# Accidently Aged Rum...



## svHyLyte (Nov 13, 2008)

I do not drink "hard liquor", and my wife doesn't drink alcohol at all, so this might sound like a dumb question. But, I'm guessing a bunch of sailors might know something about Rum, so...

In 1987 we put up a number of bottles of hard liquor in plastic Tupperware bottles to have aboard for guests/visitors while on a cruise to Mexico. Among these was a bottle of fairly expensive 10 year old Rum (at least as far as I was concerned). While a small bit of that bottle was used, most of it sat untouched and has traveled with us virtually ever since, since 1995 sitting on the back of a shelf in a spare refrigerator. While looking for something else, I rediscovered it the other day. Upon opening it smelled okay--like Rum--so I decanted it into a "Captains Decanter". There was no sediment in the container and the Rum has taken on a dark honey color. It tastes sweet and "thick" a bit like a "Liquore".

The question is, would you think it's okay to drink or should we toss it?


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

It's OK to drink. Rum (any alcohol) doesn't age once it is out of the barrel. In the bottle the aging stops and it only gets older, not more aged. The taste may become effected with exposure to air.


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## troy2000 (Apr 7, 2013)

svHyLyte said:


> I do not drink "hard liquor", and my wife doesn't drink alcohol at all, so this might sound like a dumb question. But, I'm guessing a bunch of sailors might know something about Rum, so...
> 
> In 1987 we put up a number of bottles of hard liquor in plastic Tupperware bottles to have aboard for guests/visitors while on a cruise to Mexico. Among these was a bottle of fairly expensive 10 year old Rum (at least as far as I was concerned). While a small bit of that bottle was used, most of it sat untouched and has traveled with us virtually ever since, since 1995 sitting on the back of a shelf in a spare refrigerator. While looking for something else, I rediscovered it the other day. Upon opening it smelled okay--like Rum--so I decanted it into a "Captains Decanter". There was no sediment in the container and the Rum has taken on a dark honey color. It tastes sweet and "thick" a bit like a "Liquore".
> 
> The question is, would you think it's okay to drink or should we toss it?


No sense taking chances. Send it to me, and I'll make sure it's disposed of properly...


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## colemj (Jul 10, 2003)

Am I the only one who doubts Don has much experience with rum that has been left to sit in a bottle for a long time?

Mark


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## boatpoker (Jul 21, 2008)

Might want to check and see if that plastic bottle contains BPA. BPA can leach out of plastic into the liquid and pose significant health issues.
BPA was banned sometime ago in plastic food containers ..... not sure when but I'd look into it before I drank that stuff.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

colemj said:


> Am I the only one who doubts Don has much experience with rum that has been left to sit in a bottle for a long time?
> 
> Mark


Rum that has been left in a bottle a long time is just .................. sad :crying


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## kwaltersmi (Aug 14, 2006)

Should be fine. Reminds me of a few recent news stories about 200+ year old alcohol and 100+ year old beer found in shipwrecks. I didn't hear how the booze tasted, but the story I read said the beer was skunked (go figure!).


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## guitarguy56 (Oct 10, 2012)

Don0190 said:


> Rum that has been left in a bottle a long time is just .................. sad :crying


Tend to agree with Don here... it needs to be drank! 

I don't drink liquor but on occasions so we have a stocked bar for guests and small get togethers with family and friends so we break out the rum and all the other good stuff... The rum bottle has been over several years since opened and I consumed some several weeks ago and just as good as the day I opened it... Agree with others the fermentation has stopped but some rums now are flavored with other ingredients and may have introduced sugars into the bottle... those I'm sure may spoil faster once opened.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

I have (probably) ½ a bottle of Barbancourt Reserve Special Rhum. I purchased it on my honeymoon from my first marriage in Haiti in October of 1984.


<...takes a sip...> 
:laugh

It's still good, and is far better than that marriage was!
:2 boat:


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

I suspect that the reason the rum tastes sweet and the color is darker is because Tupperware is a soft, porous plastic, which would allow the alcohol to slowly evaporate through the plastic, thereby leaving you with the basic ingredients, molasses. The same thing happens to flexible tubing that leads from your head to the holding tank, thus after a while the tubing permeates and the odors tend to waft throughout the boat. Just guessing about this, though, but it made perfectly good sense to me.

All the best,

Gary


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## denverd0n (Jun 20, 2008)

boatpoker said:


> Might want to check and see if that plastic bottle contains BPA.


Yeah. If the rum was stored in a glass bottle I would say absolutely no problem at all. In plastic? I'm not so sure.

I think the lesson here is, don't let your rum sit around that long!


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Poker identified the issue. Tupperware only eliminated BPA from it's products in 2010. I know the stuff is controversial, but allowing fluid to soak in it for nearly 30 years is way past my risk tolerance.


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## Squidd (Sep 26, 2011)

travlineasy said:


> I suspect that the reason the rum tastes sweet and the color is darker is because Tupperware is a soft, porous plastic, which would allow the alcohol to slowly evaporate through the plastic, thereby leaving you with the basic ingredients, molasses. The same thing happens to flexible tubing that leads from your head to the holding tank, thus after a while the tubing permeates and the odors tend to waft throughout the boat. Just guessing about this, though, but it made perfectly good sense to me.
> 
> All the best,
> 
> Gary


I wish my boat smelled like rum:2 boat:


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

Did you put the rum in plastic bottles, or put the bottles in plastic containers? If the former, I would pitch it, if the latter I am sure it is fine.


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## celenoglu (Dec 13, 2008)

BPA is banned only for baby feeding bottles. I strongly believe it is hazardious. Alcohol is a good solvent and most probably has a lot of bpa after so many years in plastic bottles. There must be a good reason for alcohol producers to use glass bottles although most of our foodis packed in plastics.


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## CharlzO (Nov 12, 2013)

I'm guessing he left it in the bottle, and stored the bottles in the containers?


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

Keeping any sort of liquid "food" in plastic is a really bad idea. All plastics leach out some of their constituents over time.

I know doctors who are firmly convinced that the increase in cancer over the past decades is due to all the plastic containers used to store food, drinking glasses and so forth that have been in widespread use since the 50's.

For a partial bottle of rum why take any sort of risk?

And by the way, Don was right - liquor doesn't age once it's out of the cask. It needs the tannins and the slight leakage of air found in casks to age.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

CharlzO said:


> I'm guessing he left it in the bottle, and stored the bottles in the containers?


I guess only the OP can clear that up, however, I'm wonder why one would do that and then put it in the back of the fridge, since 1995.


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## guitarguy56 (Oct 10, 2012)

Squidd said:


> I wish my boat smelled like rum:2 boat:


You can... :2 boat:

Island Essence Poured Candle | Main Site


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## 2Gringos (Jan 4, 2008)

eherlihy said:


> It's still good, and is far better than that marriage was!
> :2 boat:


I was happily married to my first wife for almost ten years. Unfortunately, the marriage went on for 22.

Strangely enough, for this thread, she eventually died of alcoholism, years after our divorce. It's a solvent, for sure.


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

svHyLyte said:


> In 1987 we put up a number of bottles of hard liquor in plastic Tupperware bottles to have aboard for guests/visitors while on a cruise to Mexico.


Toss it. It's not worth getting sick over the cost of a bottle of rum. I'm surprised the tupperware survived that long with alcohol inside.


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## svHyLyte (Nov 13, 2008)

Humm...

Since the consensus seems to be that it would be wiser to discard the stuff than keep it, and particularly so since I/We wouldn't be drinking it in any case, I guess it's down the drain. A shame considering it cost me over $20 (USD) in 1987! Never-the-less, discretion being the better part...

Ah well, live and learn eh?

Thanx guys...


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## troy2000 (Apr 7, 2013)

eherlihy said:


> I have (probably) ½ a bottle of Barbancourt Reserve Special Rhum. I purchased it on my honeymoon from my first marriage in Haiti in October of 1984.
> 
> 
> <...takes a sip...>
> ...


At least you got something good out of your marriage; that's more than I can say for my (very brief) first one. Well, aside from a couple of good stories, of course. It took a while to see the humor in them though...


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## troy2000 (Apr 7, 2013)

SloopJonB said:


> Keeping any sort of liquid "food" in plastic is a really bad idea. All plastics leach out some of their constituents over time.
> 
> I know doctors who are firmly convinced that the increase in cancer over the past decades is due to all the plastic containers used to store food, drinking glasses and so forth that have been in widespread use since the 50's.


of course rises in obesity rates and simply having an aging population couldn't possibly have anything to do with any increase...

Cancer rates are increasing in the USA?Skeptical Raptor


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

Isn't it interesting how a thread subject changes? We started with rum and turned it into cancer :eek


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## svHyLyte (Nov 13, 2008)

Don0190 said:


> Isn't it interesting how a thread subject changes? We started with rum and turned it into cancer :eek


My sainted Grandmother passed away at the ripe old age of 96. She smoked like a chimney and drank like a fish, even mixing scotch with milk (aka "Milk Punch"). When she finally died, peacefully in her sleep, her Physician opined that she as likely died of boredom as anything else. "Not Cancer?", "No, no cancer cell could survive that much alcohol, eh?"

That said, I finally decanted that old Rum down the drain (which I daresay "Burped" once it hit bottom!). It did pain me to do so, for sentimental if no other reason. That Rum had a lot of water under it's keel.


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

troy2000 said:


> of course rises in obesity rates and simply having an aging population couldn't possibly have anything to do with any increase...
> 
> Cancer rates are increasing in the USA?Skeptical Raptor


I guess I should have added "a significant component of" - obviously nothing acts alone - air pollution, food additives - there are innumerable contributors but many pro's think plastic constituents in food is a real biggie.


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

guitarguy56 said:


> You can... :2 boat:
> 
> Island Essence Poured Candle | Main Site


Just be sure to not leave it lit unatended when tied up improperly to the quay with a large tidal swing!


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## guitarguy56 (Oct 10, 2012)

miatapaul said:


> Just be sure to not leave it lit unatended when tied up improperly to the quay with a large tidal swing!


We use candles (just to freshen the cabin) when we are on board but not during any sailing and definitely do not leave them on overnight... We have a pretty good dock protected away from tidal surges so this helps. The coconut rum scents along with Hawaiian scents are exclusively used throughout.

On the 'cancer' stuff... One thing to consider is not to drink out of leaded crystal stemware or store your liquor in leaded decanters of the past... It is now known this to be a no-no use for alcohol as it leaches the lead out in harmful amounts. Jez sayin'...


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

guitarguy56 said:


> We use candles (just to freshen the cabin) when we are on board but not during any sailing and definitely do not leave them on overnight... We have a pretty good dock protected away from tidal surges so this helps. The coconut rum scents along with Hawaiian scents are exclusively used throughout.
> 
> On the 'cancer' stuff... One thing to consider is not to drink out of leaded crystal stemware or store your liquor in leaded decanters of the past... It is now known this to be a no-no use for alcohol as it leaches the lead out in harmful amounts. Jez sayin'...


I was referring to this thread:

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/vesse...70year-olds-get-rescued-7-times-7-months.html

Where the guys left a candle lit when the boat was tied up in the UK with there huge tides.

American 'Captain Calamity' sailors rescued for a NINTH time | Daily Mail Online


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## guitarguy56 (Oct 10, 2012)

miatapaul said:


> I was referring to this thread:
> 
> http://www.sailnet.com/forums/vesse...70year-olds-get-rescued-7-times-7-months.html
> 
> ...


Yes... I understood they goofed up with the candles... glad they are alright though... could happen to anyone... fires everywhere burning big yachts too... no lit flames outside of candles for us in the boat and very carefully monitored.


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## SloopJonB (Jun 6, 2011)

miatapaul said:


> Where the guys left a candle lit when the boat was tied up in the UK with there huge tides.
> 
> American 'Captain Calamity' sailors rescued for a NINTH time | Daily Mail Online


According to them, they didn't leave it lit, they just didn't put it out properly and it re-lit itself.

Just more bad luck.


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

The first lesson here: never leave an opened bottle of rum on board for too long.
Second lesson: when you get married, make a stash of really good rum, like a couple of cases. Then every year on your anniversary you drink one bottle, together if the marriage is a happy one, alone if it sucks. And if and when you divorce, you throw one hell of a party at the marina and drink all that is left.
And then you start this process all over again.


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## Heinous (Mar 25, 2009)

Plastic bottles?! Toss it. Even if it was great rum, it will taste like plastic now.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

HyLyte-
Booze doesn't really go bad with age, although oxidation will break down some of the finer points of it. Even in Tupperware, you'll get that after ten years. I think they could quickly answer you about contamination, I don't expect that's any worry or cause to dump the stuff. It will just be somewhat different from a fresh bottle, or an old one put up in glass.
I suppose you could always make bananas foster, or flambé something, and use it up that way. 
Best way I've heard of to protect booze bottles, is to keep old or extra heavy socks (cheap tube socks will do) and slip each bottle in a sock, then store then vertically in something that's partitioned. Horizontally if you need to keep the corks wet. (If they have corks, they MUST be kept wet.)


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## Whiskeyer (Jan 6, 2016)

Just to round out the OP. All non clear booze gets its color from the cask or barrel it was stored in. The longer the aging, the more oaky and 'barrel' flavor you get. Smooth is more a product of multiple distillations.

Since glass is inert, that's why everything gets stored in it. As long as no air gets in, the product won't change. Random note, ****ty booze uses plastic because of the cost and because any minute change in palate won't get noticed. 

Toss it. If you're really bored one day I can post a diagram on how to make "non palatable"ethanol on your stove top.  you could redistill anything that had been lying around, including that $20 of liquid gold you were shipping around. 

This is the first post I've ever replied to; something near and dear to my heart.


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## SimonV (Jul 6, 2006)

Here is what I do. keep the booze in its bottle and put the bottle in a thick sock. I have never had a breakage yet.


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## Kristtaney (Feb 17, 2016)

I decant my rum into a 100% biodegradable container hic.... Never seems to go bad.....well maybe the next day's not so great !


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## svHyLyte (Nov 13, 2008)

Thanks for your continued replies guys, but our old bottle of Rum now resides in "Davey Jones Locker". We/I replaced it with a bottle of Mount Gay 1703 which has taken up life in our crystal Captain's Decanter. It's potent stuff so I'm sure it will last awhile although likely not so long as the former bottle.

FWIW...


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Uh oh. Not "lead" crystal, I hope.


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## hellsop (Jun 3, 2014)

Whiskeyer said:


> Toss it. If you're really bored one day I can post a diagram on how to make "non palatable"ethanol on your stove top.  you could redistill anything that had been lying around, including that $20 of liquid gold you were shipping around.
> 
> This is the first post I've ever replied to; something near and dear to my heart.


And remember, if anyone asks you what the still is for when you're clearing in someplace, remember that it's for making water for the batteries, and drinking water in an emergency.


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## MarkSF (Feb 21, 2011)

The rum itself should be fine, apart from one little problem : the plastic will have leached out some harmful compounds over time, and may have broken down too. Many plastics are plasticised with compounds like Phthalate :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phthalate

This is a hormone, causing breast cancer and birth defects. Your rum has had 29 years to build up the levels.


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## svHyLyte (Nov 13, 2008)

Minnewaska said:


> Uh oh. Not "lead" crystal, I hope.


Who would know? It's very old. It was a wedding gift to my great grandmother in 1870 and sat on the "sideboard", filled with brandy, in her living room until she passed away at the age of 90 (according to my grandmother) with "all her marbles"; after which it sat on my grandmother's "sideboard" until she passed away (at the ripe old age of 96) in 1957; after which it sat in my mother's bar until she died at the age of 90. None save my mother had any mental problems but she was a teatottaler so that had nothing to do with the glass or its contents. Now it sits on the table in our salon, with four matching "balloon" goblets (Baccarat has been making the same crystal since the 1700's), and I'm willing to take my chances. Sometimes one just has to live dangerously to make life worthwhile, eh? (and at my age, lead poisoning from a snifter with two finger of Rum is the least of my worries!).

Cheers! (And down the hatch, eh?)


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## twoshoes (Aug 19, 2010)

If it's that old then it's most certainly leaded crystal. Today's "unleaded" crystal isn't really crystal at all, just really expensive glass.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

svHyLyte said:


> Who would know? It's very old. It was a wedding gift to my great grandmother in 1870 and sat on the "sideboard", filled with brandy, in her living room until she passed away at the age of 90 (according to my grandmother) with "all her marbles"; after which it sat on my grandmother's "sideboard" until she passed away (at the ripe old age of 96) in 1957; after which it sat in my mother's bar until she died at the age of 90. None save my mother had any mental problems but she was a teatottaler so that had nothing to do with the glass or its contents. Now it sits on the table in our salon, with four matching "balloon" goblets (Baccarat has been making the same crystal since the 1700's), and I'm willing to take my chances. Sometimes one just has to live dangerously to make life worthwhile, eh? (and at my age, lead poisoning from a snifter with two finger of Rum is the least of my worries!).
> 
> Cheers! (And down the hatch, eh?)


Entirely your call. Personally, I would not correlate a few relatives that lived to a ripe old age, with the use of lead crystal, especially since one didn't drink. It's perfectly safe to use occasionally, it's just not supposed to have certain things stored in it for any legnth of time. The lead does leach. Alcohol is one of those no no's.

Issues of mental problems is most concerning for children. Adult manifestations can take other forms.

No issue with you living dangerously, if that's your preference.


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## Rocky Mountain Breeze (Mar 30, 2015)

As the former Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders liked to say: "Sooner or later we are all going to die of something or other." All of you guys who avoid all risks will probably be real healthy when your time comes.........

Although, if you are really risk averse you probably shouldn't be spending time on a sailing vessel anyway, all that solar radiation, fiberglass exposure, mercury from the water, salt exposure, electromagnetic radiation, and risk of drowning. I am sure the state of California has declared sailing a cancer risk as they have declared almost everything else in a person's normal life a cancer risk.....


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Not the first time someone has pushed back and suggested any reluctance to consume a know toxic element is indicative of a scared ninny. I'm a pilot, open water sailor and ride motorcycles. I used to be a deep water rescue dive instructor. I take tons of risk I believe I can manage. Nothing anyone can do to train or practice to consume lead. But I stand by others rights to do as they please. Consider giving those that disagree with your personal decision the same courtesy. The discussion on lead in crystal was just information given in the context of a thread that asked about aging liquor. Do with it as you please.


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