Bourbon County Rare 2010

Rush to drink it would have been 5 years ago. Drink it now, hate to be the bearer of bad news but likely past its prime already.

 

It's not. Just had one in maybe November side by side with 15 Rare and 10 completely and unequivocally destroyed 15. It wasn't even close.

 

My comparison is 10 version drank 3 years ago and 10 version drank last year.

 

There's not much point in going further having never tried it. And there's no way to know what more time will do, nor do you know the time it's seen has been good to it. Open it.

 

The one I had in 2013 was much much better than the one I had in 2014. Oh look it's 2016. Hopefully you have a time machine otherwise it's past it's glory days. Hopefully you didn't have to trade any 1st borns.

 

Interesting to see such opposite opinions. Sounds like the potential to currently taste great is there but may depend on what the cellar situation was like for 5+ years?

 

The last 10 Rare I had about a year ago was a shell of the ones I had within 2 years of it coming out. I was sad I waited to open my last one.

 

I had '10 Rare at the end of November and thought it was awesome. I never got to try it fresh so it's probably past its prime but still better than nearly everything I drank last year and even years past. It's still drinks like a world class stout...I liked it so much I traded for a bottle of my own last month if that means anything.

 

it will depend entirely on how the beer was kept before you acquired it. i would find a reason to drink it as soon as you can just to be safe.

 

I would rush to drink it. I just got to sample a bottle less than a month ago and while its still quite fantastic... this bottle that was cracked was perfectly cellared. It had been sitting in a professional temperature controlled cellar for almost the entire 5 plus years of its existence. If you have a bottle that was not properly cellared you might be sad when you open it up. The longer you wait the more sad you might be... Hopefully you got a good bottle that was properly cellared!

 

^^^I can attest to this, as I was at the same tasting. Don't be a sad panda! Drink it asap!

 

Just cracked one of these last night, drinking way way better than it was 2 years ago. Some slight, but additional carbonation loss may have helped the flavors pop a bit more as well.

In general, I think with heftier stouts or really any beers 3+ years old, them holding up really depends on how they were cellared/stored, etc...