Alison Buchanan: Another decadent brew, this is an opaque, inky tawny, firm to a dark amber rim. The nose is reminiscent of macerating dried fruit, grilled fig, and warm mincemeat, warm mince pies, and vanilla cream—a little Grand Marnier for equal measure. The palate takes up the orange liqueur aspect in abundance, layered with milk chocolate raisins; very rich and sinfully decadent, yet there is sufficient focus to carry through to a long, silky, sumptuous finish—just a bit naughty. | 91

Andrew Jefford: Very dark, dense black, the extent that it leaves a seamless umber trace on the sides of the glass after a swirl; the legs actually take ten seconds or more to form themselves from this viscous screen. So, visually it would seem as if we have a very, very old wine before us. Aromatically your nose has to dive deep into the glass to fetch the aromas out, so weighed down are they: treacle, cream, peach liqueur, and Kendal mint cake. Heavy, almost elephantine wine that seems to be in a deep aromatic slumber. On the palate, it’s so sweet that you almost wonder how it has managed to remain liquid. The flavors unfold as slowly as dawn breaks, so you very gradually become aware of the rich baked sugars, the treacle, the sugar- simmered licorice, the pounded raisins, the salty caramel, the baked apple baked so hard that it becomes a kind of toffee. And very lovely it all is, though you do need a sweet tooth. Sweet lava that trickled from the sugar volcano a couple of decades ago and has been quietly brooding in a cask ever since; there’s not much else in the wine world like this. | 96

Margaret Rand: Thick textured, good acidity, lots of dried figs and strong black tea. Quite chunky and square; broad and thick rather than elegant. Concentrated and powerful. | 92