Cork "poisoning"

[MikeK]

I have heard that if a bottle of bourbon (or other high alcohol beverage) is stored on its side for any length of time that the alcohol will attack the cork, thus ruining the flavor of the bouron.

What is the time frame? Are we talking hours, days, weeks?

The practical side to the questions is: if I need to ship a bottle of bourbon, will it be OK for a few days should it end up on its side? How about for 6 hours on a plane if I take something on a trip and it needs to be in the luggage?

Thanks, Mike

[gillmang]

My opinion is that if whiskey is laid on its side the cork taste will get into it, but this takes a long time (or longer than is usual for casual storage or transport, e.g. when I buy whiskey I lay the bottles on their side on the bench seat, sometimes they sit there for a couple of days, that never seems to harm them). Once I took a bottle of Canadian whisky from a friend's bar, it had been stored for many years on its side. The cork was rotting and the whisky had an off taste. But this had sat there many years...

Gary