'A real treasure': Rare 150-year-old alcohol bottle found by Archaeologists

Vintage alcohol from the late 1800s found in Utah. (Image credit: Representational image/ AI)

• A 150-year-old intact bottle of alcohol was unearthed in Alta, Utah.
• Experts say the liquid is likely low-ABV beer with sherry-like notes.
• The find offers rare insight into daily life in Utah's Wild West era.

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A Utah distiller recently experienced an unexpected taste of history. Ian Wright, an archaeologist with the Utah State Historic Preservation Office, asked High West Distillery’s master distiller, Isaac Winter, to taste the contents of a rare bottle of alcohol dated between 1870 and 1890. The bottle was excavated in Alta last summer and opened in January.

“Utah’s Wild West in a bottle! A rare 150-year-old full bottle of alcohol was unearthed in Alta — the only intact historic spirit found in a Utah archaeological site — and local preservationists and distillers are exploring what it can teach us about life in the past,” the USHPO wrote on Facebook.

According to FOX 13, the bottle, which was just recently opened, was found at an archaeological site in Alta, Utah. Excavators, led by archaeologist Ian Wright, found the bottle during the dig.

“This discovery is a perfect example of how preservation connects us to real stories and daily life in Utah’s history,” The government agency said.

Speaking to The Park Record, Wright said the unexpected discovery, which emerged from a larger excavation carried out by the USHPO during a construction project on US Forest Service land.

“This bottle just kind of rolled down the hill. When they picked it up, it was still full. It still had a cork in it. We realized, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a real treasure,’” Wright said, adding that it was a first-time find for Utah.

The archaeologist continued, “We rarely find a bottle with a cork at all. Or if we do find one, the corks shriveled up and shrunk it inside of it, or just fragments of it. So that’s pretty rare.”

Speaking to FOX 13, High West’s head of Distilling, Isaac Winter, said the bottle was in “reasonably good shape” despite having sat for around 150 years. He added that, before opening the bottle, the team inspected the condition and noticed a slightly vinegary smell coming from the cork. Carefully inspecting, the team began extracting the liquid to identify 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.

After examining its smell and appearance, the team concluded the liquid was likely beer.

Describing the taste, master distiller Winter said, “It was immediately obvious that it’s low ABV."

He said it tasted somewhat like a Fino Sherry, with hints of oxidised fruit, raisins, and some honey, but with a low ABV.