: You mention the scotch in a bottle no longer ages but that isn't to say it : doesn't change. How might scotch in the bottle change over time if properly : stored? Is there some proper way to store it over long periods? Anything : to watch out for or avoid?
In truth let me clarify my comment: I would tentatively suggest that an unopened bottle of scotch, corked properly and stored at a cool temperature out of the light, will change very little over time. I admit that I am neither a chemist nor one who has stored an unopened bottle over a long time, so I don't quite know for sure, but this is what I've been led to believe.
On the other hand I would be concerned about the cork deteriorating and air getting in. Then all sorts of things can react with the scotch and all bets are off.
: Also, once a bottle is opened, can it still be successfully stored for a : long time?
I doubt it. In the summer of '04 I picked up a bottle of 16-year-old Double-Matured Lagavulin in England. I decided to have a small dram every two weeks and make it last until the summer of '05, when I'd be back and could pick up another. When I returned with the new bottle I opened it and did a side-by-side comparison of the two. The old one had undergone a very noticeable change in strength of flavor. It had become duller over the year.
This is not to say that there might be something specific and technical one can do to preserve open scotch, but I don't know it.
Justin