Maria Muldaur, a singer perhaps best known to the general public for the quirky "Midnight at The Oasis," once described her voice as having become a "saxaphone" as she matured, as opposed to a flute maybe. That can become an asset, perhaps making a voice more "interesting."

I'm sure the same dynamic applies when the subject of "whiskey voice" comes up. Many years of singing will alter a voice as will smoking, drinking or carousing. One thing you can't avoid, if you're fortunate, is aging. Call it what you will, it's your instrument and it is in your care. You can learn to use it wisely enough to minimize those changes using proper breathing and vocal techniques, avoiding smoke and wretched excess, drinking plenty of water and knowing your effective range.

But, if you don't want deal with all that, you can party like hell and periodically reinvent yourself. You didn't REALLY want to live forever anyway, did you?