Whether you’re trying to date a bottle of bourbon or determine the relative age of a dusty bottle of Scotch the process for US bottles is pretty much the same; it’s a matter of looking at clues and narrowing down possibilities. Kind of like playing a game of Clue, except with booze.
That doesn’t mean it’s always easy, and figuring out the exact age can be a real hassle, but there are 11 basic clues and resources I use when trying to determine how old a dusty bottle of whiskey is. Below is a run through of each along with some additional resources at the end.
- Start with obvious
- Look for bottle codes
- Government warnings
- UPC codes
- Imperial or Metric?
- Federal tax strips & state tax stamps
- Bonded whiskey = a wealth of info
- Federal Law Forbids Sale or Reuse of this Bottle
- Glass date
- Brand history
- Google Books – Magazines
Start With The obvious
Look for any clues on the bottle itself that’ll pin point it. In the image above we see that it’s commemorating the 200th anniversary of Evan Williams and on the bottle they say the distillery was founded in 1783. Doing some simple math puts this bottle at 1983. Nice and simple.
Look For Bottle Codes
Some bottle codes are easy to decipher while others are not, but if they exist they’re a great place to start. If you can’t decipher them, and can’t find anyone else online who has a clue, reach out to the maker (if possible) and see if they can steer you in the right direction.
Government Warning
You know that big block of text on the back of your whiskey that tells you not to operate machinery or be pregnant while drinking? If it’s not there then your bottle is likely from before 1989 when the Surgeon General’s warning became mandatory.
UPC Codes
Does your dusty bottle of whskey have a UPC on the back? They fully came into fashion around 1985, but began popping up in the late 70s and early 80s. If the UPC code is missing you can move the estimated date of the bottle back to at least pre-1985.
Imperial or Metric?
How the liquid in the bottle is measured can also be a clue. From 1981 forward all bottles in the USA started carrying metric (ml, liter, etc.) statements. Before 1979 bottles in the USA were measured using the Imperial system (pint, quart, gallon, etc.). The switch started happening in 1979 and some bottles from 79 / 80 will carry both on the bottle, but could still carry one or the other.
Federal Tax Strips
Does your bottle of whiskey have a tax strip? Tax strips are the blue (if exported), green or red strips that go up the side of the neck and over the cap and will either say U.S. Internal Revenue or Bureau of ATF. If it says ATF on the strip then your bottle is from 1977 – 1985. If it mentions the IRS then it’s pre-1977 which still covers a lot of time, but fear not. We can break it down to smaller chunks fo time thanks to tax strip changes over the years.
- 1934-1944: Weight/Proof Marks on ends, no “Series” near Eagle’s feet. Upper-left edge reads “US Internal Revenue”
- 1945-1972: Words “Series” and “111″/”112″ added near Eagles feet. Upper-left edge reads “US Internal Revenue”
- 1973-1976: Volume markings removed from ends of Tax Strip. Upper-left edge reads “US Internal Revenue”
- 1977-1983: No Volume markings. No “Series” or “111″/”112″ near Eagle’s feet. Upper-left edge reads “Bureau of ATF”
- In 1982 the words “Tax Paid” and “Distilled Spirits” were removed and replaced with simply “Distilled” and “Spirits” on the bottom of the strips.
- The green Bottled in Bond strips were discontinued starting December 1, 1982.
(details via wchurst on DrinksPlanet)
State Tax Stamps
Some states also used their own tax stamps (top left of the bottle above) which can give clues like the State Treasurer’s name, tax rate, State Secretary’s signature, etc. Most of that info can be looked up online so you can narrow your date range by looking up who was in charge when the tax stamp was used.
Bottled Under Supervision
A little side note here. If you see this it’s not a tax-strip. It’s a Manufacturer’s strip designed to reproduce the general look of a tax strip. Strips like this were added by many manufacturers in the mid 80’s after the tax strip requirement was lifted.
Most strips of this type were only produced for a few years at best, as manufacturers soon realized that most of their consumers had never dealt with any “refilled” bottles, as was so common to find prior to the 1940’s.
For nearly 100 Years the use of a Federal tax strip over the cap/cork of a bottle ensured that the bottle’s
contents were genuine. Perhaps manufacturers believed that consumers still shared this view and lead them to include their own strip once tax strips were no longer required.
(via Walter Hurst)
Bonded Whiskey = A Wealth Of Info
If you’re lucky enough to score a dusty bonded whiskey your job is even easier because the green tax strip will state both the made (distilled) and bottled date. Though if the numbers have faded you can ball-park it by looking at the verbiage on the strip itself.
If it reads: “This bottle has been filled and stamped under the provisions of sections 5008 and 5243 Internal Revenue Code.” then it’s pre-August 1959 because in August of 1959 the sections it refers to changed to 5205 and 5233.
Federal Law Forbids Sale Or Reuse Of This Bottle
Typically embossed on the bottle itself, though sometimes printed on the label, these words will date your whiskey to sometime between 1932 – 1964.
Glass Date
I always save this for a last resort, but look at the bottom of your bottle. Is there a 2 digit date on the bottom? Likely there is and it could denote when the bottle was made. It does NOT denote when the whiskey was put in the bottle, as some suggest, but possibly when the bottle was made – or even when the mold for the bottle was made. It could also just be a proof number or something from the manufacturer and mean nothing at all in regards to age. Take these with a grain of salt.
Brand History
Is it a brand that’s currently in existence? Reach out and see if anyone at the company can tell you when it’s from. If it’s a style that’s no longer made do a quick Google search to see if you can find out how long it was made for. If it’s a dead distillery look it up and see how long the distillery was around for. Basically I’m telling you to Google it. And speaking of Googling it…
Google Books – Magazines
Another great way to figure out the relative date of your bottle is advertising. Search for your bottle (by name) in Google Books under the magazines. Find ads that depict your bottle and you’ll know roughly when it’s from. Bottle label designs can change over the years and advertising will always depict what the label looked like at that time so consumers could go out and get that exact bottle. You can basically use advertising as a visual history of label changes.
https://books.google.com/books/magazines/language/en
Using the info here you should have no problem figuring out at least a ballpark age for your dusty finds. With a bit of practice you’ll soon have your friends asking you how to date a bottle of whiskey, but if you want to make ‘em “learn the hard way” you can always send them here. Nothing wrong with that.
Cheers!
P.S. if you’re looking for some other great whiskey bottle dating resources give these a peek.
Other Resources
- http://whiskeyid.com/
- http://www.drinksplanet.com/dating-a-bottle-1444.html
- http://www.drinksplanet.com/dating-us-bottles-via-tax-stamps…-1205.html
Hiram Walker Crème de Noyaux, I think about 1975! It’s not very pink anymore, but more of an amber color. I think I found a super relic of the disco era in my moms liquor collection. Pink squirrels coming up!
A minor quibble here. Liquor in the United States was never measured in the Imperial system. Usually this doesn’t make that much of a difference, but where United States measures differ most from Imperial measures are in units of volume. US pints, quarts, and gallons are all smaller than the Imperial measures of the same name. The US fluid ounce is larger than the Imperial fluid ounce, but where the US has 16 oz to a pint, in the Imperial system it’s 20.
I wish there was a way to add a photo here I have found still and it’s original white box that says Johnny Walker and gold at the top red label and red with the little man on it this bottle inside has never been opened it says Johnny Walker Red label bottled in Scotland on the very back of the bottle it has a Tennessee ID liquor tax paid stamp and also has the red label over and across the top of the lid at the bottom of the red label it says less than half a pint it goes up the right side and it says us internal revenue on the top distilled spirits at the bottom but in Black it has the letter i – 497 then you go across the top of the bottle on that red paper label where the eagle is it in Black it says Johnny Walker scotch red you go across to the left side and it has the same thing as the right with that same number I-497. I’m pretty sure it’s an i it could be the number one but I’m pretty sure it’s an i I have been looking and looking all over the Internet to try to find out a little more information about this if what I read on your websites correct then this one probably dates to the 1930s it looks like a little bit of the alcohol it has evaporated from the bottle but it is a good three quarters full still on the paper label has never been broken the bottles never been opened and I am wondering about more information about it and honestly who would be interested in it and a collector
Hey Megan,
It definitely sounds like it could be from the 30s/40s, but hard to say for sure without photos. That said, if you’re looking for a buyer, please note that it’s illegal for individuals to sell liquor without a liquor license. Also, these are quite common and don’t go for much on auctions. Looking at recent auctions I see full-sized bottle (1 pint 6 oz) from the 1940s going for about $150. Half pints less than $100. So it’s not worth sending to auction because fees, shipping and insurance you might end up in the negative.
Best option is to see if it’s legal to sell via consignment in your state and partner with a liquor store. If not, then open it with some friends and enojy it. Cheers!
A friend has an empty bottle – clear glass with S Campbell & Son LTD Scotch Whiskey Glasgow on the front with a # 3559 on the bottom. Is it worth anything? How old is it? Where do we go for info???
It’s worth whatever a crafter or interior decorator is willing to pay for it. Empty bottles don’t have any true resell value outside of decoration. Cheers Mary.
Hello Josh,
I thought I would take the liberty of passing along a bit of information for you in case it would be helpful to anyone. And this is ONLY relating to the actual glass bottle, not the whiskey inside, BUT I can help decode the markings on the bottle base that you have a picture of on this page. It is the base photo shown directly underneath the words “GLASS DATE”. That bottle was made in 1977 by Glass Containers Corporation, based in Fullerton, CA. The “22” is a liquor bottle permit number, the “77” is the year date code, the logo which is a stylized “G over C” stands for the glass company. The “D-1” is a distiller code number. “823” is a mold style number assigned to that particular bottle design or shape. The “22” liquor bottle permit number was assigned to Glass Container Corp, but the same number was used at all their glass plants (a total of about 12 plants) so I can’t be sure exactly where it was made. But we can know the bottle was made in 1977. Of course, as you know, it might have been years later when the bottle was actually filled with the whiskey. Hope this can help a bit. I recently put together a webpage listing nearly 200 liquor bottle permit numbers seen on American whiskey bottles from the 1930s and up into the 1970s and sometimes later, along with the glass company assigned that number, and where their factory (or factories) were located. It is at https://glassbottlemarks.com/glass-industry-liquor-bottle-permit-numbers-numerical-list/
Thanks and best regards! David
This is fantastic info, thanks David!
Going through years and years of accumulated ‘just about everythngs’ here in New Orleans, hubby and I came upon a box: four small sample mini cases of AMBASSADOR Scotch. Although they score high in the cuteness factor, since we don’t drink, they’ll be gifted to friends over the holidays. Tat said – we still wondered about their age and origin. There are twelve bottles, and the top unbroken red seals across the caps all read – CIN-I-67. No clue what this means but my first name is Cindy so natch, I was charmed. And I said, “Golly, in 1967 I was 19!!” Such fun. Any thoughts?? Cheers form the French Quarter…
Hey Cindy, it’s hard to really date those minis, I’d need photos, but given the info, I can say they’re likely pre 80s
Hi Mr. Peters, I have enjoyed my first visit to your site. Although I’m not a scotch drinker (yet, and I’m 74), I do have a full, unopened qt. bottle of Ballentine’s Finest Blended Scotch Whiskey in its original box. Also, two nip bottles: Crown Royal Blended Canadian Whiskey and Glenlivet 12 Years Old Unblended All Malt Scotch Whiskey (both unopened). I found it in a cabinet in my mother’s house when she died in 1991. She wasn’t much of a drinker, but she was a darn good bartender for about 25 years.
I’m guessing they’re from the late 1970s to early 1980s. Just wondering if they have any value? I’ll try to attach some photos. The Red/pink stamp the Ballentine’s bottle reads: “Bureau of ATF Series 112 Distilled Spirits Tax Paid Bottle Stamp.”
Thank you in advance for your consideration.
Best regards,
Barry DeCarli
Hi Barry, Those whiskies are very common and have no real value either ($60-$100 each roughly) but are darn fine drinkers from that era. I’d just open them and share with some folks you like. Cheers!
Hi Josh. I think I have this narrowed down to some thime in the late 60’s early 70’s, but maybe you could get a bit more specific. It’s a Ballantine and sons By appointment to the late Queen Victoria on one side the other side of the label says the late King Edward VII. Im having a diffucult time reading the bottom of the bottle, but I can send photos it it might help, It says “21” Brands New York NY on the tax lable, Series 112 across the cap by the eagle feet. Does it have any value ? and was I close to the right age?
Hi Greg,
Sounds like you’re in the ballpark, but the only value it has is to open and drink it. These are incredibly common and most auctions won’t even take them because of it. Hope that helps, cheers!
I have a unopened botte of Seagram’s V.O.
It is a 4/5 quart.
The federal tax seal is a Series 112.
The seal # is 341739162
Can you tell me the age of the bottle?
Thank You
I’d need to see the bottom of the bottle, but it sounds like a late 60s-70s bottle
Hey Josh I have a unopened bottle of Seagram’s Crown Royal with a blue seal over the top that has the #’s KM703378. Can you tell me anything about it and if it has any value? Thanks in advance
Hi Joey. The blue tax strip means it was an export and no, it doesn’t have any value. Seagram’s Crown is not a collectible whiskey and tastes only mildly better back then than it does today. They’re also VERY common dusties to still find on shelves today because collectors leave them. Cheers
I have a bottle of CREAM de CACAO and the tax stamp appears intact and possibly that the bottle has never been opened but it’s still quite worn and illegible in most areas you mentioned! It’s red and it does say “Bureau of ATF” on left and right top of the stamp and on the right side bottom of stamp it says “Spirits”, left bottom is too badly worn to read, as is under the Eagle. The end of the stamp on right side is pointed while it’s a straight cut on the left.
Top of label says: “Dumont”
Bottom of label says: “Bottled by Cartier LTD Tustin, CA 42 proof 750ml (25.4 FL OZ)”
The bottom of the bottle says:
Top: “84 (L) 81”
Middle: “Liquor Bottle”
Bottom: “92520”
To the left and between the middle and bottom it has a “4”
My guess is it’s early to mid 80’s but honestly I’m more intrigued by the fact that it was bottled by Cartier LTD! I’ve had no luck in finding very much info on them when they were involved in alcohol and firearms, my only theory there is they didn’t want their name associated with the incident that occurred where a man had reportedly accidentally shot and killed himself with one of their guns however I only found that info once and it’s only a theory not actual info on my part! I took it to a pawn shop once just to see what they could find and they came up with nothing, they found less then I did actually lol (that’s truly surprising as I’m pretty horrible at ANYTHING & EVERYTHING online!) Anyways thought I’d see what you thought on it…
Stay safe…Blessed Be!
You’re right about it being early-mid 80s and that’s about all I know about this one. I’ve done ver little research on liqueurs and their brand histories. But thank you for sharing all of this. It’s fascinating. Cheers!
Hi, I have an unopened One Gallon bottle of 86 proof Old Grand-Dad Whiskey with original box, the wooden tilting pouring rack and plastic pourer. Tax stamp is intact and sealed as well. Wondering its worth. If anyone could enlighten me I’d appreciate any information. Thanks!
Wow, I haven’t seen one of those at auction in a long time. Last one I saw went for around $1,000… but that’s been a while, so I’m not sure what those go for now. Though I know shipping them to an auctioneer is a massive pain :/
I have a Jim Beam bottle that seems to be about 1985 judging by your dating guidelines. It has a blue export strip that says “Bottled in Bond Under Supervision of United States Government”. It has 750ml contents, no UPC code or medical warning. It has not beeb opened. Is it worth anything or should I just open it and enjoy the bourbon?
Blue Tax strip = Bonded export. That’s a great find, and probably tasty whiskey, but has no real value outside of if you find a serious Jim Beam collector who needs that year or something. Definitely recommend just opening and enjoying. Cheers Robin!
Hello! I have 2 Hudson’s Bay whiskey bottles and of course, info is different as it is Canadian.
Only one bottle has something on the bottom (It’s a 1 gallon bottle) it reads:
13919
2
D&M
and…. that’s it.
no tax strip and I could not figure out if Canada had tax strips way back then.
no embossed “federal law prohibits reuse … etc” either. (the other bottle, a smaller one, has it).
where do I start to identify the age of the bottle?
thanks!!
Hi Helene,
I’d find someone who specializes in Canadian whisky, like Davin de Kergommeaux, who might be able to help. The laws, bottles, etc. are different for Canadian and I’m not super familiar with dating Canadian whisky that wasn’t sold in the US.
Cheers!
Josh, this really helped with my 4 bourbon bottles that belonged to a friend. They are all opened except a Walkers Deluxe pre-1972. I wanted to use a cheap bourbon to make homemade vanilla but your comment about lead bottles made me wonder if the opened bottles are safe. Opened: Old Grand Dad 114, 1979/80; Master’s Rare 90.9 proof, before 1972; Ancient Age 86, 1982-85 with brown sediment floating and sticking to bottom inside. I do not drink but want to use for cooking as well as vanilla. Are they safe? I have spent 2 hours online trying to find info like yours. Too many EBay ads. Thank you so much. Paula in the COLD mountains of Colorado
Hey Paula,
Thank you and I’m glad this was helpful. The lead you have to worry about is in the decanters, the bottles should be fine. There is often sediment in older bottles, but they should be fine unless they’ve been open since the 80s. If they have then they’re likely oxidized to the point of being foul-tasting. Whiskey doesn’t turn rancid or expire, but it does oxidize to the point of being awful.
The biggest thing to look for, and a dead giveaway of overly oxidized whiskey, is if it’s cloudy. If that’s the case pour it out. If it’s still clear then it should be ok, but especially if you’re using it for cooking I’d taste it first to make sure it tastes like whiskey and hasn’t oxidized and ruin whatever you’re making with it. Hope that helps, cheers!
Great article! My dad left us 3 cases of assorted liquor that was stored in the garage. He was a Navy flight instructor during WWII. I did not know why he had all this liquor because he was not a big drinker. Recently I heard a story from a Vietnam pilot, that it’s a tradition for the new pilot to, upon graduation from flight school, buy their instructor a bottle of liquor and depending on how much you liked him depended on what type of liquor you gave him. Can’t wait to check out some old his bottles with the information you’ve provided.
Oh wow, that’s a great story. I had no idea, thanks for sharing. Cheers Kym!
I have a challenge for you if you are up for it? Nobody and I mean nobody not even the experts can find this brand or when it was made. Where it came from I mean nothing. Send me an email if you are interested and I will send you pictures
Hi Patricia, I’ll email you and see if I can help :)
You can find a very helpful and easy-to-use list of glass bottle makers and their marks/logos at
http://www.glassbottlemarks.com/bottlemarks/
and another one at
https://sha.org/bottle/makersmarks.htm#Bottlemakersmarks
When I first wrote this I was looking for something just like that. Thank you for sahring!
Depending on the time frame, the embossed numbers on the base of 20th-century American liquor bottles actually can be useful. If they have the “Federal Law forbids” language on them, they are also required to have coded information about the distiller/rectifier embossed on the bottle. It’s usually either on the heel or the base, and it will be a letter (most often D or R, occasionally I) followed by a one-, two-, or three-digit number. The number corresponds to a license issued to a particular company, permitting them to sell liquor in that bottle. For example, D-126, which is on the brown bottle base pictured above, is associated with Seagram’s. D-1, on the subsequent photo, belonged to National Distillers. There were multiple brand names associated with the D-1 permit (Old Crow, Old Taylor, Old Grandad) but they were all owned by National Distillers if they were bottled under the D-1 permit.
There will also be information about when the bottle itself was manufactured, and who made it. It’s usually embossed on the bottle base, and is most commonly formatted as a one- or two-digit number; followed by either a dash, a blank space, or the glasshouse logo; followed by another two-digit number. In this format, the first number is the glassmaker’s permit to make liquor bottles, and the second number is the year the bottle was made. You’re correct in noting that this does NOT tell you when the liquor was put into the bottle, but it does give you an exclusion date: you can’t put whiskey into a bottle that hasn’t been manufactured yet! So if your bottle manufacture date code is 41, whatever’s in it cannot be any older than 1941.
The glassmakers did sometimes “reuse” the molds, but they could not reuse them with the original date still on them – federal law required the date code to change every year so it accurately reflected the manufacture date of the bottle. In order to use a mold for more than one year, they had to physically alter the year code on the mold to make it accurate. Because breaking this law would presumably result in the loss of their bottlemaker’s permit (and thus the loss of a very lucrative part of their business) you can probably take their word for it that if the bottle says 56, it was in fact manufactured in 1956. Some manufacturers continued to emboss this information on their bottles even after the law no longer required it, so you may get date codes in this format into the 1970s or possibly even later. I’ve seen plenty of examples with date codes in the 1970s.
The two example bottles pictured are somewhat atypical, in that they don’t follow the usual number-logo-number format, but the information is still there. In the first example, there are four numbers (other than the D-code). The four-digit number is unrelated to the date. The remaining three numbers are a little difficult to read, but the triangular symbol is the logo for Thatcher Glass. That particular version of their mark was in use from ca 1944 to ca 1982, so the date code should be a double-digit number within that range – looks like maybe 76? Thatcher had bottle-maker permit #2, which probably accounts for the single-digit number (2) directly over the logo.
In the second example, the logo (below the number 22) is the mark for Glass Containers Corp. 22 is the glasshouse permit number belonging to GCC, but even if you didn’t know that, 22 couldn’t be the date code, because the date-code law wasn’t enacted until the repeal of Prohibition. 823 has too many digits for a date code, which leaves 77.
Additionally, even outside the dates during which the “Federal Law forbids” language was required on liquor bottles, some glassmakers coded the manufacture date onto all or most of their products. Owens-Illinois, for example, put a two-digit date code on almost everything they made from 1929 until at least the late 20th century. If nothing else, it’s usually possible to look up the glassmaker’s logo and find a date range for when the mark was used. Again, this won’t tell you what year the bottle was filled, but it can give you an exclusion date sometimes, and can potentially narrow your date range if you’re able to cross-reference the dates the glasshouse mark was in use with the dates the distiller was in business.
WOW. This is incredible info. Thank you so much for sharing. I might move it up into the post, with credit to you of course, so it doesn’t stay buried in the comments. Cheers!
What can you tell me about consuming whiskey from these older bottles? Simone passed on a lot of liquor from their grandparents’ house, much of it with tax labels, some bottles open and some not. I’m wondering if it is drinkable. Thank you for any help you can offer.
Hi Michelle,
If it’s open it might be drinkable if it hasn’t been open long. If it’s unopen then yes, very drinkable. The only ones to be weary of are the decanters which might have lead paint. Cheers!
I just read your article. Excellent! I found it while I was trying to determine the age of a bottle of I. W. Harper, 86 Proof, 4/5 Quart, aged 5 years that I have had for a while. There is no Surgeon General’s warning, no UPC Code so I figure that it was bottled before 1979. It has a beige tax strip with U.S.A on both sides, and a five pointed star with five little stars in the middle of the strip which sits directly on top of the bottle. I’m not sure if the numbers on the bottom of the bottle provide any clues.
Hi Peter,
Thanks! And to answer your question, yes. The numbers on the bottom provide a lot of clues to the date. The bottle date code (two digits) can tell us an approximate bottle age.
Good Evening….. what a fantastic informative, to the point, short read article. LOVED IT. Thank You!
Before my frustrations reach the levels of drinking the entire dam bottle was hoping you could help me out.
Ive got an old bottle of whiskey that is sealed w the red tax strip. Left side of strip shows;
Top row – US Internal Revenue Middle row – 34479202
Bottom row – Distilled Spirits. Can only see the word SERIES but that cld be from fading/condition. Both ends of this strip are no longer there. Ugh. From the remaining (lower right) part of front label it shows; bottle of 86% proof “whiskey is 7 years old”. There is a blue State of Illinois series N Alcoholic Liquor Revenue located near neck area. Front label only has lower right portion of label left. Back label is extremely worn but do see it was bottled by: Greensbrier Bottling Co in Lawrenceburg IND (3 letter abbreviation changednto 2 in 1963). Below the front label it shows 4/5 quart (pre 1963). Below backside label reads (all caps); federal law forbids sale
or re-use of this bottle.
Lastly, bottom reads as follows:
M25810 OR M25B10
LOU•D•2
40-58
Hazel Atlas marking
8 OR B
Read that the H over A symbol began as early as 1923.
Any help you can provide me would be greatly appreciated. Should you need any additional information and/or pics PLEASE just let me know.
Sincerely,
Sue
Hi Sue,
Are you trying to figure out what whiskey brand it is? Sounds like you have most of the info there already. It’s likely from around ’58. If you’re trying to figure out the brand I would need photos of the front and back to see if I recognize it or if anyone I know might recognize it.
Have bottle of Johnnnie walker black label.Botteled in Scotland. It’s series 112.was curious as to age and thanks to your article have it narrowed to 1932 and 1964.
Cheers John!
I have acquired many bottles in an estate sale and I was wondering the cost. The are all in great condition, unopened with labels in pristine condition.
Carpene Malvolti Brandy 1977-1983
rock & rye dekuyper 1943-1976 probably 1960
Reginer Cranberry Cordial 1943-1976 probably 1960 with box
dewars white label Centennial Celebration 1986 with box
Courvoisier VSOP fine champagne Cognac 1982
Drambuie 1970’s
Bols Parfait Amour 1970’s
Trenais nouvelle liqueur 1980’s
stolichnaya vodka 1980’s
MATEUS ROSE DARK GREEN WINE BOTTLE 1970’s
cherry gavioli 1960’s
St. Pierre Smirnoff 1980’s with box
******Ciao Liquour Ciao 1960’s with box
Made From:Brandy Base
Produced By:DISTILLERIE LUONI
Origin:Somma, Italy
(Wines and Schnapps probably not worth much)
Dekuyper peachtree 1980 with box
casal gacia 1970
Dubonnet An Aperitif Wine 1970’s with box
dekuyper triple sec 1970
dekuyper peppermint schnapps 1960’s
Italian Vermouth Stock 1970’s
Graff Riesling 1983
Louis Jadot Pernand Vergelesses Rouge 1981
Thank you for your time,
Tiffany
Hi Tiffany,
Cordials and Liqueurs don’t go for much, if they even sell, on the auctions. They’re not things people really collect or that keep well due to the sugar. So long as the wines were kept in ideal conditions they might be worth a bit, but none of them seem to be from sought-after producers.
We have a Jim Beam Whiskey Decanter Glen Campbell 51st Los Angeles Open, 1977 Unbroken seal 4/5 qt 80 proof No cracks I have researched these on ebay but none have liquor this one does. I can’t figure out what it is worth. Any idea? Thanks
Those JB Decanters don’t go for much, unfortunately. I typically see them go for $125 – $175… roughly.
We have a bottle of Ballantines and Sons Scotch Whiskey in the Box.It was found in a trash can after an estate auction.It is full with a red tax strip that has a number,36-4433013.4/5 quart on right end.New York NewYork.US Treasury.It has a Ca. 10 cent tax stamp. A red ribbon on the front.label has In use for over 100 years. 86 proof.4/5 quart,The bottle is wider at the top than the bottom.
That’s pretty cool. Sounds like it’s a late 1930s – early 1950s bottling.
Thank you Sir.
I have a bottle of Inver House green plaid scotch whiskey. It is one gallon and un-opened. The IRS stamp is a series 112. Is there a market for this stuff, and is it worth anything?
Hey John, I’ve never seen those go for much at auction so I’d say just drink it and enjoy it :)
I have an unopened bottle of Guckenheimer Reserve around 1960. 30% straight whiskey 70% grain neutral spirits 86 proof. American Distilling Co. Does this have any monetary value or historical value to a museum?
Hey Kirk, hate to say it, but no. Blends are not sought after and they’re easily found because no one tries to collect them. Some of them tasted ok, but most of them, even from back then, tasted awful. Best option is to open it up and see how it is. Cheers.
Thanks for all the info, my wife’s grandfather recently died and left a bottle of Old Smuggler scotch and it’s been driving me nuts trying to find out how old it is,turns out with your information it’s around 45 years old!
Probably valuable huh?
Hey David, glad I could help, though I do hate to break it to you that Old Smuggler isn’t worth anything. It’s incredibly prevalent or sought after. It was a mediocre blend. At most I’ve seen them for $50.
I got a bottle that don’t match anything on the tax stamp
I have a glenfiddich 30 I’m trying to find the bottling date.
There is some numbers etched into the bottle, not sure how tobdecipher
I’m not sure how to decipher their codes either, some are really cryptic. I’d email them, they should be able to help!
Hey Josh, I’ve a question.
What does Bottle Codes Means?
The laser codes often found on the side.
Found a bottle of something special de luxe and trying to pinpoint the dating. Could use some help. No upc. No surgeon generals warning. No metics or ounces but states 4/5 quart. Bears red internal revenue seal series112. Has additional numbers I-549 and number 608268508. Still sealed and never opened (redundant I know)
On bottom bottle has
K
Liquor
[] Bottle 5
Scotland
5576
From reading above it seems it is 1976-1977 but I’d like to know..
86.8 proof. By appointment to her majesty the queen scotch whiskey distillers. No mention of Queen Anne like I saw on other labels.
Imported by summit marketing company 375 , park avenue, New York , ny 10022
I’d need to see pictures, but based on everything you’ve said it’s in that later 70s ballpark
I have an unopened bottle of reserve Giblin blended whiskey. 86 proof Bottled exclusively for John Giblin 345 Bloomfield Ave.,Montclair,N.J. Red bottle stamp across top of bottle. Says Bureau of ATF.Label on back says Seal of assured Excellence Barton whiskey. Number on bottom is D396823C13. Looking for age. Thank you for any information.
Hi Lynn,
ATF means it’s between 77-83. If you can send me photos of bottom, front and back of the bottle I could help more.
Hi Josh – found a Four Roses – pint – with US Internsl Revenue tax stamp on on the right side of the tax stamp the numbers 27117616. Also a state of Ohio department of liquor control stamp. Back of bottle – near the neck reads Federal Law Forbids sale or re-use if this bottle. Can’t find any type of date stamp. Bottom of bottle stamp is: D-126 5659. Any any the age of this fine whiskey? Thanks!!
I”d need to see good quality pictures of the top and sides of the tax strip, front, back and bottom of the bottle to help you out. Send them to the email address on the Contact page and I’ll see what I can do.
Just found out, it is a 1982 bottle. It has separate words on stamp of Distilled on one side and spirits on the other.
Ah, very cool
I am seeking the value of a sealed bottle of White Horse Blended Scotch Whiskey bottled in Scotland and imported to Maryland based on tax stamps between 1973-1976.
Hey Mayanrd. When it comes to “value” of whiskey it’s a buyer’s market. Depending on the condition yours is in I’ve seen them go for $50 – $100. White Horse from the 70s isn’t in crazy demand. You need to go back to the 50s for White Horse prices to start going up. Though even 40’s is only worth about $300.
Today was a very great day!
I have a unopened quart of Wild Turkey 8-Year I found at my uncle’s when he passed away, I’ve had it for a few years now. No bar code, no government warning and I decided to call Wild Turkey today to see if they could give me an idea on the age. The polite woman at the visitor center placed me on hold to see if someone could assist me and to my surprise she returned to explain she had master distiller Jimmy Russell there to take my call! He was so polite and asked me a few details about the bottle I had, the conclusion was it was bottled between 1978-1980 and he explained that if it still has the same golden amber color, which it does, then it’s as good as the day it was put in there. What an honor to speak to the Buddha of Bourbon himself!!
Holy cow, what a great story. Thanks for sharing and I hope you enjoy that WT. It’s great stuff!
I have two decanter famouse first made Italy and painted. One is record player with phonograph cork end very good condition. But this is where I’m stuck. The top has a red strip over the cork the Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey is still full not opened The strip has one end less then 1/2 pint on one side of strip said U.S.Inter.Rev. middle stamp said one side stamp one side other side bottle then other side of strip said distilled spirits other side U.S. Inter.Rev.end said again less then 1/2 pint has Eagle top . the other decanter record player same seal with same whiskey never opened with seal and extra cork after its open to put new one in sealed in pàrchment brown paper both corks mint!!!!! Please help oh it also said whiskey 7 years old then .I can’t find not one unopened with red seal attached. Is this worth $ and how rare do you thINk This is????? Lisa
I’d need to see clear pictures of everything to be sure, but it sounds like a 70s decanter. Those decanters are fairly common and depending on who made it, condition, actual age, etc. could go for $50 – $250. Lots of factors in play, but decanters on the whole typically go for less than whiskey in glass bottles because they could have lead in the whiskey from the decanter.
Thanks for this info! I work in the theater as a Props Master and it’s always nice to have help with time period correctness for shows.
Always happy to help :) Cheers!
Hello Josh,
Can you help me identify a 750ml bottle of Wild Turkey? Was given to me by a good Freind that recently went to the Country Club in the Sky. Gold cap with three turkeys but no other labels. On the bottom looks like two letters “JG” and four numbers 42, 29 (larger font), 91 and 83. The only other abnormality is a small glass fin near the bottom of the bottle 1/2 inch long. JJ
Hi John,
Sorry to hear about your friend, but happy to help. Without pictures it’s a bit difficult to say for sure, but it sounds like you’re describing a bottle of Wild Turkey 101 8 Year that’s lost its label. Happy to help further with photos, just send them to the email address that’s listed in the Contact section of the site!
I have a bottle that has been in the family since early 60s. It has a metal (pewter I think) label. The neck of the bottle had metal lines down to the label. The label itself has a horse and rider jumping a fence..(doesn’t look like the Hunter label). The bottle is brown and has G & (looks like M) on the back. Any guesses as to date or manufacturer….I am stumped.
I have no idea, you’d have to send some clear photos of the front, back and top to the email address in the contact area. I’d be happy to take a look and see fi I can help you out.
Wonderfully informative article! Thank you for all the research and your fine presentation (pictures are helpful!).
Thanks Thelma, glad you found it helpful. Cheers!
I have a one US Gallon bottle of Seagrams 7, dated I believe 1968, going off the info here. It has a IRS label and a 68 on the bottom. It is a great conversation piece while enjoying bourbon. Thanks Josh!
No problem. Have you opened it?
Great work organizing all this info, Josh. I would hesitate to be so tight on the dates involving conversion from Imperial to Metric, however. I have bottles that are as early as ’76 or ’77 that have dual measurements (Early Times, Old Taylor), and I have had both quart (Sunny Brook) and liter/dual bottles (Old Grand-Dad) from ’79. I think the changeover was haphazard or varied by brands, and since a number of the conflicts were from National’s labels, it further muddies the waters.
Further, I have seen “Federal Law Prohibits Re-Use” bottles much later than 1964, and I imagine they were continuing to use glass molds that still had the designation in it, even though the date codes imply the 1970’s. I know I have one from 1973.
Then again, Buffalo Trace claims Ancient Age began as a brand in 1946, but I have a bottle of AA that claims, on a little paper label, that the bottle design is from 1940… which is why I frequently am head-scratching on these sorts of dating techniques.
Thanks Andrew, I’d say it’s an imperfect science at best and gathered everything I could that would help ballpark it. There’s always going to be outliers because laws weren’t passed around these kind of things, but if I get better intel and ranges I’ll definitely update them. As of right now, from what I can tell, these guidelines will work for most bottles, but definitely not all.
Great job pulling together many threads and putting them all on one page. This is extremely useful!
Thanks Josh. If you have any other tips or tricks let me know and I’ll happily add them to the list!
Old grand dad bourbon
Four roses
Hedges and butler
Olde bourbon
I’d need to see clear pictures of the top, bottom, front, back, and all sides of the tax strips. Send them to the email in the Contact section and I’ll see if I can help you ball park them.
I found a bourbon bottle on the shore of Lake Arrowhead, California. Thick glass with a cork top. The words Federal Law Forbids Sale or Reuse of This Bottle are just below the neck. Looks like the bottle is dated 1932 to 1964. A long time under water. Thanks for the info.
That’s a nice find. Love the style of those old bottles.
I need help with bottles may you