Instead of worrying about the perceived diminishing level of my closed bottles, why not opening them and finding out?
St Magdalene 1980/1995 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail Centenary Reserve, IE/ABE): nose: it is shy, but not completely spent. Delicate flowers (forget-me-nots, daisies, jasmine), but also fruity custard or yoghurt and a faint burnt-wood note, in the distance. The fruity yoghurt grows in relative intensity, shooting apricots and pineapple drops to all corners of the sinuses. The minute smoke is definitely there, an underlying, structural component that could easily be missed. Baked apples show up, after a while, accompanied by a drop of pine sap -- or is it mint cream? Mouth: mmh. It feels below strength, unfortunately, even it is is not catastrophic. Pineapple slices, crystallised mandarin segments, and the softly mineral touch that St Mag often displays: granite, unpolished marble, slate. Perhaps a few green grapes too, and tatters of blotting paper, gorged with fruit juice, rather than ink. Finish: fresh, flowery and fruity, as one has come to expect of a Lowlander (legitimately or not). The finish has soft citrus again (mandarins, kumquats), chocolate cream, as well as the pineapple slices and the blotting paper from the palate. Of the mineral side, not much remains -- rock dust, maybe? One could easily sip this and miss its character, yet it one pays attention, it does not lack personality. It is a discreet personality is all. Most suitable as an apéritif. The bottle has definitely lost a bit of strength, though it easily remains decent. 8/10
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