Just posted the following review on TR. Reproduced here for your edification

McClelland Anniversary

A mix of short dark brown, mottled, and black broken ribbons, the tin nose is rounded and sweet with a slight dark smokiness. Given the relatively short cut, it packs and burns with relative ease and is not a particularly finicky preparation.

Comprised of a mélange of matured Virginias lightly seasoned with Cyprian Latakia, in the bowl Anniversary offers a pleasant combination of ‘sweet-and-smoke’. Possessing a subdued tanginess, it offers rounded notes of black cherry, wood, light brown sugar, and just a bit of pine smoke. The mouthfeel is soft and the finish dark and sweet with just enough of the classic McClelland matured Virginia tang to remind one of its provenance. Medium bodied, it has a pronounced smoothness. Not an overall complex affair, it is nonetheless a nicely balanced mixture which is as charming in its simplicity as it is impeccable in its presentation.

Harkening back to an earlier form of McClelland packaging, the original release of Anniversary was wrapped in heavy ecru paper with maroon printing and finished with a red wax seal. A limited run of some 3000 100g. tins, it was released in 2002 in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the company. Although in company promotional literature of the time this special issue was called “25th Anniversary Blend”, both the outer paper wrapper and the tin label simply noted the blend as “Anniversary” and the series mark being “Special Occasion”. Like the original Christmas Cheer which was released in 1992 in celebration of the company’s 15th year in business, Anniversary was intended to be a one-time, limited edition release. The popularity of the blend, however, led to it being rereleased, in 2005, in the exact same 100g. tin packaging but this time the paper wrapper bore the date span 1977-2005 and featured a green wax seal. The 2005 issue, still readily available as of late 2009, is comprised of a holdover from the 2002 batch held for further aging before it was tinned and shipped in 2005. Once this current batch is depleted there are plans to release the mixture again with a different color wax seal. This review is based upon a tin of the 2005 tinning bearing the factory date stamp of 092005. Well worth cellaring for both its investment value and, perhaps more importantly, its liability to retain itself in good form for an extended period of time.

Great review, thanks for posting, Kap! I have been wondering about this blend, and your review makes me think I should pick up a tin...

Very eloquent review - thanks. I have a ton of the 1977-2005 in the cupboard with an intention to leave it just there for a few more years.

I recently cracked a tin marked 2002. I have to say I thought it was really good. I'm not sure if it would even need a couple of more years aging. It's that good now.
I still have about 15 tins left though..........

PS: I tasted more of a raisin like flavor with a little cherry in the background.

To the above -

Yes, a good one for cellaring to be sure. Although certainly ready to go now, I have little doubt that it will not continue to offer a very nice smoke years down the road. Since I finished the tin upon which I based the review above, I have since opened a tin of C&D's Yale Mixture as my 'in rotation' VA-Lat. - although it is doing great in the pipe I dedicated for the tin of Anniversary, I am kind of wishing that I would have just gone ahead and opened up another tin of the latter in place of the former. However, of the few bowls I have smoked of the Yale Mixture (the first time I have tried it) I am not really all that disappointed. It appears to have its charms. Review forthcoming in due course, perhaps by mid-December or after the holidays when I finally finish the tin.

Yes, Yale Mixture is pretty good. I think it's chief characteristic is its lack of sweetness, which I really enjoyed. Having said that, I have yet to buy another tin.