Does liquor go bad after a few years?

I think it will depend if they’ve been opened or not.
I’ve had a bottle of Whisky, opened,that was ok years later. Not an expert though on this subject. Could also depend on the individual drink?

Oxygen is the enemy. Unlike wine, spirits have too high an alcohol content to support microbial life, so it won’t spoil in the sense of having stuff growing in it (which is what turns wine to vinegar), but oxidation reactions will eventually break down some of the aromatic molecules and diminish or ruin the flavor. How long that takes will depend on the nature of the booze (some aromatic compounds are more prone to oxidation than others), how much are gets into the bottle (which depends on the size of the air space at the top and the quality of the stopper seal) and on the temperature at which it’s stored (oxidation procedes more quickly at higher temperatures).

Here’s an interesting look at how well a random collection of various liquors held up over time.

Edit: ”...how much air gets into the bottle…”

@Harp, in the South, we would find “are” to be the phonetically correct form of air. Like “tarred” for tired, and “far” for fire. teeheehee

My mother has a bottle of Old Charter bourbon that she has had since the 70s. its been in the back of her fridge for many years. once a year, we take the bottle out and pour a small amount in eggnog to celebrate Christmas. we are all still here and have had no after effects of the bourbon(except a little tipsy). so, i assume my answer to your question is no.
i wonder what the alcohol content is now in this bottle of bourbon?

Hard stuff keeps for years – decades, even – if the bottle is tightly closed and kept cool and away from light. My father had a jug of Prohibition-era Canadian whiskey that we would nip at once in a while. It was still good (if not great) after 50 years. My sister still has booze left over from her wedding, which was in 1968.

If the bottle was opened, then no, but if it wasn’t then you could keep it many years

If kept closed, liquor will keep indefinately. liqueurs, however will change flavor, for good or bad, over time.

You guys have it long enough to worry if it’s gone bad?? :-p lol

Wow – never has a bottle lasted long enough to find out, if resealed it should kill any bacteria that has entered the bottle. Watched a Ebay listing for a 70 year old bottle of Old Crow – they thought it was a gold mine but all they had was a dusty bottle of 3 year old whiskey as once blended & bottled the aging stops

Thanks, everyone for your answers. Some wondered if I had it long enough to go bad. I know a closed bottle will usually be fine but I needed to know if certain things like light or heat will effect it.
@Harp, Great answer. It makes perfect sense about the oxygen in the bottle and alchol content. Your link was very helpful. It answered some of my questions about blended liquors and how to tell when its gone bad.
I have some bottles that go from 1–10 years. Some appear to look like they may have faded. Of course it could just be perception. But since I have it in the kitchen because I don’t have room anywhere else, I wanted to make sure kitchen heat doesnt’ destroy it, and I don’t want to accidentally make any guest ill. I once gave cogniac to a guest because it was his favorite drink and he said we kept it too long. It had been opened before. He said the flavor had faded.
We are not big drinkers so I didn’t know if there should be any real concerns.

Good luck when you do open them then :-)

Unopened liqueurs are pretty stable as is hard alcohols but wine is iffy. Unless you’ve bought a 10yr+ reserve wine then it can turn vinegary in just a year or so depending on the climate you live in.

why don’t you try it and see?