So Baileys is not a commonly sought after drink in our house, apparently. As I was pouring the post-thanksgiving coffee yesterday I thought I would spice things up a bit by adding a little nip of some good ole Irish Cream. My intentions were good, but my follow through left much to be desired. I actually had grabbed the bottle out of my parents liquor cabinet last week for my pasta party thinking that I would bring out the good cheer after dinner. Thankfully I didn't because when I went to pour it into my freshly brewed cup of joe yesterday I tipped that bottle and then I tipped some more, but no baileys flowed into my mug. Needless to say, yesterday I learned that Baileys goes bad. I cant't even begin to guess exactly how long that particular bottle of baileys was in my parent's liquor cabinet but I would bet some solid money on the fact that it also lived with us in the Whispering Ridge house. For a point of reference, we moved in 2005. There was not an expiration date on the bottle anywhere (not sure they even existed when this bottle was manufactured!) so how was I supposed to know?? The once delicious digestif had transformed into a harder-than-pudding mold in the bottle. We shook and shook and finally even used a knife to check the consistency. That did not create a pleasant smell. So in the future, make sure you drink your baileys before it gets to this point.
Consider this a public service announcement: allowing a bottle of anything to sit in your liquor cabinet for over 5 years should be considered alcohol abuse.
I consulted with Baileys and this is what they have to say about shelf life...so now you won't ever have the embarrassing experience of thinking you are smooth adding booze to everyone's coffee and then having it backfire (although to be honest I substituted it with Kahlua and it was equally as delicious!)...
Baileys shelf life
Baileys is the only cream liqueur that guarantees its taste for 2 years from the day it was made, opened or unopened, stored in the fridge or not when stored away from direct sunlight at a temperature range of 0-25 degrees centigrade.
One of the keys to achieving this 2 year shelf-life is in our patented process of blending of fresh Irish cream with the spirits and the whiskey without the use of preservatives. The alcohol acts as a natural preservative for the product.
Under normal conditions of storage Baileys has a shelf-life of 30 months. (Good to know, after the fact!)
-Lizzie