Those are some questions I've had too. Here's my thoughts....
1) I smoke slow too, but I am storing mine in the large mason jars. My plan is that when it comes time to crack open one of those jars, I will transfer the contents to several smaller jars. Sometimes I kinda wish I'd used the smaller jars, in the hopes that if I encounter breakage, a bad seal, or mold, that my loss will be limited to a smaller amount.
2) I'm not inclined to trust sticky labels. I use a permanent marker pen.
3) Another good reason to use smaller jars, I think. Every time you open it, you risk it being contaminated such that mold or something else might take hold. I can't speak to whether repeated openings affects the aging pricess one or the other.
4) To me, comparing the cost of the jars vs the cost and value of the contents (especially if the plan is to age it for some years), I'll always use new jars.
5) FAPP, 1.772
