Whiskey
Some years ago I was given a bottle of Marston, Thomson ,Evershed's Brown Label Scotch Whisky. it had been given to a pair of non drinking brothers to celebrate V.E. day. it had never been opened but the level was down a bit in the bottle.Just at bottom of the neck. it puzzled me for a bit as the old boys had never touched alcohol,or tobacco. ( DID NOT look their age ) However when I did taste it the answer hit me.Evaporation . How? The bottle was corked and a rubber "seal cap" was round cork and neck. Years of standing on a window sill in direct sunlight had perished and split the rubber and the cork dried out. This had allowed some of the spirit to escape under the influence (pun not intended ) of the heat of the sun and the porosity of the cork/ . Oh! how did it taste Mellow and smoooooth. Not at all what the cheap whisky it started out as. Trouble is I told my colleagues about it and they got into my room and had sippers.Drank about half of it .Swines. it wasn't a full size bottle to begin with. When I got it home I got my wife, a non whisky drinker , to taste it. She liked it to the extent of her saying that, if all whisky tasted like that she would drink it. Praise indeed . Next day was our wedding anniversary so of course we toasted each other with the remainder and a second dram to finish the bottle .Plus a drop to taste for the 3 boys So you see under a set of odd coincidences whisky can mature in the bottle. Wish I could get more like that. Mmmmmmmmmm👍