannin is going to be a preservative, too, as might also be in a good whiskey.

 

[jlanger]

Some day if you get a chance, go visit a distillery and see their warehouse. What you smell I believe is called angel's breath. Woodford is one of the best (and the oldest) places to experience this.

Gotta think that after smelling a smell like that, whiskey will change as it is exposed to air.

 

[The Knize]

Some day if you get a chance, go visit a distillery and see their warehouse. What you smell I believe is called angel's breath. Woodford is one of the best (and the oldest) places to experience this.

Gotta think that after smelling a smell like that, whiskey will change as it is exposed to air.

Not really exposed to air I do not think. I think that is the smell of whiskey evaporating through the walls of wooden barrels. I do not think that what gets into the barrels, if anything from the outside at all, is really the same thing as air. But I could be wrong.

 

[letterk]

Over time, absolutely.

 

[sparkchaser]

"bottle shock"?

 

[cbeatley]

Absolutely breathing has an effect of nose and taste. Buy a bottle of Bookers, drink a small glass immediately after pouring. Take another glass, and let it breathe for 30-40 minutes, and notice the difference. The "nose" or aromas have deepened, lost that alcohol smell, and the taste is a thousand times different. Right from the bottle (which is right from the cask, in the case of Bookers), the whiskey is harsh, powerful, and astringent. After breathing, Bookers becomes mellow, with a complex set of aromas, and - while still a bit of a "hot" whiskey - a much more civilized sipper. By the same token, take a bottle of Gentleman Jack and let it breath for an hour. What you'll generally find is that much of the alcohol has evaporated, leaving a wonderful smell and terrible taste. Jack is a much more smooth out of the jar whiskey that leaves a lot of nose buy little taste if left to sit too long. For whatever reason, Jack Daniels seems to evaporate the alcohol more readily than most Bourbons, leaving behind the water, some of the tail congeners (especially), and little of the heads and hearts. The flavor seriously changes in each case, but in the case of bookers it mellows, and in the case of Jack it almost disappears. I love both, but treat them differently for how they breathe

 

[cbeatley]

"bottle shock"?

I have no idea what that means in the context of the question.

I also do not believe that bottle shock applies to whiskey, as aging stops in whiskey as soon as the spirit is removed from the barrel and placed in the bottle. Wine changes in the bottle. Whiskey does not. Therefore, you cannot take a 10 year old Scotch and leave it sit for 20 years and have a thirty year old Scotch. The mellowing comes from environment, not time. I'm sure you can buy a 200 year old red wine and have it taste like a 200 year old...well, something. For my part, however, when you buy a 200 year old anything, you've not bought a consumable, but rather a piece of history,

 

[cbeatley]

Aeration definitely has an effect, but I don't think its as simple as that. If I let the alcohol breathe, I let volatiles escape through evaporation. If I aerate, then I'm forcing oxygen to swirl through the liquid, which causes some more rapid evaporation, but its not really the same even if the effect is sometimes similar.

However, I propose to use scientific method in coming to a more objective view. I'm happy to be the one to perform the experiments if someone else supplies the bottles, considering of course the unintended variables such as inebriation while testing, etc. This means that the experiment would have to control for all variables, such as alcohol consumption, time of breathing, brand and type of whiskey (for these purposes, I will also consider tequila a whiskey, though it really only barely fits the definition), and body mass of the tester. This would necessarily be something of a single point meta-analysis, so keep in mind that there would need to be a LOT of bottles, and this could take a lifetime...but in the interest of science and art...one of you should send me bottles

 

[ByMyBeard]

Aeration definitely has an effect, but I don't think its as simple as that. If I let the alcohol breathe, I let volatiles escape through evaporation. If I aerate, then I'm forcing oxygen to swirl through the liquid, which causes some more rapid evaporation, but its not really the same even if the effect is sometimes similar.

However, I propose to use scientific method in coming to a more objective view. I'm happy to be the one to perform the experiments if someone else supplies the bottles, considering of course the unintended variables such as inebriation while testing, etc. This means that the experiment would have to control for all variables, such as alcohol consumption, time of breathing, brand and type of whiskey (for these purposes, I will also consider tequila a whiskey, though it really only barely fits the definition), and body mass of the tester. This would necessarily be something of a single point meta-analysis, so keep in mind that there would need to be a LOT of bottles, and this could take a lifetime...but in the interest of science and art...one of you should send me bottles

Any good experiment needs multiple data points. I will also volunteer to take part!

That being said, I found Eagle Rare to be a good example of this. If I poured a glass and took a sip immediately, it tasted very harsh. By leaving the glass alone for 10 minutes or so (I never timed this.....), the taste became wonderful. I also enjoy swirling my whiskies/bourbons in my glass, but have not noticed this having any effect (after initially letting it sit). I just do it for fun.

 

[atison]

I have found many whiskeys/whiskys that have tasted much better the farther I got down on the bottle (Glenmorangie is one). Whenever I have anything straight up I try and pour it then let it sit for at least 10 minutes.

 

[Grumpy_Bottom]

Isn't this the basic premise behind whiskey decanters? The aeration of the alcohol on pouring from the original bottle into the decanter was supposed to mellow the liquor, no? Whether that's a viable fact, or myth, it's certainly an old whiskey tradition, lending at least a little credence to the idea...

 

[tomharr51]

I can't speak for tequila however I feel that whiskey does change after opening a bottle and the further down you get. It's referred to as the whiskey oxidizing. I personally don't feel it's a bad thing and from reviews I've read others don't feel it to be a bad thing either. For example, I like to pour a dram of scotch or bourbon and let it sit from 10-20 minutes and let it breath. This helps to mellow the whiskey and allow it open up so you get less alcohol burn and more flavor. The next time you open up a bottle of you favorite whiskey pour a small amount in one glass and let it sit 15-20 minutes then pour another small amount in a separate glass. Nose each glass and see if you find the aromas to be different then taste them. I'm sure you'll like them both you just may find subtle differences between the one that has sat for 15-20 minutes versus the one that you just poured. I believe the same to hold true for whiskey as it gets lower and lower in the bottle.

 

[auk1124]

I've found one bourbon that definitely benefits from 15 minutes of breathing, in my opinion: Four Roses Single Barrel. It may just be me, but this one seems much, much better after some airing.

 

[August West]

A good whiskey makes the walls breath.