Experts suggest that the 150-year-old Utah bottle may contain apple cider, much to everyone’s surprise.
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Researchers may have solved the mystery of a 150-year-old liquor bottle found in Utah — and there’s something surprising.
The artifact was discovered this summer at an archaeological site in Alta, Utah, a booming mining town now known for its ski resorts.
The bottle was brought to the High West Distillery in Park City, Utah’s first official distillery dating back to the 1870s.
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There, experts drank the liquid inside – and described the taste as unmistakably old.
Tara Lindley, director of sensory and product development at High West, said the first scent was an “oxidized fruit note,” according to FOX 13.
High West Distillery experts recently analyzed the contents of a bottle unearthed at an archaeological site in Alta, Utah. (IFX 13)
Isaac Winter, head of digestion at High West, said the liquid was “fruity.”
“There’s a little skin,” Winter said. “There is very little time for it.”
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Although experts were initially puzzled by the contents of the bottle, they now believe it contained apple cider.
Speaking to FOX 13 this week, Winter described the lab results as “really exciting.”
Experts described the aroma of the liquid as containing an “oxidized fruit note,” suggesting it may have been made from apple. (IFX 13)
“We saw a few esters [organic compounds] that would suggest the basis was apples,” he said.
Winter and Lindley say the results, however, are inconclusive.
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The team will send samples to third-party labs for further testing, including an attempt to confirm alcohol by volume, which is expected to be low.
Additional sugar and acidity tests are planned to determine if the liquid contains compounds specific to apples, such as malic acid.
Researchers believe a 150-year-old liquor bottle found in Alta, Utah, may have once held apple cider – rather than beer. (IFX 13)
Winters said the group would like to re-distill it, and that High West Distillery is “exploring different ways to work with labs to put this together.”
Winter said, “There’s probably a mess of different bacteria in there — bacteria, yeast.”
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“We need it, you know, to be able to consume sugar and create alcohol and CO2. We also want it to taste good at the end of the day.”
Fox News Digital reached out to High West Distillery for more information.
The High West Distillery, Utah’s first legal distillery since the 1870s, helped test the historic discovery. (IFX 13)
The discovery joins a long list of archaeological finds involving food and drink – and some that date back even further.
Turkey, ancient barley grains from 5,000 years ago was discovered by diggers last year.
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Italian officials announced in December that archaeologists have found preserved food remains in Pompeii, shedding light on ancient food.
