Let’s talk about your fancy decanter. If it’s crystal, it often contains lead oxide. Yes, lead. Before you panic, the amount is tiny and generally safe for short-term use—like a few hours to a few days.
Leave your whiskey in a lead crystal decanter for weeks or months, and you might be sipping a little bit of metal along with your 18-year-old scotch. Is it dangerous? Probably not unless you drink from it every day for a decade. But do you really want your whiskey to taste like a battery? I thought not.
Modern glass decanters are safer and better for long-term storage. They don’t leach lead, and they seal tighter. Plus, they cost less, so you can spend the savings on more whiskey. Win-win.
