Rum Question

[rumquestion]

My aunt just gave me a bottle of "Old Havan Brand Rum" that belonged to my grandfather and has been stored in her apartment. It's half empty, and the cap is sealed with tape. It hasn't been opened in at least 17 years (when my grandfather passed away). The label also says "A Produce of Cuba" and "Made by Ramon Del Collado." The small label on the neck says "Old Havana Brand 1920 Rum."

I haven't opened it up yet, and I have a two questions.

First, does rum last in the bottle once opened, and second, does anybody know anything about this rum?

I'm much more familiar with wine than with spirits (and I'm especially unfamiliar with rum), so any help will be appreciated. By the way, I intend to unseal it and try it, but before doing that I thought I'd try get some info from some experts out there ....

Thanks.

[Ed Hamilton]

Congratulations on a great find. First the rum in that bottle is drinkable, distilled spirits don't degrade in the bottle but at the same time they don't get better as is the case of some wines.

Since the bottle is only half full, some air has been introduced into the bottle so the alcohol will have oxidized some and the flavor will be flatter than when it was originally bottled.

Although I am not familiar with the distiller, I would expect that rum to be slightly dry, with hints of vanilla and oak.

We all look forward to hearing more about your inheritance.

[ctgm]

I have to agree with Ed on this. However it is said that once a spirit is bottled it will not change but as Ed said there will have been some oxidation. Also alcohol will evaporate at a different rate to the remaining liquid so I would imagine that there will be a slightly lower % and therefore a little softer. Not sure if this makes a big difference or not (ED - any thoughts?)

Apparently there is only one spirit that will mature in the bottle - Chartreuse. In my limited experience (as a.I do not drink much and don't come across old stuff very often) they do become softer and more rounded with age. There is definitely a premium to pay for the older bottlings but do not know whether this is due to a better spirit being made in the old days or whether it is down to aging.