Unused bottles of booze

Ashagill

My partner has inherited his Godfathers house which comes with all the duties of house clearance and trying to identify what should be sold for thousands of pounds and what is not even good enough for a charity shop!!
One of the dilemmas we have is that the old chap was bought many bottles of booze, most of it has been opened and we are trying to finish it, but there are some full unopened bottles of sherry and port that we ourselves not only don't drink but don't have anyone we can give it to who does drink that stuff and it doesn't go in cocktails (which is how we're finishing the other stuff).

Some if it is the really posh stuff and we have no idea what to do with it. Are there places to sell these things/make money from it?

theonlywayisup

You can't sell them without a licence. Can you do a search online to see if any of the items are valuable (posh isn't valuable necessarily). Take it from there.

getmore4less

Executor is responsible for valuation and clearance not the beneficiary.


Make a list of name & Vintage. Google.

Check the booze you are using could be some good stuff in that.

pattycake

When my dad passed away 5 years ago, I "inherited " quite a few unopened bottles of whisky from his house. In the interim, I have given some away as gifts but I still have 2x1L bottles in my kitchen cupboard. Now we don't like whisky but I am wondering if these bottles are still safe to drink. Does alcohol go off?

FreeBear

Port, the cheap stuff like Ruby & LBV can be used for cocktails or cooking. Decent vintage ports do have a value, especially if they have been stored in a cool location.

There are auction houses that do regular wine sales, so it may pay to look them up. Failing that, I can dispose of any port in a safe & environmentally friendly way

pattycake wrote: »

Does alcohol go off?

Spirits and fortified wines are good to drink years after being bottled. You may get a little bit of evaporation through the cork, but it will still be good.
Wines, especially cheap plonk doesn't keep well, and anything with a screw-top is best left on the shelf at the supermarket.

PasturesNew

I've seen booze sold at auctions - phone a couple of auction houses and find out if they sell it or who is nearest/best that does.

missprice

pattycake wrote: »

When my dad passed away 5 years ago, I "inherited " quite a few unopened bottles of whisky from his house. In the interim, I have given some away as gifts but I still have 2x1L bottles in my kitchen cupboard. Now we don't like whisky but I am wondering if these bottles are still safe to drink. Does alcohol go off?

It's fine years later, if it's say a twelve year old whisky, it's still 12 years old even if it's not drunk for 5 years. It can only age in the barrel, not once it's bottled.

Plenty of recipes online to use it up if you wanted to, from a glaze for meat to cakes and biscuits

chappers

FreeBear wrote: »

, and anything with a screw-top is best left on the shelf at the supermarket.

Not true, I have some Australian wines from the early 2000s with screw caps which I paid around the £15 mark for back then, the flavour is just starting to open up now and have developed quite well but probably still have another 20 years in them before they will be at their very best. they are selling for around £50 a bottle now, if you can find them.
The air through cork can help some wines to develop and at a much faster rate, but can also promote the development of non true flavours, particularly in white wines.

missile

Australian and quality are two adjectives not usually associated with wine :rotfl:

kerri_gt

chappers wrote: »

Not true, I have some Australian wines from the early 2000s with screw caps which I paid around the £15 mark for back then, the flavour is just starting to open up now and have developed quite well but probably still have another 20 years in them before they will be at their very best. they are selling for around £50 a bottle now, if you can find them.
The air through cork can help some wines to develop and at a much faster rate, but can also promote the development of non true flavours, particularly in white wines.

Indeed the stelvin closure seals the wine better than a cork and is far more environmentally friendly. A screw cap does not mean a poor wine, and vice versa.

chappers

kerri_gt wrote: »

Indeed the stelvin closure seals the wine better than a cork and is far more environmentally friendly. A screw cap does not mean a poor wine, and vice versa.

And no cork issues either.
Nothing worse than laying wine down to open it and find it corked