A question about an unusual Port

[JohninSC]

New Years eve I participated in drinking a most unusal Port. I am interested in finding out if anyone can give me more information about this wine.

The label reads:

Coronation Port
1837
Matured in Cask
Justerini & Brooks
By Appointment to the King
Established upwards of 150 years

I assume that it was a Colheita from 1837, but I would like to know if that was the case. It looked, had the nose, and tasted like a tawny of real age. It was wonderfully complex with the distinctive nuttiness of a well-aged tawny. It had a good acid backbone with some sweetness left. The one minor negative quality was a tart after taste.

This wine came from the cellar of my father-in-law who passed away this fall. No one in the family knew he had this wine, and thus the provinance of it is unknown. We drank the wine in his honor. But all of us are curious to know more about it. Clearly it was bottled before Elizabeth II ascended the throne, but that leaves open a long period of time.

[Tom Archer]

Queen Victoria ascended to the throne in 1837, but her coronation took place the following year.

Does the label say when it was bottled?

Tom

[JohninSC]

What I wrote is how it appears on the label. So it is not clear if it just refers to when Victoria became queen or is a vintage date of the wine.

[Steven Kooij]

Interesting bottle, John. My two cents:I think is it safe to say that your bottle comes from the first half of the 20th century. J&B was established in 1749, and the label indicates that they've been in business for "upward of 150 years".
For which coronation was it bottled? I'm tempted to think George VI, as he was crowned in 1937, which would make it a nice 100 year old wine...but this is just a guess.
Have you contacted J&B about your bottle? They might know more about it...

[JohninSC]

Steven:
Thanks for your suggestion. I have sent an email to the parent company, United Distillers & Vintners. If I get any useful information I will report back.

[Steven Kooij]

You could also contact J&B direct, using this link:

http://www.justerinis.com/Info/Contact.aspx

Let us know if you find out anything more!

[Alex K.]

J&B are pretty nice about this sort of thing and they are decent people to talk to. I'd go with Stevie's advice and talk to them directly as the parent company maybe less interested.