[#whiskyphTip] Storing your whisky.

With a growing collection of open bottles from my whisky journey, I've had to learn a few important storage tips in order to maintain the quality of my #whisky bottles.

Here are a few tips that I have learned along the way:

1. Keep your bottles away from direct sunlight. Sunlight can have a very strong effect on the quality of your whisky as time passes. The sun's ultraviolet rays can break down some the compounds acquired by the whisky from the oak barrels during maturation. This could mean a change in the whisky's color and a dulling of its flavors, putting the whisky's years of maturation to waste.

To protect my whisky from sunlight, I keep my bottles in their boxes and store them in a #whiskey shelf (a repurposed bookshelf) with the side of the shelf facing the window.

2. Keep your bottles upright. Unlike wine bottles which are stored horizontally to keep the cork moist, whisky bottles should always be kept upright to keep the whisky from soaking the cork. This is because unlike wine, the high alcohol content of whisky will slowly break down and disintegrate the cork. In case your cork does crumble, I recommend decanting it into a new bottle or consuming it immediately as you won't want to risk the cork bits altering the taste of your whisky.

3. Wet the corks occassionally. With that said, it is also important to to occasionally wet the cork to keep it from drying up. Turn your bottles or keep it on its side for about a minute maybe 2 to 3 times a year.

4. Keep your bottles in a place with a stable temperature. I've seen some people recommending that whisky should be kept in a place where the temperature is maintained at 15-18 degrees Celsius (C). Unfortunately that is almost impossible in a tropical country like the Philippines. In Metro Manila where the year round temperature will range anywhere from 24-34C, the best we can do is to try to at least keep the whisky in a place with a stable "cool" temperature.

Hope these tips can help you too! Cheers!🥃

Image Courtesy of @WhiskyPH

@WhiskyPH

At its core, whisky appreciation is an exercise in memory. Notes of a whisky enthusiast in the Philippines. 🥃🇵🇭