Victory V is a British brand of liquorice-flavoured lozenges.[1] Originally manufactured in Nelson, Lancashire, they were devised by Thomas Fryer and Edward Smith MD in 1864[1] and were initially made by hand to ensure that each sweet contained the correct amount of therapeutic ingredients: ether, liquorice and chlorodyne (a patent medicine containing laudanum, cannabis and chloroform).
In 1959, a film was produced by Red Rose Films called The Story of Victory-V, documenting the production of Victory V lozenges and other products of the Nelson Victory V factory.[2]
In the 1960s they acquired the Alverthorpe firm of A.Talbot and Son. Victory V lozenges are available in specialist shops and online, but no longer contain chloroform or ether. However, their scent and flavour is still vividly reminiscent of diethyl ether – recreated via artificial means to preserve the original flavour.[3] Today they are manufactured by Ernest Jackson & Co. Ltd. in