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Alcoholic beverages are complex solutions made up mainly of water and ethyl alcohol, but they can also contain an endless number of other solutes in very varied proportions. Some of them are not even solutions but rather emulsions that have fats and milk solids in suspension.
So much variety makes it difficult to answer the question of whether or not alcoholic beverages expire, as this largely depends on their composition. However, to establish a clear and unequivocal answer, we must begin by defining what it means to expire.
What is food expiration?
The expiration of a product for ingestion, such as an alcoholic beverage, refers to the moment from which the product is no longer suitable for consumption because it represents a microbiological risk to health. This means that it is the moment from which it is very likely that a food or drink contains a dangerous amount of bacteria that can harm us.
Expiration is important in perishable products such as meats, milk and dairy products, meats, etc. But the question is, do alcoholic beverages have an expiration date? Or, put another way, do alcoholic beverages go bad?
The answer to this question depends on the type of alcoholic beverage in question.
Let’s start by analyzing its components separately:
water is not perishable
In most alcoholic beverages, the main component is water. Although water is essential for life, 100% pure water cannot provide the necessary nutrients for bacteria to grow and reproduce, so water is not perishable.
However, it is absolutely essential for other substances to be, since, without water, life cannot develop.
alcohol is antiseptic
The second main component of any alcoholic beverage is ethyl alcohol or ethanol. Like water, alcohol does not provide enough nutrients to allow bacterial growth. In fact, alcohol not only does not allow the development of bacteria, but it is highly effective in destroying them, and it is an excellent disinfectant when it is sufficiently concentrated.
This last property means that strong alcoholic beverages with ethanol concentrations of 40% or more do not go bad, since all bacteria that come into contact with this solution end up dying.
However, when in relatively low concentrations, alcohol can represent a food source for some bacteria, which is exacerbated by the presence of other substances such as carbohydrates and other organic substances that the bacteria can use as nutrients.
The rest of the components of alcoholic beverages depends on the particular type of beverage in question, so let’s see what types of alcoholic beverages exist and whether or not they expire.
Types of alcoholic beverages
Distilled or spirituous beverages
These drinks are obtained through the distillation and concentration of different types of ferments. The distillation process results in a mixture that is almost 100% alcohol, so it is then diluted with water to the desired alcoholic strength.
The main distilled beverages are:
- Whiskey
- Vodka
- Tequila
- Ron
- Geneva
- pisco
- pomace
- brandy
- Cognac
Spirits, sometimes also called spirits, are the alcoholic beverages with the highest ethanol content. As such, they are, themselves, antiseptic solutions, so no bacteria or other microorganisms grow in them. For this reason, these alcoholic beverages do not expire. In fact, in many cases they are left to rest for years in special barrels, which improves their flavor, quality and value.
fermented drinks
Fermented drinks are those that are obtained through a fermentation process without subsequent distillation. Fermentation is carried out with the use of yeasts, which transform the sugars into different raw materials with ethanol.
The most common fermented drinks are:
- Came
- Champagne
- Digging
- Beer
- Cider
- Vermouth
- Sake
Since alcohol comes from yeast fermentation, and alcohol is antiseptic, there is a maximum alcohol content that can be obtained by fermentation. Given an unlimited amount of sugar, the maximum alcohol concentration that can be reached by fermentation before the medium becomes toxic to the yeast is 18%. However, in the fermentation of wines and beers, the availability of sugars limits this content to between 6 and 12%.
These alcohol concentrations are not high enough to prevent bacterial growth, so these alcoholic beverages must be stored carefully to prevent spoilage.
In short, fermented drinks can be damaged. However, in most cases, what happens to these drinks is that certain bacteria turn the ethanol into vinegar, which makes the drinks sour. This, in itself, is not dangerous to health. In other words, a vinegary wine almost completely loses its essence and quality, but it does not become dangerous for consumption. This is not an example of expiration but rather of exceeding its best use date.
Fortified or generous drinks
These are somewhere in the middle between fermented and distilled beverages. They consist of a fermented drink to which more alcohol (from distillation) has been added to improve its properties and consumption.
Some generous drinks are as follows:
- generous wine
- Port
- Sherry
- Madeira
- Marsala
- Chamomile
- palomino
- french banyuls
Being stronger than fermented drinks, these drinks are toxic to most microorganisms, so they do not expire.
Liquors and creams
The liqueurs and creams contain, in addition to alcohol, different fruits, sugars, herbs or other species, and even milk cream. Also, they often contain relatively low amounts of alcohol. This makes these mixtures a perfect breeding ground for potentially dangerous bacteria, which is why they should normally be stored under refrigeration once uncovered; otherwise they quickly spoil.
The most common liquors and creams are:
- fruit liqueur
- herbal liqueur
- Limoncello
- Coffee liquor
- pacharan
- amaretto
- whiskey liqueur
- pomace cream
Conclusion
The fact that ethyl alcohol is a powerful microbicide and antiseptic makes many believe that alcoholic beverages do not expire. This is partly true, but not always. It all depends on the type of alcoholic beverage since, depending on the actual concentration of alcohol in the drink, it may be toxic to microorganisms or it may serve as a culture medium for their growth and reproduction.
References
AACooperative Symbiosis. (2021, February 10). Differences between expiration date and best before date. The shelf life of food. Retrieved from https://www.cooperativasimbiosis.com/fecha-caducidad-y-consumo-preferente/
AAIn Naturale. (2020, February 24). Does alcohol have an expiration date? Retrieved from https://www.innaturale.com/es/el-alcohol-tiene-fecha-de-caducidad/
AALandau. (nd). Alcohol. Retrieved from https://landau.faculty.unlv.edu/alcohol.htm
AALázaro, M. (2019, October 30). Does alcohol expire? Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.es/entry/caduca-el-alcohol_es_5db309cce4b0ea02257d02c5
AAPérez, R. (2020, March 25). Classification of alcoholic beverages. Retrieved from https://www.drinksco.es/blog/clasificacion-bebidas-alcoholicas
