This Quinta Ruban succeeds the 12 year old version, adding two additional years of finishing in port casks, while maintaining the same bargain price. The result is a symphony of understated opulence. Marzipan, fresh apple and pear, milk chocolate, red berries, candied ginger, and praline on the nose build slowly, leading into a fruity, spiced palate. Flavors of soft gingerbread, molasses cake, cherry pie, spiced plums, almond nougat, and dark chocolate intermingle with faint strains of pipe tobacco. It sings on the finish, with a parting crescendo of hazelnut, spice, cigar wrapper, and lengthy oak. —Susannah Skiver Barton