BriarWorks International Bacon Old Fashioned

When I purchased this a few months back I gave it a try and to be honest with you I didn't have much hope for the blend. The jar note was kind of unpleasant and I really didn't get the taste either. So I took it out of the original jar, put it on a plate and gave it a good mix up. I rejarred it in a larger mason and put it on the shelf. A couple of days ago I decided to give the ole drunk porker another try. The tin note was still like cheap whiskey and an old smokehouse. I loaded up an old Omega and fired it up. Much to my surprise it hit me, the bitter sweet flavor of an old fashioned, the bourbon, the bitters, the sugar and even the orange came in loud and clear. Pleasant aftertaste and it left me wanting another bowl. Pretty good smoke I think. Have had several bowls over the past few days and the effect has been the same. I have found the flavor is enhanced fo me with a cold RC cola over ice. The tobacco itself seems to be of good quality and the cut as one reviewer stated was typical C&D, all over the place! I think that this will be one of those love hate blends though. If you want a bit of a different experience you should give this one a shot.

Another small sample from Pete, this one is a "C&D cut"... that is, the cut is all over the map. I found long narrow ribbons, short wide ones, some cubes and some chops. Weirdest bag note ever - a sort of cross between woodsmoke, booze and something I couldn't identify. Closest I could come is baby vomit. And yeah, that wasn't appealing but I soldiered on. Came dry and smoked dry.

Smoky flavor? Yes, this has it in spades! All the blends on tr.com that reviewers have thought as "smoky" have nothing on this one. HUGELY smoky! It was indeed sort of a smoky bacon flavor but it struck me as more woodsmoke with the booze flavoring close behind. This is not your typical goopy aromatic, as the flavoring took a backseat to the tobacco. By taste, I can't tell if the base is burley or Virginia, as it doesn't have any Virginia sweetness and yet it doesn't taste like an earthy burley. This is one that I'd like to experiment with further. On its own, it doesn't quite do it for me, as it needs a lot more natural sweetness. But the flavoring is downright intriguing! I think it has potential. A must try, even if only to show you what can be done with aromatics so that the flavoring and goop doesn't bury the tobacco taste.

For some reason I was expecting a maple topped blend due to the name and Russ Oulette's Bacon blend and not having read the description (I follow them on Instagram and when smokingpipes starting offering it I just loaded up my cart) but after looking up the classic cocktail "Old Fashioned" I appreciated BOF much more. The jar is a very neat and original container and once opened releases a light aroma of smoky Orangey / Citrus that enticed me to dig in. Easy to pack ribbon in various browns and some black strands, no sticks or logs which is awesome. Very mild on both strength and toppings, do not expect a maple syrup full on aromatic (for that mix Autumn Evening with Old Dark Fired, its great!) but for what it is supposed to emulate, I think they hit it right on the head.

One of my favorite smokes.I like the flavor,and smokiness.Don't know what the flavoring is,but it works for me.I noticed it has gotten low ratings. Well,I like it.So there.

I like this and would buy again. Not usually a fan of Dark Fired, but I like that the tobacco flavor comes through. I'm kind of immune to nicotine, and don't find it, even though I inhale. No tongue bite for me. I also don't taste the citrus that others mention. I also like that it's already in a jar.