Harvey’s Bristol Cream Choicest Old Full Pale Sherry 20% ABV 1000ml ‘release from the 1960s’

Harvey’s Bristol Cream ‘Choicest Old Full Pale Sherry’ – a bottling from the 1960s

1. Introduction

This item is a bottle of Harveys Bristol Cream ‘Choicest Old Full Pale Sherry’ with an alcohol content of 20 % vol. and a volume of 1000 ml (1 litre). The bottle is described as a bottling from the 1960s . Harveys Bristol Cream is one of the best-known cream sherries worldwide and, for many decades, was the epitome of a sweet, complex dessert wine from the Jerez region in Spain.

2. Historical background of the Harveys Bristol Cream brand

The roots of John Harvey & Sons date backto 1796, when William Perry founded a wine and sherry trading business on Denmark Street in Bristol, England. John Harvey, after whom the company is named , joined the firm as an apprentice in 1822 and became senior partner of the Bristol branch by 1839; from 1871 onwards, the entire business operated under the name John Harvey & Sons.

In the 1860s and 1880s, John’s sons, John and Edward, developed a new type of sherry in the company’s cellars, characterised by its exceptional richness and sweetness – the so-called ‘Cream Sherry’. This creation, whose basic recipe has remained virtually unchanged to this day, became world-famous as Harveys Bristol Cream. The earliest surviving mention of the name ‘Bristol Cream’ can be found in a Christie’s auction catalogue from July 1880.

The company remained family-owned until 1966, when it was sold to Showerings, Vine Products & Whiteways Ltd.. The business records of John Harvey & Sons are now held at the Bristol Archives (Ref. 40913).

3. Bottlings from the 1960s

3.1 Physical description and label

Bottles from this period are typically made of green glass and fitted with a metal cap (screw cap). The text on the label identifies the bottle as ‘Choicest Old Full Pale Sherry’ – a designation that indicates a selection of particularly fine, older and paler sherry components.

A characteristic feature of these bottlings is the inscription ‘12 DENMARK STREET BRISTOL ENGLAND’ at the bottom of the label – the address of the historic company headquarters, which is characteristic of this era.

3.2 Origin and production context in the 1960s

The 1960s were a period of growing sherry consumption in the UK. At that time, Harveys Bristol Cream was regarded as the ‘standard’ among sweet sherries and dominated the UK market.

Right up until the 1980s, Bristol (and the surrounding area) had its own production facility, where the base sherry wines imported from Spain wereblended and bottled in the UK. This was logistically efficient: the partner bodegas in Spain delivered the wines to England, where they were processed in large quantities. The bottling from the 1960s therefore dates back to a time when the finishing and bottling took placein Bristol – before subsequent EU regulations on the protection of geographical indications forced production to be relocated to Spain.

3.3 Recipe and sensory characteristics

The blend of Harveys Bristol Cream is based on wines from up to fifty different soleras, comprising three types of sherry: Fino, Amontillado and Oloroso. To achieve its characteristic sweetness and ‘creaminess’, Pedro Ximénez made from sun-dried grapes is added.

Ageing takes place in American oak casks (‘butts’) using the traditional solera system, in which up to thirty different soleras of each sherry type are matured over a period of three to twenty years.

The colour of this bottling is described as a ‘warm, amber hue’, suggesting a noticeable maturity in the base wines used. Compared with later, more commercial bottlings, bottles from this era are characterised by greater complexity, a ‘rich spiciness’ and a longer-lasting variety of aromas – qualities that are often less pronounced in modern standard blends.

4. Market context and collector’s value

4.1 Auction records

The 1960s bottling regularly appears at auction:

• Brightwells (2023): A case of 12 bottles of Harveys Bristol Cream ‘Choicest Old Full Pale Sherry’ from the 1960s was offered with an estimate of £200–300.

• Bonhams (2003): A sealed bottle from the Commemorative Edition marking Prince Charles’s investiture as Prince of Wales (1969) fetched £107 including premium.

4.2 Special commemorative bottlings

In relation to the 1960s, two commemorative bottlingsare ofparticular significance:

1. The investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales (2 July 1969)

2. The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer (29 July 1981)

These special bottlings are particularly sought-after by collectors today.

5. Conclusion

This bottle of Harveys Bristol Cream ‘Choicest Old Full Pale Sherry’ from the 1960s represents an era of change in the history of this legendary sherry house:

• It dates from the heyday of the British sherry market.

• It was still bottled in Bristol (England) – before production was later relocated to Spain.

• It contains a blend of up to fifty different soleras with a high proportion of matured base wines.

• Connoisseurs regard it as being of higher quality than many modern standard bottlings.

Owing to its age, historical context and collector’s value, this bottle is not only a luxury drink but also a testament to European sherry history.