Compton's of Galashiels Scottish Mixture

The dark and cavendish Virginias offer some mildly tangy dark fruit, some slightly fermented stewed fruit and citrus as well as some grass and a little earth. The spicy, woody, mildly floral, leathery, earthy, lightly sour and buttery sweet Turkish plays a supporting role. The smoky, woody, musty sweet Cyprian latakia is almost a secondary player. The strength is medium and the taste level just passes that level. The nic-hit is closer to medium than it is to mild. No chance of bite or harshness, and has no rough edges. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a well balanced, nuanced, richly consistent, mildly sweet and rather savory flavor all the way to the finish. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasantly, lightly lingering after taste and stronger room note. Can be an all day smoke. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

This might just be the strongest Scottish style blend that I've ever smoked. Heavy and rich Virginia and black Virginia Cavendish intermingle beautifully with every puff. The Latakia/Oriental presence is far off in the background but leathery notes can be detected, especially with slow puffing. Just fabulous stuff!

Scottish Blend is rich and dark, slightly bittersweet but very flavorful. This is a classic pipe blend - heirloom quality like all of Comptons of Galashiels offerings. This is a traditional mans tobacco. No evidence of compromise or pandering to "emerging markets" of pipe smokers with exotic flavorings. Simple high quality Virginia Cavendish and spice tobaccos blended intelligently and artistically.

My first experience with scottish blends was MacBaren's Scottish blend. I enjoyed that and wanted to try some others that may be even 'better' than it. I found Comptons by doing an internet search for scottish blends. Ordered me two 100 gram bags of it. Now i am on the phone with them on and off trying to get as many bags of it as i can. Seems as though it isnt readily available in large anmounts which really bums me out !!! I would love to get as much of it as i can and start the aging process. This stuff is just such a high quality that i have got to have it. Very nice note of 50% latakia/oriental in the blend and a very solid 50% Dark Virginias. All i can trully say is "i gotta have it."

Quite simply, the most sublime smoking experience I've had. My tobacco arrived in perfect condition, packed perfectly, lit perfectly, and made a rainy day seem sunny. I don't think one can find a better balanced, more flavorful Scottish mixture. Five out of four stars, Mr. Engel.

i can only echo the praise given by the first two reviewers. this is so clean-tasting and mouth-filling that i know of no equal in its genre. it's full flavour, but never in a way that attacks your throat as so many other englishes and scottishes will. evarything in it is of the highest class: the powerfull virginias, the "neutral", old-fashioned cavendish, the latakia and the turkish - and they come harmoniously together to please you for a splendid, long lasting bowl!

more than worth the price, and very highly recommended.

Great Scottish Mixture! Leathery, earthy and somewhat salty. This along with all the Comptons English Scottish and Balkan are loaded with fragrant, rare orientals. Very satisfying, and flvorfull. Almost Tops (#21 Reserve is the pinnacle).

The debate will forever rage about what components constitute a Scottish blend, but it does seem that many contain Cavendish. Compton's version of a Scottish blend is well made, slightly sweet, contains Cavendish and is interesting. The quality of the leaf is high and I find that it tastes best as the bowl progresses. I prefer it in a wider bowl and on the dry side of things. I don't think it is Maxim's masterpiece as there are other blends in the Compton's stable that I find much more to my liking, especially Cuban Cigar Blend, Mixture #10 and Macedonian. If you are a fan of Scottish style blends this should be on your “must try” list if you can find the rare pouch of it. I find it to be a nice diversion, but not something I would seek out in the future. Recommended.

For the most part I am just getting my tongue wet so to speak so I do not posses the ability to pick out all the foreground and background notes that tobacco has. On my quest thought the world of Pipes in the last while I have tried a few tobacco's that are nice and have a good taste this one is one that I enjoy. I have a 30 min drive to work so I have a pipe on my way in, This blend and one other are my choice to drive in with they burn well and are not to strong. To me this is like sitting in front of a wood stove with a glass on single malt watching the snow coming down on the fields around home. A nice quiet time to reflect on the week gone buy. Have a great day all

I apologize in advance for the long review, but it was very difficult for me to come to a decision on this blend.

Two of my all time favorites are Compton's Balkan and Compton's Macedonian. Those are two fabulous and classic blends. I am a Balkan/English freak, but I also very much enjoy good quality aged VA flakes and VAPERS. But I'm always trying something new, so I recently broke into a package of Compton's Scottish that's been aging in my cellar for 14 months. I've had it in different pipes and feel like I can now provide an accurate opinion.

Let it be known that I am admittedly not a fan of mixtures where the Orientals are in your face. For instance, I very much enjoy Three Oaks Original (Cyprian Latakia in the foreground) but I'm not a big fan of Three Oaks Syrian (in which, because of the mild Latakia component, the Orientals are very forward in the flavor). I appreciate the condimental value of Oriental tobaccos but I don't like it when it's the main attraction. Compton's Scottish is a very Oriental-forward blend that I am struggling to review.

For me, it's quite pipe-dependent. In my most trustworthy English/Balkan pipe it's a great blend, but it also seems a bit two-faced to me. The label describes it like this: "It is 50% Virginia's and Cavendish Virginia and a high proportion of Turkish with the Latakia providing a background note." That high proportion of Turkish is what makes this a tough blend for me to rate.

On the one hand, it's excellent for its genre. I don't necessarily want the fact that I am not a fan of big Orientals to influence my opinion about the quality and aesthetic appeal of this blend. From a pragmatic standpoint, this is an easy four stars, as it delivers exactly what it promises, and with high quality leaf and adequate complexity. It's a very harmonious blend where the various leaves all meld beautifully into a rich but clean-tasting and interesting smoke. If you are a big fan of big Oriental blends then this one is very highly recommended.

Considering only my personal tastes, it's three stars due to it's strong Oriental presence which I would like to see counterbalanced by a bit more smokiness, maybe some Cyprian Latakia or less Turkish (or perhaps a higher shot of dark Virginias). But once again, Mr. Engel is shooting for a "Scottish" blend (which according to my knowledge is a blend with a lot of Virginias and a noticeable Oriental component) and he succeeded quite well.

On the practical side, I have found that sipping is a necessity to keep the flavors rolling smoothly. There are times when it's a fabulous smoky complex blend but two minutes later it seems that the VA and LAT disappear to the detriment of the overall balance. A very smooth cadence is required to even out the highs and lows and keep it more consistent. The light and burn were very good, and clouds of white smoke were common.

In all fairness I'm giving this four stars because even though it's not my favorite style, it's excellent for what it's trying to accomplish. I have no doubt that Oriental fans will probably like this at least as well as Three Oaks Syrian, probably better. I like it better, but I will concentrate on cellaring Engel's Macedonian, Balkan and Full mixtures, since those are among the best I've ever had.