Neck Fill levels in bottles

That's gotta be frustrating!

With that being said - did you have the opportunity to inspect the bottles before purchase, or was this a tansaction via the internet/over the phone?

If at a store - I always open up the box to inspect the bottle to make sure everything "looks good"...Purchases I've made via the interent have been good so far; no odd filling levels, nor any damage to the bottles...Then again - my purchases are of current offerings, no vintage bottles, and no independant bottlings...Kinda a safe bet I guess.

Just today I picked up a 1962 Old Grand Dad Bottled in Bond. The fill level was less than 10% loss which I considered very very good for 50 years. The fill level is a direct result of how the bottle was handled and stored over the years. I've done quite a bit of dusty hunting and bottles that sit near windows exposed to variant temperatures tend to lose quite a bit over time. The type of cap plays a big role. Cork stoppers break down over time so loss can be more significant.

@StevieC, how 'vintage' is the bottle? As 'boubondork' mentioned, older bottles will suffer loss due to natural evaporation (cork is actually one of the worst materials to use for a whisky bottle top, due to its more porous nature), no matter how well they are sealed and stored.

@Bourbondork. I'm intrigued. I like Old Grand Dad. I've only had the OGD 114 but I'm sure I'd like the BIB. The question is where did you find a bottle of 1962 OGD BIB?

@maltygirl I blogged about it here bourbondork.blogspot.com/2013/01/…

Short story...friend shared his recent acquisitions with me. A couple years ago I had a bottle of the original release of OGD114 and to this day, is on my top five list of favorite bourbons. I still have a 1982 in the bunker so hope it's just as tasty.

@Pudge72 The bottles weren't old at all. They were bottled in 2009/2010. I seem to think that that particular lot was filled lower when they bottled it. Turnover in stores are generally pretty high, with the exception of a few expensive bottles.

I store my bottles in the basement, in the dark, with a consistent temperature of approx. 17-19 degrees Celcius. My bottles sit on the concrete floor, some are in a Rubermaid container. When I pick them up, they feel cool, even the ones inside cardboard sleeves or boxes. I have never experienced evaporation from my bottles. I've had a few for more than 4 years.

I've had a bottle of Talisker 10 open (half full) for almost 2 years. I had a dram last night, and it tasted great! I marked my bottle, and guess what, no evaporation! I think that evaporation happens mainly when bottles are stored improperly, that is to say, in warm/hot temperatures, or temperatures that fluctuate, or are placed in direct sunlight. Evaporation will also occur as bottles are kept open for long long durations. That, or, you manage to get a bottle with a faulty cork.

Does anyone here plan on storing a bottle for more than 20 years? What measures have you taken to ensure that it is well taken care of?

@StevieC...that is unusual that a newer bottle would be seemingly underfilled. Sounds like either a small issue with the bottling machine, or is the distillery one that does hand filling of bottles?

@Pudge72 The bottle I am referring to is the Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve 2009. The fill level was to the shoulder of the bottle, whereas my Jameson 18 was filled mid-neck. A considerable difference.

I bought a bottle Of Gordon & Macphail 1991 Rosebank (bottled 2007). I thought the fill level was lower than normal, but jumped at it because it was the last one on the shelf! The price was good too. I will post a picture soon to show what I mean.