An expert on Antiques Roadshow was left disgusted after discovering what was actually inside a 180-year-old bottle he had taken a sip from.
The beloved daytime series sees a team of specialists travel across towns and cities in the UK, valuing treasured items brought in by members of the public.
Once the truth about the bottle’s contents emerged, viewers quickly shared their reactions online.
One person asked the question on everyone’s lips, which was: “Why the hell would you drink anything out of a 180-year-old bottle?”
Another agreed, writing: “They really shouldn’t have opened it,” with a third viewer pointing out: “It could have contained something deadly.”
A mysterious discovery beneath the floor
The unusual bottle appeared on the show back in 2016 after being brought in by a man called John, who explained he had uncovered it buried inside his home.
Curious to find out what it contained, he decided to take it along to the roadshow.
Fortunately, glass expert Andy McConnell was on hand to inspect it, although the encounter would turn out to be far more memorable than he expected.
McConnell estimated the bottle dated back to the 1800s and believed the liquid inside was either port or red wine.
Port is a fortified wine that is usually dark red in color, although it can also appear brown or white.
“How brilliant,” McConnell remarked, before noting the liquid looked ‘very brown.’
The risky taste test
Fascinated by the mystery substance, the expert pushed a syringe through the cork and used his fingers to sample some of the liquid.
As he carried out the impromptu test, the audience watched on in silence before nervous laughter began to spread through the room.
The specialist concluded: “I think it is port or red wine. It’s one or the other. Or, it’s full of rusty old nails and that’s rust.”
At the time, nobody realized just how wrong that guess would eventually prove to be.
Tests revealed what was really in the bottle
Three years afterward, McConnell finally learned the disturbing truth.
Antiques Roadshow host Fiona Bruce returned with the grim update, revealing the contents of the bottle were even worse than ‘rusty old nails.’
Bruce explained: “Last time you were together, John and Andy, was in Trelissick. You brought along this bottle in the house. It was buried in the threshold.
“You showed it to Andy and you decided to have a go at tasting the contents.”
McConnell laughed as he admitted he was ‘always the naughty boy at school,’ adding that the bottle had been ‘too good an opportunity to miss.’
Bruce went on to reveal that experts at Loughborough University had examined the bottle by X-raying it and emptying the contents for analysis.
“You thought it might be port or wine. That would have been nice. In actual fact – you said it tasted really rusty,” she continued.
“Inside were these brass pins, all of these dating from the late 1840s. Then the liquid – urine, a tiny bit of alcohol, and one human hair.”
Pulling a disgusted expression, McConnell simply replied: “Lovely.”
Antiques Roadshow Expert Refuses To Value Disturbing Item Due To Its Horrific Past
TV Presenter With Māori Face Tattoo Hits Back At Viewer Over ‘Bad Look’ Comment
The post Antiques Roadshow Expert Drinks From 180-Year-Old Bottle And Was Disgusted To Find Out What Was In It appeared first on It’s Gone Viral.
Tags: #Antiques #Roadshow #Expert #Drinks #180YearOld #Bottle #Disgusted #Find
