Regarding the marking of the time of liquor, many friends know that there is only one date, and that is the packaging date. The packaging date indicates the time of canning, and the production date of many liquors is not marked. For example, the brewing process of sauce-flavored baijiu is known as "12987", which takes up to a year and goes through seven pours in the entire production cycle. The style of the wine taken out seven times is unique, and for the later blending, the winemakers will store the seven rounds of wine separately and mark the time of production and collection. After satisfying the basic three-year cellaring, it will be blended according to different style characteristics and drinking needs.
Therefore, the time marked on the liquor is the time when the cans leave the factory, not the date of production of the liquor. The shelf life of liquor is naturally not marked. Do you know why liquor is not marked with an expiration date now?
In international practice, drinking wine above 10% can be consumed without an expiration date, which is applicable to almost all alcoholic beverages. In China, it is formulated according to the international standard codex standard. As of October 1, 2006, we will no longer have to label wines that meet this convention. Theoretically speaking, regular alcohol with an alcohol content of more than 10 degrees can be stored for a long time, and microorganisms cannot grow and multiply in an alcohol solution of 10 degrees. Alcohol is inherently sterilizing and has a certain antiseptic function.
Of course, today we can also see some red wines and health wines still labeling their expiration dates. 35 proof spirits, the shelf life is 1095 days; The shelf life of the 12-degree domestic Changyu dry red is 2920 days. It is important to know that good wines usually have a shelf life of 8-10 years, and the peak taste of high-quality wines can even last for 20-50 years (such as Lafite).
The statement about the expiration date of alcohol is actually not accurate, and it is better to say the drinking period than the expiration date. Baijiu has no expiration date, but excellent baijiu still has a drinking period. The peak period of the quality of highly aged liquor should be 15 to 25 years, and if the time is too long, the quality will change due to the influence of the collection environment (the drinking time of sauce-flavored liquor is longer). Many people misunderstand that the old sake cannot be drunk because it is not properly stored and the bottle is not well sealed. After a long time, not only the wine volatilizes, but also the bacteria in the air enter the wine, and under the action of acetic acid bacteria and other bacteria, the wine undergoes chemical changes and becomes acidic and deteriorates. If the old wine you drink is sour, light, or even bitter, then it is best not to drink the spoiled wine again.
In addition, at the end of the nineties of the twentieth century, the domestic alcohol blending process was proliferated, not only blending edible alcohol, but also adding flavors and spices. After long-term storage, the flavors and spices of these low-end liquors cannot reach a stable state, the esters will be hydrolyzed, and finally the taste of the liquor will also change. In the case of a good preservation environment and perfect liquor quality, the liquor brewed with traditional craftsmanship and pure grains becomes more and more fragrant the older it ages. New sake usually contains aldehydes and acids, which are irritating to the throat and make people feel raw and astringent. However, these irritating aldehydes and acids in old wine are constantly oxidized and esterified, and ethyl acetate is formed to make the wine more mellow, so not only the wine is more mellow, but also more comfortable to drink. The contrast between the taste of old sake and new sake makes it difficult for people who have drunk old sake to get used to the taste of new sake.
Baijiu does not have an expiration date, which is affected by precipitation and fermentation, which is why some old liquors are of better quality. What comes out of precipitation is not necessarily a good thing, but what can withstand precipitation must be a good thing.