Shelf life of everclear/thc tincture? Years? decades?

[flouris]

Greetings,

I have been working on a decarb/tincture process using grain alcohol and after about a dozen attempts have gotten the strongest product possible. I am now wanting to make a very large batch of this stuff for my own personal use but wanted to find out what the shelf life of thc is in a grain alcohol tincture? Are there any studies on this? Or does anyone have first hand experience with years-long shelf life of thc in a tincture (non-glycerine) like this? I tried the search function but couldn't find anything pertaining to shelf life of everclear based tinctures. Thank you in advance to anyone who can provide insight.

 

[t-dub]

Its going to depend on what container you age it in and what environment you age it in. If your goal is to make a "cannabis" whiskey of some kind, you might consider an oak mini keg or a used wine barrel maybe? Put that same fluid "in vitro" properly sterilized, under vacuum, theoretically, it could last a very, very, long time. Use brown glass and refrigerate or cool dark places for storage.

 

[flouris]

Well grain alcohol will kill any bacteria so sterilization really isn't an issue, it's more about the stability of thc itself. My latest batch is stored in a glass boston round jar and is topped off with inert gas for long term storage.

It's not a cannabis whiskey.. you only need about 200mg (about 10 drops) for an intense experience. A little goes a very long way.. my goal is to make roughly 2-3 liters - but as that would last for years I want to make sure the stability/shelf life of thc, held in a solution of alcohol, will last that long.

 

[t-dub]

Anytime you wish to store things long term, even things with alcohol, you must start with a sterilized vessel, period. I wouldn't rely upon your medicine, or its extraction medium, to sterilize your storage container.

 

[flouris]

95% alcohol is more than ample to sterilize. High proof alcohol like pure grain alcohol is used to sterilize, so even if the bottle or stainless steel can wasn't sterilized, as soon as 95% alcohol hits it, whatever bacteria may have been lingering is now a non-issue.

I apologize if I'm coming off as curt, but sterilization isn't my concern at all here. My concern is the stability of thc and the other components of value in the long term. Even in a 100% sterilized environment, thc will not last indefinitely. What I'm trying to find out is how long THC lasts, primarily thc in a pure alcohol (sterilized) base.

 

[Delta3DStudios]

95% alcohol is more than ample to sterilize. High proof alcohol like pure grain alcohol is used to sterilize, so even if the bottle or stainless steel can wasn't sterilized, as soon as 95% alcohol hits it, whatever bacteria may have been lingering is now a non-issue.

I apologize if I'm coming off as curt, but sterilization isn't my concern at all here. My concern is the stability of thc and the other components of value in the long term. Even in a 100% sterilized environment, thc will not last indefinitely. What I'm trying to find out is how long THC lasts, primarily thc in a pure alcohol (sterilized) base.

I've been doing this for years with my stems and low quality herb (and grain alcohol, usually everclear brand). My wife prefer's those effects over smoking, though my new vaping habits might change her mind on that.

Few things to note - I have been using a snap top glass storage container with a rubber seal. I leave it in a cool dark liquor cabinet. When I let it sit for months without opening, there is a distinct "sucking" sound which implies there is less air in the chamber than the atmosphere. I don't know whats causing this (not a chemist by any means). I can't confirm potency, but I usually keep 'adding' to my batch for a few years before I empty and restart with a fresh batch. (add some more everclear, add some more chopped up stems and low grade herbs). I'll say it still is mighty potent even after it's been sitting for months.

I think you'll be fine, but it might be smart to make a half size batch, and see how it goes

 

[flouris]

I've been doing this for years with my stems and low quality herb (and grain alcohol, usually everclear brand). My wife prefer's those effects over smoking, though my new vaping habits might change her mind on that.

Few things to note - I have been using a snap top glass storage container with a rubber seal. I leave it in a cool dark liquor cabinet. When I let it sit for months without opening, there is a distinct "sucking" sound which implies there is less air in the chamber than the atmosphere. I don't know whats causing this (not a chemist by any means). I can't confirm potency, but I usually keep 'adding' to my batch for a few years before I empty and restart with a fresh batch. (add some more everclear, add some more chopped up stems and low grade herbs). I'll say it still is mighty potent even after it's been sitting for months.

I think you'll be fine, but it might be smart to make a half size batch, and see how it goes

Sweet. Yes. I mostly prefer edibles because with smoking/vaping the onset is rapid but after 20-30 minutes I feel like the effects already decreasing. Oral ingestion is a slow build-up and a long plateau and is just much more to my preference. Plus If I double up on my dose of the tincture, or even triple, it is an unreal experience - borderline psychedelic. I can never get that high from vaping/smoking.

As for the longevity of THC in alcohol, I'll hold off and see if others have any advice/experience on years of the same batch and how potency was affected (if at all) from that duration of storage. And yes, I do keep it in a cool/dark area in a completely obscured bottle with virtually zero oxygen inside.

 

[Delta3DStudios]

Sweet. Yes. I mostly prefer edibles because with smoking/vaping the onset is rapid but after 20-30 minutes I feel like the effects already decreasing. Oral ingestion is a slow build-up and a long plateau and is just much more to my preference. Plus If I double up on my dose of the tincture, or even triple, it is an unreal experience - borderline psychedelic. I can never get that high from vaping/smoking.

As for the longevity of THC in alcohol, I'll hold off and see if others have any advice/experience on years of the same batch and how potency was affected (if at all) from that duration of storage. And yes, I do keep it in a cool/dark area in a completely obscured bottle with virtually zero oxygen inside.

Yeah, my wife uses literally a tablespoon of our tincture (not as strong as yours, most certainly). We found the taste quite enjoyable when mixed with RedBull. But she won't ever do it if she has ANYTHING to do the next day. She doesn't like the effects the following day - the lingering effects are a too much.

 

[Mrmrmrmr]

What lingering effects are you speaking of , @Ratchett ?

 

[Delta3DStudios]

What lingering effects are you speaking of , @Ratchett ?

Like eating too many brownies in a night. You know that hazy cloud (almost couch-lock) feeling? Since my wife only uses several times a year (and never vapes or smokes), her tolerance is extremely low.

If she takes 1 teaspoon at night, her entire following day is shot. All she does is sit on the couch and watch tv/sleep.

 

[syrupy]

First....*drooling* at the idea of a mini-keg full of tincture...

I do know from making other types of herbal tinctures, it is often stated potency decreases after three years. I've found that to be about right in my experiments.