Supposedly whiskey doesn't 'age' in the bottle as does wine. It's more accurate to state that whiskey doesn't change as quickly or as much, but it does change. American bourbon whiskeys can change significantly due to the tannins leached from fresh oak barrels.
Yeah, whiskey doesn't age in the bottle, but it can change if the seal is bad and oxygen gets in. I looked at this as a time capsule. A glimpse at what a standard quality whiskey at the time was like. I can tell you that there was certainly older whiskey than 8 years (you have to put the youngest whiskey in the batch/barrel dump on the label) in this bottle. The 10 and 12 year old whiskeys I've had in the past few years didn't have anywhere near the color or complexity of flavors that this old WT 101 has. It's to be expected I guess, the more popular it becomes, the more it is rushed out the door. Have you noticed more and more whiskeys are losing their age statements? While there are still some pretty decent and enjoyable bourbons out there, it appears the golden age of bourbon was back when demand was down and the quality was way up. I'm happy the industry is doing well, and when the demand goes down, like it did with vodka, and with rickhouses full of whiskey, there could once again be older whiskey available at reasonable prices. Hope I live long enough to see it. Til then, the golden age of whiskey is long behind us.
