20 Year Old Tawny Port by Cockburn

[Gary Richardson]

Opened 3/14/2011

Color: Can see a dark amber/orange tint through the clear 500ml bottle stoppered with a t-cork.

Initial aroma: Alcohol, caramel

First taste out of the bottle: Mint dominated, transitioning to dark honey, finishing with roasted walnuts. Very interesting flavor profiles. An underlying note of heat throughout.

About an hour later the mint was still there, though a little less prominent. The transition to honey with a roasted walnut finish was more prevalent. Heat is still there.

+ 24 hours: The heat and mint are gone, leaving the honey and roasted walnut flavors. This Port has really come together in the last day.

I read some of the other tasting notes on this bottle, and I don't get any of the butterscotch or vanilla that were mentioned. Either they weren't there, or my palate is too limited.

A very solid 20 year, even edging out the 30 year Feist that I just had a couple of weeks ago.

Rating: 91 points