Can You Pack a Bottle of Liquor in Your Luggage?

CN Traveler

By G. Clay Whittaker

August 15, 2017

It’s more complicated than it sounds.

Travelers to Kentucky, Scotland, and a handful of other world-renowned spirit-producing destinations often have one souvenir in mind: a bottle of something strong. As demand and interest in spirits like Scottish whisky and Kentucky bourbon have grown over the last decade, savvy drinkers and collectors have realized that the best bottles often don’t make it too far from the distillery. So picking up half a case in Lexington or Glasgow is a good idea, as long as you follow some rules.

Unlike wine or beer, you can’t just load your suitcase full of bottles and check it in. There is no legal cap on how much wine you can travel with, as long as the liquid in question is under 24 percent alcohol by volume (ABV)—you’re only limited by the size of your suitcase.

Once you move into spirits, however, there’s a cap. You’re allowed up to 5 liters of alcohol “between 24 percent and 70 percent… packaged in a sealable bottle or flask.”

The reason for this is that liquor is a fire hazard. That’s why anything over 70 percent is flat-out prohibited, so forget about Everclear, Bacardi 151, or that moonshine your cousin from West Virginia gave you.

Since most American liquor bottles are 750 milliliters, that works out to 6 bottles (plus a pint or so) that you’re allowed to carry. Test that 5-liter limit at your own risk. We’ve seen people forced to leave bottles behind in Louisville’s airport. With international flying, there isn’t a volume limit, though you may have to pay duties if you look like you’ve looted a bar.

Assuming you’re determined to get as much as possible in your bag, it’s important to pack them safely and avoid any catastrophic spills. Keep the following in mind to ensure your bottles are intact when you get home.

Check your seals

Always check screw tops to make sure they are tight; even if they leak half an ounce an hour, a lost bag or flight delay could cost you a lot of liquor. If your bottle is sealed with a cork, it likely protrudes out of the bottle, so take extra care to add padding so it’s not jostled free or snapped off in transit.

Bring tape

If you know you’ll be bringing back bottles, pack masking or Scotch tape. Use it to wrap and reinforce the seal like extra shrink wrap. And don’t use the industrial stuff: You want the tape to peel away easily without removing labels or leaving residue.

Use what you have

Take empty ice and laundry bags from the hotel room and wrap them tightly around the necks of your bottles. Even if everything else you’ve done fails, you’ll likely prevent the spillage from ruining your clothes.

Create a holster for oddly shaped bottles

Beautiful bottles with long, thin necks mean a lot of weak points that can crack under pressure from as little as a poorly placed boot. Wrap with extra laundry to keep them from snapping mid-flight.

Pack each bottle separately

Don’t let glass touch glass. Once you acquire at least two bottles, wrap and protect each one separately, and add padding between them, like a folded scarf or rolled t-shirt, to act as a divider.