Saving a few drams in smaller bottles?

[Alzarius]

Wanted to see what kind of smaller bottles people are using to save their treasured malts.

Does it matter what type of cap the smaller bottle has? Some caps on the inside have this plastic lining thing (like a soft pad)- is it bad to use this because the alcoholic content in whisky might degrade or dissolve it, and you'll risk contaminating the malt? I've read somewhere that the alcohol is strong enough to degrade corks over time (that's why people say not to store scotch sideways). Would the alcohol have an effect on certain bottle caps too then?

Also, if you've tried storing your stuff in smaller bottles over several years, do you notice any evaporation? I have some single malt miniatures from maybe 10 yrs ago that I never opened, and have noticed that the fill level is definitely coming down.

[The Third Dram]

I have some single malt miniatures from maybe 10 yrs ago that I never opened, and have noticed that the fill level is definitely coming down.

You will run across the odd number of miniatures that don't seem to provide as air-tight a seal as would be hoped for over the mid/long term. Just the nature of the beast, I suppose.

However, most work as they should.

It's also always worthwhile to look for smaller bottles wherever and whenever you might encounter them (glassware provisioners, antique outlets, brick-a-brack stores and just about anywhere else you can imagine), not to mention to stockpile a wide variety of cork closures from emptied spirits bottles that might fit well into the necks of those smaller bottles. That's what I do. I've therefore been able to accumulate a fair collection of bottles (ranging from 40ml to 500ml) and appropriately fitting stoppers.

[Yello to Mello]

Actually, after I received samples from another member here, drank them, and left the sample bottles unrinsed, closed and empty the padding was starting to deteriorate over a year time. Those bottles were actually pretty good. I stored another whisky in it and removed that padded part.

I usually use wheaton boston rounds and the caps are better.