Are there 'better' shippers by style?

[Alan Gardner]

Sorry I haven't written much lately. Moved house (and entire cellar).

I've been part of a local madeira tasting group for over 20 years now, and the waiting list has grown so long that we've now started a 'Junior' group to bring people up to speed. At the first meeting (15 people) we tasted the 10-yr-olds of each major style, and there was a question I couldn't (knowledgeably) answer.
"Do some Producers 'specialize' in a specific style" - the question was actually which shipper(s) would be the best for a 'dry' style and which for 'sweet' (the group preferred the drier styles at this level).
I typically distinguish by 'elegant' vs. 'more caramelized' - so don't have a simple answer.
Any comments or recommendations that I can pass onto this group?

Our next tasting will be Malmsey (Duke of Clarence; 5 yr-old, 10 yr-old, 15 yr-old, solera) - mostly Cossart, all MWC. I 'think' all of Cossart, Blandy and Leacock are identical - I would also appreciate any confirmation/refutation of that assumption.

Thanks.

PS we now have a pool of about 40 people meeting irregularly for madeira tastings - if Toronto can do that, surely other cities can too!

[Eric Ifune]

Perhaps I should move to Toronto!

I don't know if the shippers concentrate on a particular style, but I do have preferences within a given shipper's lineup. For example, I love Borges entire 15 year lineup, but my favorite is the Malmsey. I like D'Oliveria's drier styles in their lineup.

[Alan Gardner]

Thanks Eric,

Based on the first tasting, the question was aimed particularly at drier styles, so the d'Oliveiras suggestion is very helpful.

[Eric Ifune]

I also like Borges 15 year old Sercial. I think it just behind their Malmsey.