Does whisky belong in a decanter?

No. Whisky matures in the oak cask, not in glass. As soon as the whisky is bottled, the maturation stops, and decanting into a carafe does not change that.

The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 lay down where maturation takes place: in oak casks of at most 700 litres, for at least three years, in Scotland, and with at least 40 percent alcohol by volume in the bottle. The Arran distillery puts it in plain words: once the whisky is bottled, maturing stops. A ten-year-old whisky stays ten years old, however long the bottle stands on the shelf.

A decanter is therefore not a maturation vessel. What does happen to whisky in a decanter is due to air, light and heat.

Air makes alcohol evaporate and causes oxidation. The more air there is above the liquid, the more the aroma of the whisky shifts.

Arran distillery explains that air reacts with the whisky as soon as the bottle is open, and that more air can act on the whisky the less there is in the bottle. The distillery recommends decanting whisky into a smaller bottle when less than half is left.

A decanter works in exactly the opposite way. The glass stopper rests on the neck and does not seal the decanter the way a screw cap or a cork with a capsule does. On top of that, a decanter is usually only partly filled, so there is a lot of air above the whisky. Health Canada advises using crystal decanters for serving and not for storing.

Light and heat change colour and aroma. For a bottle in direct light, the colour can shift within about four to eight weeks and the aroma becomes flatter.

The trade journal scotchwhisky.com quotes Isabel Graham-Yooll of BI Wines & Spirits: light changes the colour of the whisky and makes the flavour flatter, and for a bottle that stands in a window in summer that change is visible within about four to eight weeks. The same article names heat as a second problem, because the alcohol expands and presses against the stopper. Cool and stable conditions are better, away from central heating.

Arran distillery mentions UV radiation here, which can cause whisky to fade over time, and advises a cool and stable spot of about 15 to 20 degrees Celsius, without large fluctuations, because otherwise the cork expands and shrinks. A decanter usually stands in view on a sideboard or a bar. A closed cabinet is a calmer place.

Lead crystal contains lead oxide. Directive 69/493/EEC prescribes that ‘cristal au plomb’ contains at least 24 percent lead oxide and ‘cristal superieur’ at least 30 percent.

That directive still applies, so a new decanter with the designation lead crystal also contains lead oxide. With antique decanters the glass rarely states what it is made of. Health Canada writes that lead can pass into food and drink put in lead crystal, that this depends on the type of product and the contact time, and that more lead passes into acidic products such as fruit juice, soft drinks and wine. According to Health Canada the risk increases when it is stored in it for longer. The advice there is: use lead crystal for serving, not for storing.

The Office for Science and Society of McGill University cites measured values from research into drink in lead crystal decanters. In port, the lead concentration rose in four months from 90 to 4,000 micrograms per litre; in brandy that stood for five years in lead crystal, more than 20,000 micrograms per litre was measured. As a benchmark, McGill cites the drinking-water standard of 50 micrograms per litre. We only report here what these sources state.

For serving at the table. Pour the whisky over shortly before use, empty the decanter the same evening and put whatever is left back in its own bottle.

Health Canada puts it this way for lead crystal: use it for serving, never for storing, and use it from time to time, for instance on a special occasion. That way the drink only briefly comes into contact with the glass and the decanter simply remains a handsome piece on the table.

For cleaning, Health Canada gives two pointers. Wash lead crystal by hand in warm water, with a mild washing-up liquid and a soft cloth or sponge, so that the surface is damaged less. And first put new lead crystal in vinegar for 24 hours and then rinse it off well. Afterwards let the decanter dry completely before you put it away, so that no water is left inside.

A few months to two years, if the stopper closes well and the bottle is at least half full. The amount of air above the liquid makes the difference here.

The Arran distillery gives that period as a few months up to two years and writes that after that the colour can fade and the finish can change. The less whisky there is in the bottle, the more air acts on the spirit. If less than half is left, decanting into a smaller bottle is, according to the distillery, the better route. A decanter does the opposite, because there the whisky stands wide and loose.

In de winkel in Bathmen staan 995 whisky’s op standaardsterkte, 40 tot 43 procent, van 315 merken uit 23 landen. Het hele whiskyassortiment telt 3.960 whisky’s. Wilt u weten welke fles bij u past, of hoe u een fles die u al een tijd open heeft het beste bewaart, dan kunt u langskomen of bellen. Alcohol verkopen wij niet aan iedereen onder de 18 jaar. NIX18.