In view of my vow to tidy away this case in the next couple of years I have opened another of these this evening. A little darker than the previous bottle, still 40% opaque (albeit the pour is a generous one).
Chocolate and maraschino cherries with a slight overlay of musty naphtha on the nose.
Palate fully resolved and congruent with the maraschino note on the nose. Woody licorice root and cassia bark rather than tannin right at the end.
Very pleasurable drinking indeed even on a pop and pour.
I have like a good port citizen been drinking from worst condition bottle to best condition. With 5 of the case of the 12 still to go, my decision to drink them by end of 2026 is going to be no trial but equally I see no reason to change the decision.