Taylor's : Victory Port 80 Year Old Tawny

Test-tube-sized sample. A blend of very old tawnies to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Each of the 1,945 [1945] bottles is individually numbered and ‘presented in a bespoke luxury case, designed to reflect the grandeur and historical significance of this edition’, according to the press release. Lightish amber brown. Intense and glorious aroma of polished wood and sweet/savoury dried fruits, especially fig, and walnuts. I couldn’t find better words to summarise the flavours than Taylor's themselves have used: ‘rum and raisin’. There’s a dark caramel flavour but the sweetness tastes moderate thanks to the complexity of the wood-aged flavours. Fabulous power, depth and freshness, the flavours last forever. Glorious and a fitting tribute to the end of the war. Stunning and unspittable. (JH)