John is clearly a professional at handling nicotine solutions. The biggest reason (I'm guessing here, but I really doubt I'm far off) that other places that don't specialize in handling nic end up handing off bottles of seriously yellowed nic is because they are not properly storing/handling their goods.
John keeps the nic stored in such a way that oxidation is minimal, up to the point of replacing the air at the top of the storage chamber so that O2 presence is minimal (pretty sure it was argon gas that's used). Someone also mentioned that the Ice is also stored using some sort of longer term method that has the side effect of making it less easy for him to access.
Nic oxidizes over time, period. John keeps that to a minimum, but still. So, I understand where you are coming from. The Ice I received most recently (November) appeared as clear as the first, but I thought it had the slightest bit of odor (I have gotten better at picking up the scent, but I still think so). According to the site, the normal nic is sourced 5-6 times per year.
The Ultra Pure bottles I have share the lot number N99070712. I don't know, but I'm working on the assumption that the manufacture date is possibly July 7, 2012. That doesn't exactly add up though unless John was sitting on it for a while: I don't think anyone received Ultra Pure until mid October.
Personally, when they reopen, I'm still requesting Ice as soon as my
vaping allowance permits. Plenty have used nic that has been in their freezer for a year or longer, and I intend to keep the largest stash I can get in there too (or maybe outside - it's been !!!!ing freezing out here!)
