Player's Blenders Highland Pipe Tobacco

Player's - Blenders Highland.

This review is based purely on Blenders Highland. I thought I'd maybe tried the original Players Whisky but when looking through my reviews I realised I haven't reviewed it and can't remember smoking it without doing a review, so I can't compare.

I'm not sure as to whether the U.K. mail is responsible for the presentation or if it's supposed to be this way: the mixture's been compressed so much it nearly resembles a huge Krumble Kake! Once the 'Kake' has been broken up and seperated it looks like a broken flake though: very coarse ribbons. It's a bit moist, and I'm guessing the compression hasn't helped any dampness to diminish.

At first the whiskey's on the mild side of medium, it's quite nice, but it takes about a quarter of a bowl to become clearer; still not 'strong', but more towards medium. Something that's a little perplexing is the tobaccos': it tastes of Burley, and the pouch says it contains Burley! Blenders Highland can bite me a touch if I strain it; not too bad, more of a nibble.

I find the room-note nice, albeit a bit full; the whiskey's easily noticed and the tobacco smells quite good. And finally the nicotine: medium.

I couldn't smoke this regularly, but I will recommend it:

Three stars.

This was called players whiskey, die to stupid EU laws banning flavour names it is now sold under the current name listed above.

I recall trying it before when it was made by imperial and I really wasn't impressed. Now made by mac baren what's changed?

Well it is a tobacco that is infinitely higher in quality. It still retains its traditional British character or a burley and virginia mixture, very coarse in its cut, I find an extra rub out serves it well (I will try it straight from the pack at some point and update if need be). You are greeted with the typical aromas of Virginia burley, and the faintest wisp of whiskey.... If you are wanting a flavour bomb step away.

Packing is easy enough as is the lighting. Smoking is a joy, there's a very fresh virginia taste, almost refreshing, with the back bone of burley. The whiskey does come through but it is very faint and makes a nice addition when it reads its head.

A word of advice, take this slowly as any attempt at rushing will result in tongue bite, but given it is a nice smoke taking it slow isn't a bad thing.

All in all its a lovely smoke and makes a refreshing change from my daily smoke of ennerdale when I'm not wanting anything too heavily flavoured.

Room note is nothing too obnoxious and shouldn't raise too many eyebrows.

Recommended as one of the better British otcs

This blend is meant to be ready rubbed, yet it seems a much coarser cut than that. As another reviewer noted, more akin to a broken flake.

There's little pouch fragrance, which I found disappointing. There is nothing to say there is whisky in here at this point. Indeed the flavouring is so mild I really only detected that there was any taste on the third or fourth bowl, after discovering this blend lends itself far better to a larger bowl.

The smoke is strangely satisfying and burns evenly and easily, although a little more rubbing is recommended. The moisture level seems quite high, which brought to mind some of Samuel Gawith's wetter blends.

If you're looking for an alcohol-soaked tobacco this is not the blend for you. This is far too subtle for that. Yet there is just about enough here to just bring it slightly above the average virginia blend and would be fine as an all day smoke.

I certainly think that this blend would merit further exploration, perhaps with a larger quantity on which I based this review and it will be interesting to compare this with similar blends.

Slightly disappointed in this. Smelt like nicely alcoholic Virginia in the pack and I generally enjoy whiskey/liquor added tobacco. But after fighting to pack the over-long thin strands – which lit and burned nicely (no relights required!) – I was presented with a far too strong ‘whisky essence’ added flavour that just didn’t seem real to me (you know like those whiskey flavour sweets you buy for your kids?...) masking a rather bland, if strong tobacco flavour, which all proved rather sickly by the end of a large bowl, probably not helped by a fair amount of nicotine. It was quite bitey at the end too. The room note was a disappointment too; I like cigars, even at the budget end of the spectrum but I don’t like my pipe tobacco smelling like them. Having said all that, I didn't hate it! I just don't want to smoke it again.

This is a re-branded version of Player's Whiskey Ready Rubbed, and everything that has been said in earlier reviews of WRR will apply here; I can't detect any difference at all between Blender's Highland and its previous avatar. It'll be interesting to see if other reviewers agree or disagree. Let no one jump to the conclusion that it's anything like the now-discontinued Sinclair's Highland Sliced. It isn't. Nor, despite the blurb, is it an 'aromatic' in the usual sense of the term.

Why the re-branding? Possibly this is to anticipate the rumoured forthcoming changes in EU regulations governing tobacco additives/flavourings; possibly it's a marketing ploy to try to boost a flagging demand.* If the latter and it doesn't work, the next step will undoubtedly be the disappearance of this blend from the market; so if you like Player's Whiskey/Blender's Highland, now might be a good time to start bulk buying.

* (Update, 28 March, 2017): Since I wrote this review my local tobacconist has told me that the name has changed because new EU regulations now forbid any mention of flavouring or anything that might tempt or titillate the impressionable. For the same reason, Ogden's Walnut Flake has also changed its name. I have to confess that these expedients have not deterred me from smoking.

This is the modern iteration of the first tobacco that I cut my pipe smoking teeth on. I have fond memories of buying the Players version in a dark green round tin. I was keen to see if it still had some of the original charm, or if like some of the MacBaren versions, it had become a sad reflection of its former self. On opening the pouch I was greeted with an approximation of the old version. Quite sweet and Whiskey cased, but not quite like the Players tobacco. I smoked a bowl and determined to jar it and see if I liked it any better after a few months in glass. Thankfully in this case, that was exactly what it needed. When I opened the jar today, a familiar and comforting scent of quality Virginia and faint nuttyness from the Burley rose up to meet my olfactory senses. The Whiskey topping was there too, and from memory, it is a faithful recreation of the original. It packs and lights very easily and burns slowly with little moisture and a very pleasant room note and after taste. It doesn't show any tendancy to bite when gently sipped, and is very pleasant all the way down to fine white ash. The only regret I have is that there is no option to buy a flake version However I am happy to buy this as an occasional treat. Just like welcoming an old friend.