Where to keep bottles?

Hi Mike. The ideal conditions are to keep your bottles upright, in the dark, in a dry room and at a temperature between 14 and 18 ° C.

Very important that you ensure that your stand/ shelves are enforced so they are strong enough to support the weight of the rum your displaying. I have heard of horror stories of expensive and rare rums being lost as a result of the bottles breaking upon hitting the floor due to insurmountable weight and lack of hindsight regarding just how heavy a bottle of rum weighs!

Okay so cellar them. What do you do to preserve them when they are opened and started to be enjoyed?( I keep a bottle for mixing, a couple for sipping and one or two of my wife’s favorites going at any time. Not to mention seasonal favorites.) I have heard of people adding marbles to keep the level up and air out but you run the risk of contamination.

Do you guys mean direct sunlight or any ambient light at all? The liquor store doesn’t hide them in the dark, and I’d hate to have to put all mine away too. Is there any evidence that ambient light destroys rum?

Hello guys! I just keep them away from direct sunlight and haven’t found out that that’s harming the taste. By the way how fun should it be to hide the bottles, I mean that that’s a part of the fun to actually see your bottles in your private rum bar when you choose what you or your guests want to taste.

I'm afraid that if I keep the bottle upright for long the cork might dry out. Anybody experienced this?

There are several theories about the cork. Last year I got a bottle of Zacapa 30 with dry cork. Some fluid was lost in shipping. It was stored for around 13 years, not that long. Then I did some research. There is a theory that a cork can't dry out because of evaporation: https://drinkhacker.com/2020/02/27/why-dont-whiskey-corks-dry-out-and-what-you-should-do-if-they-do/ And there is a phenomenon where the cork chipped and breaks, when you open the bottle. https://www.singlemaltlodge.com/blog/item/how-to-store-whisky I think it's true that evaporation keeps the cork wet, but the question is: is it enough for the cork not to harden or become porous? And at this point I would say it's not enough. Therefore I turn my bottles over once a year. Some whiskey collectors say you should do this once every 6 months. No matter how often you do this, I think it's a good idea in general.

I take my unopened bottles and lay them on their side for about an hour every 6 to 8 months. For open bottles of premium rum, I use a quick shot of wine preserve. All my rum is stored beneath the bar in a cabinet that doesn't see the sunlight. No dry corks, no seepage and the bottles are full, so it seems that I am doing everything correctly.

Me, opened and unopen in an oldskull oak cabinet. Lock tight and no sunlight too. I always trust the power of an oak to preserve many things.

I haven’t had a bottle last 6 months yet! Plus, many bottlers are using imitation cork just to avoid these types of problems. If I have one of my current bottles in 6 months time, I’ll lay em down for a nap :)

Reply to Immiketoo. Well, I do eventually open them and then poof, they are gone. I have about 6 bottles of rum that you can't get in Canada and I am saving them for special occasions, like this damned Covid coming to an end. Then I can go south and restock.

@Earl Elliot, niceeee. I have too unopen bottles, for a very very super rare occasion. Rums that I can not get here. I cheers for your comment sir (: