Expert: Paul Wagner - 1/14/2010

Question
i have a bottle of crown royal that was given to me as a gift,i was told that it's been in storage since 1972.Is my bottle worth anything?Should i open it and drink it? or keep it as an antique?  THANK YOU for your time.

Answer
Hi Rulston

Your bottle is worth just about the same amount as a current bottling.  It's nice stuff, but distilled spirits don't improve with age in the bottle the way some fine wines do--the alcohol level is too high.  

If this were mine, I would open it up and drink it!

Paul Wagner