How Long Can Diesel Be Stored? Does it go off?

Hello,

I bought around 25 litres of road diesel around last September & have kept it in a plastic container in my shed ever since. I was out of the country for a couple of months and was not using my car much so it got forgotten. So I've had it for around 8 months now & there's no way of knowing when it was produced.

I was wondering if it is still OK to start using this diesel now? Some websites like RAC say OK to use Diesel after 6-12 months. Others say it can start to go off after 30 days. Could Diesel which has been stored for 8 months cause engine damage?

What should I look out for appearance wise, smell etc.

Thanks for any advice.