Fom time to time we post a reminder about why you do not want full decanters. If you are gifting a decanter and want the receiver to also get a fifth of Beam why not buy the empty decanter rinse it out and fill it with a fresh bottle of Beam so you can be sure they are not getting a bottle of who knows what and is it safe to drink.....
there are many reasons why collectors do not collect full decanters I will list the main reasons below.
but first I want to point out we are decanter collectors not booze collectors so the booze is not important in fact the most expensive and rarest Beams were NEVER filled....they were sold to members of the International Assn. empty. Also when people talk about a bottle being sealed and pay a premium for something they will never drink how do they know that bottle wasn't filled with just water (or worse) and the seal just glued back. (note: most states no longer use the paper tax seal) another issue is most collectors have an average of about 500+ bottles in their homes imagine if there was a house fire and those bottles started to explode, good luck getting a firefighter to enter your home to put out a fire, don't let your insurance company find out you are storing huge amounts of alcohol.....
- Bottle FAQ
Dangers of Keeping FULL Bottles
You Should NOT Keep Alcohol In Your Decanters For Several Reasons:
It Is ILLEGAL To Sell Liquor Without a License
It is illegal to ship alcohol
Alcohol Will Eat The China Bottle From The Inside and Ruin The Decanter
Full Collectible Decanters DO NOT Sell For More
The Cork Will Dry Out and Shrink
The Alcohol WILL Go Bad
A Large Collection can be a FIRE HAZARD to keep in your home
Full Bottles Are Much Heavier and Can Cause Shelves To Collapse
Whiskey Does Not Age in Decorative Decanters-It Won't Get Better So "USE IT OR LOOSE IT"
Also One Other Major Consideration to Remember: If you display your collection where it is accessible to minors they may swap the alcohol for another liquid knowing you will never be the wiser.