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Victory V Lozenges's history from potent Victorian medicine type candy—containing chloroform, ether, and opiates to the modern / tamer recipe.
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In 1864, Dr. Edward Smith purchased a bankrupt drug factory in Nelson, Lancashire, from Thomas Fryer.
Smith and Fryer partnered to create Victory V lozenges, handcrafting each one to ensure precise doses of their notorious potent formula (see next paragraph).
The lozenges quickly gained a reputation for having "a kick like a mule" because they were a hybrid of medicine and confectionery.
The original Victory V formula reflected the era of Victorian products that mixed powerful drugs into everyday consumables.
Similar to how Coca-Cola used cocaine in its original formula—and Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup's morphine content.
Victory V combined:
Which were sold over-the-counter as a lozenge!
At the time, these drugs thrived in an unregulated market where the line between medicine, stimulants, and candy blurred.
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In 1864, Victory V used workers who shaped each lozenge individually by hand.
The company had specialized workers who measured ether, chloroform, and chlorodyne to ensure consistent dosing.
Most medicines and candies were manufactured similarly during the Victorian era when precise drug content mattered more than rapid production.
The candy was first branded as "Victory Chlorodyne Lozenges," a name that advertised its medicinal content.
However, the company quickly pivoted to a more descriptive "Linseed Liquorice V Lozenge Victory."
Eventually, settling on simply "Victory V" in 1910.
Admiral Nelson's famous warship inspired the name Victory V.
Victory V's early retail packaging visualized Victorian manufacturing craft via ornate counter tins with real glass display windows.
The tins featured a bold military logo—a gunner in a busby helmet firing a cannon, reinforcing the brand's martial theme.
Shop owners used the tins to dispense individual lozenges into paper cones for customers.
By the 1920s, painted glass panels replaced real glass windows to cut down on costs.
By the 1920s, the candy had become mainstream and was a particular favorite among schoolchildren who traded it in playgrounds across Britain.
The powerful ingredients likely fueled their popularity, offering young consumers a sanctioned taste of forbidden adult medicine.
Despite the mind-numbing effects, parents and teachers overlooked the candy as a harmless treat.
Wildly, you can still find Victory V lozenges today.
However, the formula has been updated with modern pharmaceutical regulations and consumer safety standards.
In response to drug control laws, manufacturers removed the chloroform, ether, and chlorodyne.
Today's formula, produced by Ernest Jackson & Co. Ltd. in Crediton, Devon, contains only:
To maintain brand continuity, the company uses artificial flavoring to mimic the original ether taste without its psychoactive effects.
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