I think its just ok if you dont reduce enough, but doesnt make a lot of difference. Along the lines of what Martin is saying, when I reduce I boil till the bubbles start to stack and not want to pop on their own very easy. Then when it starts leaving a coating on the spoon I add the rest of my first runnings. In my experience the difference between reducing or not reducing is really subtle. I suppose if you boiled till it was candy that might make slightly more difference. For what its worth I quit doing it. Its kind of the "decoction" of Scottish brewing in that respect. Some will say it makes no difference, some that it doesn't make enough difference for the work (me), and some will say you simply can not make a Scottish without it.