Does Brandy Go Bad?

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When talking about most of the liquors, they cannot go bad if they are left unopened. The reasons behind that are when they are sealed, then there won’t be any risk of oxidation, and also, they do not contain much sugar. Also, due to the alcohol in the liquors, bacteria do not have any effect on them.

However, if you have an opened bottle of brandy in your room and want to know if there are any risks of going it bad, you do not have to worry, much like an opened bottle of brandy would be good to go for 8 to 12 months. But even after that, it won’t be spoiled, but you may notice a change in flavor.

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How to Store Brandy?

Oxidation occurs when the particle of the liquid of their compounds are exposed to oxygen. As a result, the alcohol from liquors began to evaporate, leading the liquor to lose its flavor and be weakened over time.

Storing liquors is not a big task to do. You have to make sure that you have capped the bottle properly. You can either use a cap or a stopper to seal it. So that no air can enter the bottle, and there would be no risk of oxidation.

Store at Room Temperature

It would be best to look for a dark room and room temperature for storing your bottles of brandy. The temperature can neither be too hot or too cold.

Store it Away from Sun

Keeping your liquor from light and closing it tightly will slow the oxidation process; thus, less alcohol will evaporate from the liquor. And thus, it will maintain its shape.

Store in a Cellar

The cellar is maybe the best place to store your bottles of brandy. You can also place it away from the direct sunlight and walls faced outwards, like cupboards or pantry.

Store in Decanter

A decanter is used to serve wine as well as to store liquors. If you don’t have a fancy bottle or do not want random bottles to roam around your house, you can use a decanter. Now you can fill the decanter with the whole brandy if you’d like, and make sure to close the decanter with the cork.

Can you freeze Brandy?

Yes, brandy can be frozen. And there would not be much effect on the brandy except getting a bit of moisture from the air present inside the bottle that will make the brandy more dilute.

Brandy’s freezing point lies below -23 C° or -10 F°. Usually, freezers in our home have temperatures higher than that, so technically, we can’t freeze brandy in our usual home freezers.

Brandy is made mostly with a higher percentage of alcohol in it. Its base is either wine or fruits. The percentage of alcohol present in it determines its freezing point. The more alcohol it has, the lesser the freezing point it will have.

The lowest percentage of alcohol can be 40, and so the freezing point will be -10 F°. And when it’s 50, the freezing point is dropped to -25 F°. You don’t have to put the liquor in the refrigerator, as it doesn’t need to be even after opening the bottle.

How long does Brandy last?

If you have stored an opened bottle, it would be best to use it within 8 to 12 months. After this period, it will start to lose its flavor. Well, talking about the shelf life of brandy-like most of the other wines and alcohols, they have an infinite shelf life if unopened.

Even after opening it, they will be good to go for over a year. As brandy mostly consists of alcohol, so there are lesser chances for it to go bad. So this increases its shelf life. But due to the high percentage of alcohol, it could evaporate faster and leads to a decrease in the quality, and may get spoiled.

If you have placed it in a warmer place, it will surely oxidize and taste bland. If you have an opened bottle of brandy, before using it, make sure that its taste is still the same, or it wouldn’t be good for you to have it.

How to Tell If Brandy Is Bad?

It seems almost impossible for an unopened brandy to go bad if stored properly. However, it may lose its taste or color if exposed to air, leading to oxidation. If you are going to serve an opened bottle of brandy, make sure to taste it before doing that. If you feel the taste to be less enjoyable or a bit flat, it’s best to use it.