How long does unopened alcohol last?

Answer 1

You can keep an unopened bottle of any kind of Bacardi Rum for as long as you want without fear of it being unsafe to drink. Many of the best (and most expensive) rums have been "aged" for many years, but this aging is done in special wooden casks in a carefully controlled climate, not on a shelf in your kitchen.

Bacardi (or any other kind of rum) that's been in the back of your liquor cabinet for 15 years will usually taste significantly worse than it did when you bought it, but it's always safe to test it out and there's a chance it'll taste just about the same, or even better.

Answer 2

It depends entirely on the alcohol. Spirits are inert. They last forever. That bottle of scotch that says 12 years old will remain 12 years old for a hundred and twelve years.

With wine, it's a lot more delicate. Wine cellars are in the cellar for a reason. It's cooler and consistent down there. Heat and light kill wine in the bottle.

A wine that has been through a warm summer in a kitchen rack is quite possibly ruined from it.

Under better conditions, some wines last 50 years, others last 3.

Sweeping generalizations though to try to be helpful? ...

Reds last longer than whites.

Expensive reds last longer than cheaper ones.

Europe lasts longer than California. (super sweeping one there but not wrong)

Spirits are not inert, they do deteriorate once opened, although it is at a very slow pace and most people won't notice. Madeira would be the only "indestructible" drink, due to the way it's made and the extreme temperature changes it has endured.

Answer 3

Booze with yeast : Must be refrigerated and eventually go bad (live)

Distilled booze : Technically has an infinite shelf life. The quality may change due to light, air and heat exposure, but it is still drinkable.

Answer 4

A good five years if it stays cool and out of the sun.