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• Review of the evening as a whole;
• Planning and arrangements;
• Placemats;
• Tasting notes:
  • 1873 Schofield;
  • 1896 Elviro Garcia ‘Refreshed’ tawny;
  • 1932 Butler Nephew;
  • 1938 Hooper;
  • 1942 Hooper;
  • 1944 Hooper colheita;
  • 1947 Barros colheita;
  • 1952 Barros colheita;
  • Infantado Vintage Character, bottled October 1996.

Look: Faintly cloudy, medium tawny color. Lighting was poor, so nothing more specific.

Nose: Soft sugars, and after a time sitting in the glass some smoke was also noticeable. Faintly madeira-like to me.

Taste: Gone, some sour, not good. Very dry. Somewhat watery. Almost peaty like a scotch. To me it was clearly past its prime, and I went to considerable effort to find some way to describe it in a non-negative manner. It was certainly better if tasted on its own (not following another Port), but even then could at best be described as merely drinkable (barely) or somewhat fair. Following another Port it was foul and awful.

This is now the oldest port I have ever tried!

1873 Schofield: cloudy mid-brown, with some red. Very spirity on the nose. To taste rough, and all hot spirit. Undrinkable. Jay, whose bottle it was, added later that it was ‟getting worse”.

Very dry and reminded me of a peaty scotch. Very little sweetness and very spirity. It was bad =) but very interesting heh =)