200-Year-Old Alcohol Found From Shipwreck Is Still Drinkable

  • 10 years ago
Researchers have discovered a 200-year-old liquid found inside a bottle is actually alcohol. Amazingly, archeologists say the booze is still, to this day, drinkable.


Researchers have discovered that a 200-year-old liquid inside a bottle is actually alcohol. Amazingly, archeologists say the booze is still, to this day, drinkable.

Earlier this summer, the bottle was spotted during excavations of a shipwreck off the coast of Poland. The researchers snatched it up and quickly noticed a mark on the bottle neck, leading them to believe it was filled with German mineral water.

Well, the preliminary test results are now in and they show the stoneware container actually holds 14-percent alcohol distillate, likely from a vodka or Dutch gin.

So, it looks as though someone replaced the mineral water with alcohol. Most interesting though is that scientists say it can be consumed, but there is a catch: the taste is probably not all that great.

An underwater archaeologist who leads the study of the shipwreck explained “This means it would not cause poisoning. Apparently, however, it does not smell particularly good.”

The bottle dates back to a period between 1806 and 1830, has a capacity of about 1 liter and is embossed with the word ‘Selters’, which is the name of a high-end carbonated water supplier.

In addition to the bottle, the shipwreck excavations have also yielded ceramic pieces, dinnerware fragments, a small bowl and stones.