I recently received a couple of old bottles. I'm trying to decide how much they're worth or if I should just crack these suckers open and enjoy. Leaning towards the latter.

The first one is an old bottle of Old Charter 7 Year. The Internal Revenue seal is unbroken and from what I can tell by research indicates this bottle pre-dates 1977.

The second bottle is a 1983 bottle of WL Weller Special Reserve. It has an unbroken but kinda damaged ATF seal. 83 is stamped on the bottom of the bottle so with that coupled with the ATF seal I'm assuming it's from 1983.

https://whiskeyid.com/how-to-date-id-your-whiskey/

Oh and also received but not pictured or really thinking they have much value are 1970s bottles of Wild Turkey and Southern Comfort and a 1969 bottle of Canadian Club (Don Draper style). All with either unbroken Department of Revenue or ATF seals.

Too bad it doesn't age in the bottle. Are these type of things paid for by collectors? If not I'd just drink up.

Weller certainly has good value. A pristine 83 with pristine box sold not too long ago for $1300. It was mint however. That said your is likely high three digits. Would love a sample if you decide to open.

The Charter I couldn't find anything specific and no expert. Maybe $150-$200 as saw a decanter auction from perhaps the same timeframe.

WT would likely have value also pending more detail.

Not as much the others I don't think.

These are some great finds, and don't sleep on the turkey either. I wish I had the cash to buy old bottles like this. Congrats sir!

Actually, personally, I'd be MOST interested in the turkey...

I'll post pics of the WT tomorrow.

The bottle, seal and box are all in excellent condition. The seal has no stamp on it which is unlike the others and seems a bit odd to me. Also, looking through websites like rarebird101 and WhiskeyID.com, there is zero marking or indication of how old this bottle is. From my research it looks to be somewhere around 79-81.

That's an awesome bottle... I'd love to try a turkey that old!

The neck label says "1 Liter" Would a bottle from the late 70's or early 80s be sold as a liter or as a fifth?

Where are you located?

Would likely be willing to take one of them off your hands for a decent price. (The Weller, potentially the old charter or Canadian club) would want to see them in person though just because of how poorly stored a bottle can be after 30+ years

mathguy86 said:

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The neck label says "1 Liter" Would a bottle from the late 70's or early 80s be sold as a liter or as a fifth?

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A fifth isn't a 1L... it's a 750

Buck Compton said:

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mathguy86 said:

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The neck label says "1 Liter" Would a bottle from the late 70's or early 80s be sold as a liter or as a fifth?

---

A fifth isn't a 1L... it's a 750

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Actually a fifth is 1/5 of a gallon. Thats just been reconfigured as the metric equivalent at 750mL. I'm more thinking that in the late 70's it would have been unusual for stuff to be labeled in metric rather than English units.

You still got the WT? Where are you located? I'd be interested in buying. Shoot me an email, username at yahoo.

I'm a WT fan, so it would be cool to have an old bottle of 101. I'll share some with Nuke.

Thanks.

mathguy86 said:

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Buck Compton said:

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mathguy86 said:

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The neck label says "1 Liter" Would a bottle from the late 70's or early 80s be sold as a liter or as a fifth?

---

A fifth isn't a 1L... it's a 750

---

Actually a fifth is 1/5 of a gallon. Thats just been reconfigured as the metric equivalent at 750mL. I'm more thinking that in the late 70's it would have been unusual for stuff to be labeled in metric rather than English units.

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I know exactly what a fifth means (thanks, though)... and its 757 mL = 1/5 G... not a liter (not even close). They still offered things in a 1L.

Assuming they wouldn't sell the 1L, but rather a fifth means you think that companies (and label regulators) would be fine selling more product for less money.

Either way, OP, interested in the bottle.

FYI

Liquor went metric in 1976

http://www.nytimes.com/1976/10/11/archives/liquor-industry-converts-to-metric-system-liquor-industry-is.html?_r=0

mathguy86 said:

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Buck Compton said:

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mathguy86 said:

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The neck label says "1 Liter" Would a bottle from the late 70's or early 80s be sold as a liter or as a fifth?

---

A fifth isn't a 1L... it's a 750

---

Actually a fifth is 1/5 of a gallon. Thats just been reconfigured as the metric equivalent at 750mL. I'm more thinking that in the late 70's it would have been unusual for stuff to be labeled in metric rather than English units.

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The neck says 1 liter. How much more clarity do you need?
Why would they sell it as a fifth? That terminology is literal.

62strat said:

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mathguy86 said:

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Buck Compton said:

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mathguy86 said:

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The neck label says "1 Liter" Would a bottle from the late 70's or early 80s be sold as a liter or as a fifth?

---

A fifth isn't a 1L... it's a 750

---

Actually a fifth is 1/5 of a gallon. Thats just been reconfigured as the metric equivalent at 750mL. I'm more thinking that in the late 70's it would have been unusual for stuff to be labeled in metric rather than English units.

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The neck says 1 liter. How much more clarity do you need?
Why would they sell it as a fifth? That terminology is literal.

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I'm going to try one more time. I'm not questioning the volume in the bottle. What I find surprising is that a bottle of liquor sold in the US in the late 70s is marked in metric volume. I don't care what the volume is. In the 70s things in the US were measured in English units. The metric measurements had not really come in by that time.

For those that asked, I'm located in Midland these days so likely not convenient to most.

So re-reading through WhiskeyID.com, this bottle has to be from 82-85. It just has "Distilled" which means it's 82 or later but still has the ATF seal which means it predates 1985

https://whiskeyid.com/how-to-date-id-your-whiskey/

Buck Compton said:

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Where are you located?

Would likely be willing to take one of them off your hands for a decent price. (The Weller, potentially the old charter or Canadian club) would want to see them in person though just because of how poorly stored a bottle can be after 30+ years

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The Canadian Club is not in as good condition as the others. The bottle itself is fine but the label looks like it's been exposed to some moisture. If the 1969 is correct, this bottle would be 12-15 years older than the WLW and the WT bottles. As you can see though the other bottles don't show any of the same signs of poor storage.

As for the lifetime storage of all these bottles prior to a week ago when I received them I honestly have zero clue and would only be guessing.

I snapped this picture when I first got home from receipt and lined all the bottles out to see what I had. I can take more of the CC if interested.

mathguy86 said:

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62strat said:

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mathguy86 said:

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Buck Compton said:

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mathguy86 said:

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The neck label says "1 Liter" Would a bottle from the late 70's or early 80s be sold as a liter or as a fifth?

---

A fifth isn't a 1L... it's a 750

---

Actually a fifth is 1/5 of a gallon. Thats just been reconfigured as the metric equivalent at 750mL. I'm more thinking that in the late 70's it would have been unusual for stuff to be labeled in metric rather than English units.

---

The neck says 1 liter. How much more clarity do you need?
Why would they sell it as a fifth? That terminology is literal.

---

I'm going to try one more time. I'm not questioning the volume in the bottle. What I find surprising is that a bottle of liquor sold in the US in the late 70s is marked in metric volume. I don't care what the volume is. In the 70s things in the US were measured in English units. The metric measurements had not really come in by that time.

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OK.. why is it surprising, the switch happened gradually staring in 1979.

If it was before they used metric, it wouldn't say 1 liter on it, it would say quart, or 4/5 quart.

62strat said:

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mathguy86 said:

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62strat said:

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mathguy86 said:

---

Buck Compton said:

---

mathguy86 said:

---

The neck label says "1 Liter" Would a bottle from the late 70's or early 80s be sold as a liter or as a fifth?

---

A fifth isn't a 1L... it's a 750

---

Actually a fifth is 1/5 of a gallon. Thats just been reconfigured as the metric equivalent at 750mL. I'm more thinking that in the late 70's it would have been unusual for stuff to be labeled in metric rather than English units.

---

The neck says 1 liter. How much more clarity do you need?
Why would they sell it as a fifth? That terminology is literal.

---

I'm going to try one more time. I'm not questioning the volume in the bottle. What I find surprising is that a bottle of liquor sold in the US in the late 70s is marked in metric volume. I don't care what the volume is. In the 70s things in the US were measured in English units. The metric measurements had not really come in by that time.

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OK.. why is it surprising, the switch happened gradually staring in 1979.

If it was before they used metric, it wouldn't say 1 liter on it, it was say quart, or 4/5 quart.

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The whole deal was a very old bottle or WT and trying to determine the age. The label was unusual given the original age. The original statement was the bottle was 79-82. That date seemed off given the label. I would be surprised (a bit at least) if a bourbon maker in KY would have made a big label change to metric back then. It wasnt a huge overnight movement. If OP has said 74 or 75 I would have really been skeptical. The OP has now said more definitely 82-85. Given the metric label that seems better. Its just a piece of evidence for authenticating the age of the bottle. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Seriously. Why is this complicated?

If you're interested in selling, I'd be interested depending on price!

mathguy86 said:

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62strat said:

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mathguy86 said:

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62strat said:

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mathguy86 said:

---

Buck Compton said:

---

mathguy86 said:

---

The neck label says "1 Liter" Would a bottle from the late 70's or early 80s be sold as a liter or as a fifth?

---

A fifth isn't a 1L... it's a 750

---

Actually a fifth is 1/5 of a gallon. Thats just been reconfigured as the metric equivalent at 750mL. I'm more thinking that in the late 70's it would have been unusual for stuff to be labeled in metric rather than English units.

---

The neck says 1 liter. How much more clarity do you need?
Why would they sell it as a fifth? That terminology is literal.

---

I'm going to try one more time. I'm not questioning the volume in the bottle. What I find surprising is that a bottle of liquor sold in the US in the late 70s is marked in metric volume. I don't care what the volume is. In the 70s things in the US were measured in English units. The metric measurements had not really come in by that time.

---

OK.. why is it surprising, the switch happened gradually staring in 1979.

If it was before they used metric, it wouldn't say 1 liter on it, it was say quart, or 4/5 quart.

---

Seriously. Why is this complicated?

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I'm not sure.. you're the one asking if it would be sold as a fifth when it says 1 Liter right on the neck.

Old Charter was once my favorite bourbon until they quit making the 13 yr old, 12 yr old, and then the 10 yr old. I would be very interested in the Old Charter if you want to get rid of it. You can reach me at my screen name gmail dot com.

Drop me a line and let me know.

I have a WT that is like yours. Unbroken red seal, same writing on seal. On the bottom of my bottle it has a 83 listed. I may look more into it and see if I can find something more that narrows down. I just took that as that and said 1983. Have box and all as well. Grandma gave it to me and some others when gramps died. Maybe open it one day who knows