Late last year, a hidden trove of whisky was discovered in a cellar room deep within a 13th century Scottish castle. The liquid was subsequently tested and determined to have been distilled back in 1833, making it the oldest known scotch in existence. Now two dozen bottles of it are going under the hammer in a November auction.
If sealed properly the flavour of whiskey is extremely resilient so I think you are spot on about it being a way to experience whiskey history.
I would absolutely love to taste some of this stuff…the idea of tasting something from back then is very exciting.
I also expect you are correct in that wouldn’t taste as good as a modern whiskey.
If you really want to taste something historical, go to Egypt. Ancient Egyptian honey is routinely found in tombs and is still edible.
Difference between whiskey history and honey history is human input. Honey sorta happens without people. Whiskey does not. Millenia old honey, while neat, is still just honey. century old whiskey however contains all the choices the distiller made. It’s almost certainly not made to a strict recipe, and it likely used ingredients we wouldn’t today. Theres a lot to experience that has changed in distilling since it was distilled. Less so with honey.
Not knocking honey btw. Best honey I’ve ever had came from a backyard in Austin. I do recognize honey isn’t created equally. Just that time doesn’t really change what the bees have available so much.
Do they have middle aged women standing outside the pyramids handing out lil bitty spoons of honey samples? (I always go “mmmm…wow…I’m DEFINITELY going to get some of these now! Can I have one more?”)
“Just go to Egypt, brah.”