Decanters Look Elegant, But An Expert Says It's Better To Store Whiskey In Its Original Bottle

When you spot beautifully etched versions at antique stores or see television show characters using them, decanters can seem like the way to go for keeping your bourbon. But as lovely as they look, are they actually doing anything beneficial for the whiskey? To find out, we asked an expert: Alex Davis, co-owner of Peck Slip Social in New York City.

"Unlike wine, it's not necessary to decant whiskey," Davis says. In fact, it's not only unnecessary; it could prove detrimental. "Depending on where the decanter is stored and how wide the neck is, the whiskey can 'turn' more quickly compared to leaving it in the bottle, as sunlight and oxygen are the true enemies of whiskey." 

Some of the reasons we decant wine are the very reasons we shouldn't decant whiskey. Letting wine breathe with a little exposure to oxygen can knock off volatile compounds that might be undesired, like carbon dioxide in a red. A small amount of oxygen can catalyze chemical reactions leading to pleasant flavor developments in certain wines. But while a short breathing period can also open up positive flavors in whiskey, any more exposure leads to oxidation, which deadens existing flavors and introduces unwanted ones like wet cardboard.

Davis explains decanters "came into fashion when whiskey was being sold directly from the barrel and it made sense to put it into another vessel." In the eighteenth century, glassmakers developed clear vessels so people could spotlight whiskey's hues. But that light- and air-exposed whiskey likely didn't taste good for very long. Bottled whiskey — often in darkly tinted glass and well covered with labeling — developed by the early twentieth century. 

In today's whiskey market, distillers are already offering imbibers the best storage vessel for the liquid inside. As long as they're properly resealed and kept at or below room temperature with limited light, opened bottles can last one to two years or even longer. In a decanter, bourbon won't last that long — if it has an airtight seal, results will be better, but you might still notice flavor deterioration in just a few months. 

Davis acknowledges the aesthetic appeal of decanters. "Decanting can allow for the rich color of the whiskey to really shine in a way that it can't when left in the bottle," she says. If you really want to use a special decanter, make sure it has an airtight seal, and use it to store bourbon you think you'll finish soon. Or, elevate your home bar by collecting vintarge barware like crystal decanters, but instead of using them to store your whiskey, place dried flowers inside and accent your spirit collection.