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Gentlemen and Ladies. I will enjoy ONE 3oz glass of Pappy 20 year tonight. (Neat, of course) Bottle is not yet open, and the plan is to enjoy it at each birthday only. Can it be done? The search was years, so I think I need to make it last for years. The Wathen's and Buffalo Trace will need to fill in the void.

with 3oz yearly only on your b-day, you will run out of bourbon, or life, in 8 years.

enjoy it now. next year you may trip and break the bottle, someone steals it, it oxidizes and gets nasty....enjoy it now

I had a birthday the day before Christmas. My son-in-law broke out the Pappy20. Great stuff.
Joe

Yes it can be done, and do so if it makes you happy, there is no wrong way to enjoy a whiskey.

Well, it was everything I thought it would be. What a wonderful taste. I may have to adjust how often I sample it though, based on comments already made here. What causes oxidation, and how long before such nastiness happens? The bottle is on its side, in its red cloak, in the cool environment of the cellar. If I thought I could buy another bottle I would get after it more often.

You can enjoy that bottle however you want. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate your birthday. I would suggest however, that you not leave it sit too long once it approaches the 1/4 level. It may start to oxidize quickly at this point and lose some of it's integrity. I would suggest you invite your best friends and/or family over for your birthday with a quarter bottle left and spread the joy.

RG

I would also suggest you store the bottle upright. Oxidation will occur faster the more surface area of the whiskey is exposed to air. Storing a bottle on its side increases this area quite a bit. You can also subject the whiskey to cork taint.

Unlike wine, whiskey does not age in the bottle and does not require exposed surface. While in theory whiskey should keep forever in bottle, there are factors that can contribute to its degradation. Oxidation, cork taint, and evaporation are the three I'd keep in mind. Cork taint becomes an issue because of whiskey's higher alcohol proof than wine. After prolonged exposure to the cork (bottle on its side), the alcohol can eat into the cork causing the cork residue to affect the whiskey's taste. Evaporation is a risk no matter how you store the bottle. If you don't have an air tight seal, the whiskey can evaporate much like it does while in the barrel (albeit at a much slower rate). You often see that with older bottles stored for years or decades. I would recommend sealing the bottle after each drink if you plan on keeping for years. And another suggestion other thank drinking the whiskey after you've hit 1/4 bottle is to decant it. Simply transfer the whiskey to a smaller bottle (200ml if you're at 1/4) and you're exposing the whiskey to much less air.

Hope this info is helpful!

Thank you all for the input. The bottle is now upright, and the drinking schedule has been amended. I'll need to start another search, (hopefully not years this time), for another bottle. BTW, I am having a very hard time with the login on this forum.

I have a bottle of 20 that I bought 3 years ago. Next December is my 5th wedding anniversary. If nothing else exciting happens before then, that'll be the time to open it.

If you plan on keeping this bottle for a long time you may want to use an inert wine saving gas. Also wrap the top with Saran Wrap and then tape it.