Post #768400 by rummy_dearest on Sat, Sep 10, 2016 5:21 AM

If you google john d. taylor falernum, it seems as though there are a few different bottle designs, some with black caps.

I can think of a reason it might taste different:

It is old. In my less dignified drinking days, I once purchased a bottle of Rose's lime juice (I know, okay everybody?! Please forgive me, I promise I am very sorry) and it was darker in color, tasted too sweet and was just off in some ways. It turned out to just be very old. I know that the falernum is alcoholic, but only 11% and I think that lime components age very poorly in the bottle.

The label may have faded over time.

Another possibility for the label: I used to work in a grocery store, and the longer an item sat on the shelf, the more likely it was that another jar or bottle would break in its proximity. If somebody broke a jar or bottle while stocking the shelf above it, the falernum bottle would have been wiped clean. This often fades labels, because either the contents of the container or the cleaning agent are acidic or alcoholic.

Just a few thoughts, but your description immediately made me think of that outdated bottle of Rose's!