Alcohol Storage: Why Not Stockpile a Few Luxuries?

By Michael, on December 26th, 2013

When you think about creating your emergency food supply, it is understandable that you want most of your focus and space to go to the basic necessities: foods that are high in protein and can easily be stored for long periods of time, bottled water, etc. It is important, though, that you set aside at least a small amount of space for foods and beverages that are more luxury than life sustaining. Even if the worst happens, it’ll be nice to have a way to treat your family once in a while, right?

This means finding a way to safely store treat-like foods for your kids and even some spirits for you and your partner.

That’s right: You’re going to want to make sure that your emergency food store includes booze. Remember: Some alcohol can be used for practical purposes as well as luxury purposes. Wine has health benefits (provided it is consumed in moderation). Vodka has medicinal properties. Alcohol can also be used to help start fires (or fuel fires), for sterilization, etc.

If you hope to store wine and other forms of alcohol, remember: Contemporary bottled wines are typically meant to be consumed within a couple of years. If you’re building a store designed to stay fresh for longer than that, you’re going to want to spend the money on a finer wine created with the intention of being aged before consumption.

It is also important to know that wine needs to be stored horizontally. Standing it up makes the corks oxidize and dry out faster, which allows air to seep in and spoil the wine.

This means you’re going to want to invest in some wine racks so you can store the wine properly. The exception to this rule is champagne (or sparkling wines), which need to be stood up.

It’s a good idea to stock up and store the harder liquors, too. For one thing, these age better and keep longer than wine. Their high alcohol content helps keep them safe to drink longer, and many types of liquor (like rum, whiskey, and gin) can be stored indefinitely if they are stored properly.

The best way to store harder liquors is to keep it in a cooler and darker part of your storage space. Heat, light, and humidity are the enemies of alcohol storage (this is true with wine as well).

While obviously this part of your emergency store isn’t going to be large, with these tips you can make sure it is long lasting.

Erin Steiner is a freelance writer from Portland, Oregon. She covers a variety of topics ranging from prepping to pop culture.