Rattray Malcolm Flake

Rattray - Malcolm Flake.

Excited to try this one as to be fair pineapple is a less common additive in aromatics. The smell from the mix has a fairly subtle pineapple twang to it, a definite addition albeit not particularly harsh. The moisture is great, it can be imminently rubbed and smoked, no extra time to dry is needed.

The flavour is reflective of the initial aroma. The pineapple is without doubt the leader in this game but it comes through a bit more prolific than it was in the aroma. The burn is good, giving off a medium temperature smoke with a light grey ash. The tobacco tastes are pleasantly balanced but with a topping of this weight it can become a little problematic to decipher the different tobaccos, sometimes it's better to just sit back, stop over-evaluating and enjoy the taste! On that note it actually conjures up the thought of sitting on a tropical beach! Actually, to embellish the tropical feeling the pineapple flavour can be greatly increased by simply retro-haling the smoke. Often as not many aromatics can be a bit zealous with bite but Malc' is mitigating in that department even when strained. Nicotine is at a medium level but if you like a good hit of "N" the smoke can be inhaled easily. The pineapple comes through well in the room-note, turning the room into a tropical paradise!

To be fair, this isn't my favourite flake but I give this four stars not three due to the fact I feel it has been accomplished very well!

If I am not mistaken Rattray’s (that is Kohlhase & Kopp) has retained the original Murray’s recipe, but not the name of Erinmore, which was taken by McBaren, and Malcolm Flake seems to be essentially Erinmore Flake under a new name.

Comes in 15 neatly cut flakes of medium thickness which need some drying but they do rub out very easily. Tin note is quite intense, a mélange of fruity aromas, vanilla and tobacco. Sort of vanilla-cream like with some fruity notes. It does smell nice and yes, it reminds me of the ‘pineapple’ note of Erinmore of old, which I do remember, even more than its current version, though neither seems to be exactly the same.

Upon lighting you are greeted with a sweet fruity and floral note very similar to Erinmore. If I were pressed to find a difference I’d say that Malcolm Flake’s aroma verges more to having a men’s eau de toilette quality, more so than the plainly fruity/floral Erinmore Flake. I have encountered this sense of men’s eau de toilette in another tobacco before, Dan’s Little Wren, but here it’s more subdued and more elegant.

It’s a very nice aromatized flake of superior quality. A tobacco meant for those who enjoy real tobacco with a little fragrance added. It’s a tobacco more in the tradition of British Lakelands rather than the ‘true’ American aromatics or Danish blends. Here the star is the tobacco and scenting only sublimates it. It’s not very strong but still it’s a potent tobacco. Burns excellently to ash, does not get hot or tiring. To tell the truth for me it’s interchangeable with Erinmore Flake, differences are only minimal and both are sublime!

I bought this from a little shop on the strength of a good review I had read because they carried only a very limited stock and I remembered I'd read somebody else who had liked it. But I really wish I hadn't.

I need away from goopy aromatics.

It seems fairly evident why Pineapple isn't a commonly used additive in aromatics: you can't particularly smell it or taste. It's low on tobacco scent and just a tiny little bit sweet.

The moisture is 'thick'. Though not very flavourful. Some extra drying time might help get less gooey dottle to gouge out at the end of your smoke but don't count on it, I couldn't, and it probably won't really improve how hot it burns by the time you have to puff it to get some decent reek out of it. Hot heat is the leader here.

I get some cool smokes from some Ashton, some Peterson and especially from Rattray's lovely 'Old Gowrie' but the burn here is either 'throat ripping' or 'going out'.

The colour of ash I dicarded was 'ashen'. Sometimes it's best not to over-analyse.

It tastes unpleasurable on it's own. Hot. Even a mix with Exclusiv Black Cherry Cavendish didn't result in something I would want again. I had no worries about ending up with something 'Pineapple and Black Cherry' tasting before it, as there's really no Pineapple taste from the 'Malcolm'. Hopefully I can maybe use it as a burn rate adjuster to get rid of it usefully.

For Pineapple flavour I recommend Lilt. Or Pineapple.

The blender doesn't seem to have as much interest in the smoker being able to identify or savour the tobacco taste as much as they have in seemingly 'roping a dope'. 'Once bitten...' as they say.

Nico-content's the low side of medium. I wonder whether that has a proportional effect on tobacco's burn rate or temperature? I'll have to conduct more fearless experiments, with myself 'the willing Guinea Pig', to find out.

To be fair and in the interests of balance, since I've referred to this website for some good advice with recent sample purchases (Dunhill Morning, GQ Askwith Kake, Hal O The W, etc.), I have to tell you what I think of this flake. It leaves lots of jammy goo at the bottom of the bowl as I found out when, being the not-masochist I am, I didn't even want to finish it. I have happily tipped out a few partial bowl loads of this as it has not been accomplished very well.

I feel a little ripped off but it was a cheap couple of lessons that I'm happy to have learned. If you're reading after already buying some then hopefully, for some strange reason, you completely disagree.

The smell of the tobacco is fruity and I was a bit concerned that the pineapple taste would be overpowering, however, the pineapple taste does not even exist, nor do any other flavours. The tobacco is bland and tasteless in every sense and you might as well cut up some tissue paper and put that in your pipe as to smoke this tobacco.

I cant recall Erinmore flake very well to be honest, but I know I smoked a lot many years back. But this new incarnation under the Rattray banner feels, as a first impression, a bit less fruity. The pineapple note is darker, and a bit smokey almost. All in a good sense. I think those expecting *pineapple* are expecting a very heavy american style aromatic. This is closer to what Gawith Hoggarth puts out. Its the pineapple equivalent of Bobs chocolate flake. After the first few bowls I wasn't that impressed, but I keep finding myself going back to it. It has that odd addictive quality. And part of that is the unique taste of this blend. Now aromatic and non aromatic is not such a clean distinction to be honest. Old Navy cakes have rum often, but that's not really the same thing as Amphora or Borkum Riff...or for that matter Pipeworks and Wilke. This is an older style of pipe tobacco and it can't really be considered a pure aromatic....except, you know, it is. And like all Rattray, even today, the ingredients are of the highest quality. I get why many don't like it, but I think its a matter of expectation. The Virginias are heavy and a bit acrid (though in a good way) and the burley is sharp. But the flavoring of the pineapple tones it all down. As i say, its addictive. It does burn a tad hot if your not careful though, and Id rub it out a bit more than normal. I d rate it 4 stars....3 and a half if there were half stars....but its closer to four.

Dark moist and thin cut flake tobacco which smokes the same as Erinmore flake. The pineapple is a fair tin note and somewhat subdued in the pipe. This tobacco has it's fans worldwide but I'm not one. Its spicy and dark tasting just like it looks the tobacco has some body to it but I fail to see how pineapple and this type of base tobacco marry up. Maybe I'ts just me but then I love pineapple and cheese. If you are looking for a more positive review I suggest looking at Erinmore flake which is to my tastes the same tobacco.

Many people argue that this the remake of the famous Erinmore Flake. Since i never smoked it i can not confirm this. Anyway here we have one of my alltime favourites! The tobacco comes out of the tin perfectly moist and with a nice pineapple arome above the strong natural tobacco smell. The taste is full bodied, smokey, with the Kentucky clearly making it´s mark. I would describe the taste as fresh, warm bread with the pineapple shimmering through but never taking the lead but rounding the whole thing up! That´s what i expect from a perfectly blended aromatic!

Smells of liquorice and ripe fruit out of the tin. Packed fairly moist.

I've smoked it using the fold and stuff method as well as rubbed down. It's not an unpleasant blend, but it is very mild. It smokes very much like Hal O' the Wynd or McConnels Scottish Cake--it has a very soft, round sweetness with some pepperiness on the draw and a bready aftertaste. The fruity topping does come through every now and then, but it is not an overwhelming aromatic experience. I will enjoy the tin I have, but I don't think I'll buy another.

Eeinmore Flake is a copy of the original Erinmore Flake (The Beast of Belfast).

Malcolm Flake is a copy of Erinmore Flake.

So it's a copy of a copy. And Malcolm was King of Scotland.

You make up your own mind.

Tin purchase. The flakes are very neat and tidy. They handle well and also rub out easily. I find them too moist for my taste so dry them out before packing. The flakes are not sticky or goopy.

Tin aromas of sweet fruit. I wouldn't say pineapple if I wasn't told that was the primary topping. I also notice some earthy notes in the tin. After letting the tin sit unsealed with the flakes in it for a few days, the aroma is still sweet and fruity but more tobacco scent comes through. I notice the Burley's are earthy and slightly smoky.

First flavors are sweet fruit flavors. I begin to get some tobacco flavor after a few minutes. This is consistent from bowl to bowl. The Burley is more present than the Virginia's in the first half. I get some earth and smokiness from the Burley. The Virginia's come and go and are sweet and smooth. The tobacco flavor is second place to the topping until the final third if puffed at a slow pace.

Overall this is a good smoke but not one I would rush out for again. I would recommend to leave it in the tin for a few days if you find the topping is a but too much. Once the topping fades a bit you are left with a good smoking Burley / Virginia that has a lightly fruity topping.