1963 Cockburn
Posted: 21:01 Wed 04 Oct 2017
From a bottle with a high fill. Brick coloured, but with a edge that is almost golden; 60% opaque. Smelling slightly oxidised on the nose with pine needles over bitter juniper berries - slightly dirty and very gamey. Quite neutral on entry with little fruit. Some dried sour cherries appear on the mid-palate with the juniper bitterness and a sandlwood sweetness adding complexity and interest, but with a slight touch of oxidation. The flavours all combine to deliver a big, bitter mouthful. The aftertaste is just as big, dominated by cedar wood and leads to an explosion of tobacco which fades quickly until leaving a long finish of red aniseed. A big and powerful port, if a little dry. Served blind this was guessed to be Taylor 1955. 89/100. Decanted 2 hours. Drunk 28 September 2017.