Imported from my RateBeer account as Eldridge Pope Thomas Hardy's Ale (all vintages to 1999) (by Eldridge Pope):
Aroma: 9/10, Appearance: 4/5, Taste: 8/10, Palate: 4/5, Overall: 15/20, MyTotalScore: 4/5

5/I/15 - 25cl bottle with a neat little seal around the bottle neck @ home - BB: n/a, bottled: 1/IX/80. Yes, that's a 1980 vintage! (2015-13) Thanks to jc1762 and his wife for sharing the bottle!

Clear purple brown beer, no head. Aroma: lots of chocolate milk, very intense, molasses, caramel, syrupy, bit oxidized, Madeira wine, bready yeast. MF: no carbon, full body. Taste: sourish, bit vinous, raisins, caramel, alcohol, bit oxidized. Aftertaste: little sour, orange peel, caramel, bit sugary, alcohol, earthy, molasses, Madeira and Sherry notes. I was very sceptical about this one, cause I've had my fair share of (very) old beers, practically all had gone undrinkable, except for lambics. This is amazingly complex and drinkable and well preserved!

Bottle (1984 Vintage), shared @Brasserie 4:20. Miele di castagno con riflessi mogano, viva e intensa, schiuma virtualmente assente. Al naso potente sentore di alcol e frutta sotto spirito, vaniglia, legno, ossidazione, datteri e fichi secchi. In bocca è complessa, simile a un porto invecchiato, con note acidule e astringenza. Corpo pieno, carbonazione soft. Forse ha perso molta della sua eleganza, ma i 30 anni di invecchiamento li ha retti alla grande!

1994 Vintage. Courtesy of fiulijn (thanks a lot, Alex!), pours a deep dark mahogany with barely any head. Nose explodes upon the pour, with loads of complex port, caramel, dried dark fruits, and brown sugar -- amazingly elegant and complex aromatics. Flavour is... wow... amazingly complex, drinks like a port, with dark dried fruits, toffee, alcohol, brown sugar, and port liqueur. Highly viscous, with a sticky, oily palate. No hint of oxidation at all. 20 years old and still amazing.

Famous English barley wine since 1968 (!) allegedly brewed to approach the favorite beer of famous writer Thomas Hardy. The Eldridge Pope version doesn’t exist anymore since many years; this rating concerns a vintage bottle at Kulminator in Antwerp. Amber coloured beer with thin, off-white and quickly dissolving head (which does not disturb me, considering the style and the age of the beer) and very, very complex, vinous and ’old’ aroma of dried apricot, white wine, brandy, sweet tobacco, banana, aromatic spiciness and orange peel; taste was equally complex, vinous, rich, deep, fruity and sweetish, bready malts, warming alcohol in the finish. This was one of the best beers I ever tasted, stood the test of time exceedingly well. If they still have it at Kulminator, I am eager to re-rate this as it’s been many a year now since I tasted it.

Sweet!! Loads of toffee, light butterscotch, not quite "still", I get a very light hint of cabo during the swallow. Magnificent.

Bottle 14 at gad905 tasting night; rich mahogany brown pour with zero head, soy sauce aroma, taste has leather, soy sauce, oxidisation as expected in a 25 year old beer, black berry. Excellent beer experience.