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Archaeologists unearthed a 150-year-old alcohol bottle in an unusual location this summer: Utah.
The bottle, which was just recently opened, was uncovered at an archaeological site in Alta, Utah, according to FOX 13. Excavators, led by archaeologist Ian Wright, found the bottle during the dig.
High in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains, Alta is known today for its ski resorts — but in the 1870s, it was a booming mining town.
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Intact alcohol bottles from that era are rarely found in Utah, Wright told FOX 13. He said the discovery raised questions about what the bottle might contain.
“We thought, ‘Hey, let’s take it to the experts and see if we can find out what exactly is in it,'” Wright said.
So, Wright brought the bottle to High West, which was founded as Utah’s first legal distillery in 1870, to finally open it.
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Isaac Winter, the head of distilling at High West, told FOX 13 the bottle was in “reasonably good shape, I would say, after sitting for 150 years.”
Before opening it, the team examined the bottle’s appearance and noted that the cork emitted a slightly vinegary smell.
“It’s fruity. There’s a little bit of leather. There’s quite a bit of age on it.”
The team carefully examined the liquid’s appearance and color before opening it up. Finding that the cork had a slight vinegary smell, they began extracting the liquid to determine the type of alcohol.
“We weren’t sure if it was clear spirit, if it was aged spirit, if it was beer, if it was wine, if it was champagne,” Winter said.
To minimize disturbance, the group used a Coravin device, which allows liquid to be extracted without fully removing the cork.
When the bottle was opened, the team took careful note of its smell.
Tara Lindley, director of sensory and product development at High West, said the first scent she detected was an “oxidized fruit note.”
“It’s fruity. There’s a little bit of leather. There’s quite a bit of age on it,” Winter observed.
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Based on the smell, appearance and condition of the liquid, the team concluded it was more likely a beer than a wine or distilled spirit.
When the contents were filtered, Winter noted that sediment at the bottom of the bottle made the liquid cloudy.
“The very bottom of the bottle was sort of turbid — it was sort of milky,” he said.
He said the team planned further analysis, including examining whether any yeast remained viable, which could provide insight into brewing practices from the period — and may make it possible to recreate the beer.
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Winter also said he tasted a small amount of the liquid after it was extracted and described the flavor as not unpleasant.
“I had a little bit of trepidation going into it, but you have to try it,” Winter added. “It didn’t smell like gasoline, didn’t smell like tobacco spit.”
Fox News Digital reached out to High West for additional comment.
The venture is reminiscent of a Midwestern distiller’s ongoing efforts to revive a long-lost grain discovered on a Michigan shipwreck.
Chad Munger, founder and CEO of Mammoth Distilling, previously told Fox News Digital that turning the grain into whiskey could “reinvigorate a segment of the Michigan agricultural economy that’s gone dormant and really needs to be revived.”
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