Review: Matusalem 30yr VORS (cream) sherry, 20.5% abv, Gonzalez Byass

pre-Thanksgiving preparation

Now that the turkey's soaking in brine and some extra dishes have been dug out, the only thing left to do is to start testing out the sherry, because that's just what the pilgrims would have done.

This is an odd one. It has an age statement. And its classification as a "cream" sherry is nearly microscopic, on the back label: "Cream, Elaborado con Oloroso y P.X." But basically it's an oloroso that's been sweetened up a little.

nose: stunningly dense -- raisins and dates, almonds, lightly roasted coffee. but it's just so dense that everything is in there: apples, molasses, toasted cinnamon bread, clover honey, roasted vegetables. quince paste, tonic.

palate: wow, sweet, then coffee and ginger, then back to raisins and prunes and molasses and cloves. I swear there's some anise in there, and tar. the whole effect is that it's so dense with dried fruit and spices that it's slightly medicinal.

finish: not powerful but lingers forever, a bit of wood comes out, but mostly more of the same.


score: super high!