[Growster...]

I especially love the extra mature/vintage version the famous company now do

So I have inadvertently made my own extra mature Worcestershire Sauce then  I can live with that 

Not sure if I dare check the date on the Tabasco though 

Gulp...

Tabasco, August 2003...

:0(

[New shoot]

You beat me Growster    Mine was 2009 but had gone a funny colour, so is now residing in the bin.

I can raise you gravy browning from 2010 and just discovered some liquid glucose on the baking shelf of the cupboard that was 2002   

Must have been having a Dehlia moment    I know at some point I did make the notorious chocolate truffle torte cake that caused the nationwide shortage of liquid glucose in the 90's, but can't think its has an airing since 

[grendel]

we use old spices as a pot pouree around Christmas, old cinnamon sticks etc, all in a bowl on the sideboard, cloves too.
We do have a bag of cinnamon sticks that we use that is maybe 10 years old as we only use a few sticks each year.
Grendel

[sunshineband]

I completely emptied my spice cupboard recently, washed out all the jars and polished them up. Looks lovely 

There were certainly some horrors in their (nothing like 1966 though  ) including some dried lime peel strips dated use by 2004    You might well ask why I even bought them. It seemed such a good idea at the time 

Our day to day ones have a pretty rapid turnover: it is those spur of the moment items that get forgotten once we are back from holiday.

Mind you, I am hoping that balsamic vinegar does not go off in any way, as I do have a couple of unopened bottles from 2009 .....

....... does anyone know?

[Yorkie]

Sure it's fine 

[sunshineband]

Sure it's fine 

Not sure whether to believe you Yorkie, or take this at face value...... 

[mumofstig]

Balsamic Vinegar by its very nature of acidity has a very long shelf life. Unopened, Balsamic vinegar can be stored indefinitely. Once opened, you want to store it in a cool dark place. After several years, the opened bottle may indeed start to mellow in taste, but it will not go “bad.” Sometimes you will find a precipitate that has a milky look, or a color change to it. There is nothing to worry about, and can be used. I have tasted some that are well over 70 years old, and it was absolutely magnificent.   

http://askville.amazon.com/Balsamic-Vinegar-long-opening/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=4672599

[sunshineband]

Thank you very much, MoS. That is good to know, especially as both bottles were gifts and quite expensive.

In my newly re-organised kitchen    they are easily accessible and will now get (safely!) used.

Thanks again 

[Growster...]

When we cleared out my lovely dear aunt's pantry in 1995, we found some bottled fruit from just after WW2!

She was such a gorgeous lady, we just had to chuckle and bin it - running way in case the jars exploded!

Aunty Nip, you really were the best, and I was thinking of you only today!

[wighty]

My Grandma had a bottle of Port in the cupboard that was reserved for a 'special occasion' and she would never let us open it.  When she passed away my Dad said 'this is a special occasion' and opened it, we all took one sip and threw the lot away! On the spices front I daren't look at mine, I have three Schwartz bottles of Allspice and is now a family joke.

[Growster...]

My Grandma had a bottle of Port in the cupboard that was reserved for a 'special occasion' and she would never let us open it.  When she passed away my Dad said 'this is a special occasion' and opened it, we all took one sip and threw the lot away! On the spices front I daren't look at mine, I have three Schwartz bottles of Allspice and is now a family joke.

Family jokes are the best, Wighty!

When we cleared out the parent's home there was just one bottle left from a case of pretty good red wine which I remembered being given to my dad thirty years before!

My dear sister, and I, with our spouses, opened it in great ceremony, and found most of it had turned to sludge, and after the first glass (which was nectar), the second glass was just compost...

Dad would have enjoyed that...

[8doubles]

My Grandma had a bottle of Port in the cupboard that was reserved for a 'special occasion' and she would never let us open it.  When she passed away my Dad said 'this is a special occasion' and opened it, we all took one sip and threw the lot away! On the spices front I daren't look at mine, I have three Schwartz bottles of Allspice and is now a family joke.

Family jokes are the best, Wighty!

When we cleared out the parent's home there was just one bottle left from a case of pretty good red wine which I remembered being given to my dad thirty years before!

My dear sister, and I, with our spouses, opened it in great ceremony, and found most of it had turned to sludge, and after the first glass (which was nectar), the second glass was just compost...

Dad would have enjoyed that...

I was invited to pop round and try a £60 bottle of vintage port in the 1970s, i got there as they reached compost level and the swines spent the rest of the evening telling me how good it was !

[devonbarmygardener]

Granny E. had an ancient bottle of cointreau she'd offer every yuletide. The only thing she replaced every year was the advocaat. 
When all the rest of the family went to the pub winterval day  she'd make us snowballs!! As a child (literally about 6) these were great!!

[rowan57]

Not spices, but I did decline my mother's Camden Tablets that were Best Before 1996 & 1997 respectively (She had also bought me some new ones).

[Growster...]

Not spices, but I did decline my mother's Camden Tablets that were Best Before 1996 & 1997 respectively (She had also bought me some new ones).

Oh Lor, I've got some old dried yeast and it says December 1989...

:0(