Why Exposing Bourbon To Light Can Ruin The Flavor

Bourbon is a rich and complex spirit with an impressive range of flavor profiles, but to get the most out of any given bottle, it has to be stored correctly. And while bourbon may be known as a type of hard liquor, its storage requirements can be more delicate.

Bourbon must be stored away from light sources, especially direct sunlight. Exposure to ultraviolet light will, over time, radically change almost every attribute of your bourbon. Its caramel color will fade and the bouquet of flavors will flatten, leaving behind a bitter, boozy disappointment.

Direct sunlight is usually the biggest culprit, and can turn a bottle of bourbon in just a few months. But some household lighting such as fluorescent bulbs emit smaller amounts of UV light that can have similar effects. Luckily, protecting bourbon from these effects is pretty simple: just make sure the bottles are stored away from UV light sources, especially direct sunlight.

Proper care for a bottle of bourbon begins with buying one worth caring for. There are a number of red flags to watch out for when buying bourbon, with perhaps the biggest being the dreaded plastic bottle. In the bourbon industry, higher-quality spirits tend to correspond with higher-quality bottles. Plastics are on the lowest end of this spectrum, and can also leech unwanted chemicals and flavors into the bourbon. These issues do not exist with glass bottles.

The fact that bourbon bottles can be resealed should be enough to tell you that too much oxygen exposure can also spoil the spirit. But failing to let a pour breathe before drinking is one of the big mistakes to avoid when drinking bourbon. A few minutes of aeration before consumption lets some of the boozy burn evaporate, and the rest of the flavors develop as intended.

Finally, you may have heard of storing bourbon in the freezer, perhaps to smooth out the taste of alcohol. And while that does work, you should avoid storing whiskey in the freezer — bourbon or otherwise. You will smother the alcoholic burn, but this also mutes the intended flavor profile and changes the experience for the worse.