McClelland 2016 Holiday Spirit

(3.17)
McClelland's Holiday Spirit 2016 is a smooth blend of burley, Virginia, and cavendish tobaccos, flavored with dark rum, pecan, and cocoa. With its fragrant aroma, it's sure to bring a warm glow to even the coldest winter day. Happy Holidays!

Details

Brand McClelland
Blended By McClelland Tobacco Company
Manufactured By McClelland Tobacco Company
Blend Type Aromatic
Contents Black Cavendish, Burley, Virginia
Flavoring Cocoa / Chocolate, Pecan, Rum
Cut Ribbon
Packaging 50 grams tin
Country United States
Production No longer in production

Profile

Strength
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Very Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.17 / 4
3

2

0

1

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 29, 2017 Mild Medium Mild to Medium Pleasant
Tin note is delicious, it smells like a christmas pudding with rum, very enticing! It is mixed cut and it contains a few chunks of sliced flakes that are so hard that I cannot brake by hand alone and I don't know how they help smoking.

The tobacco smokes nicely, it is flavoured but not overdone, you can taste the tobacco as well, it does not get hot, does not smoke wet and it has nice flavor. The only drawback for me is its strength. I find it quite mild. Nice room note. It's a good aromatized blend but I am not overtly enthusiastic with it, others might like it more. Sometimes I mixed it with straight Burley and then it sang!
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 28, 2016 Mild to Medium Medium to Strong Medium Pleasant
This is probably by far an absolutely delightful holiday aromatic that you absolutely cannot pass up. Rich notes of cocoa and rum on the palate with a subtle spice that will tantalize your tastebuds!

Cracking the tin open, right away you get a strong kick of dark rum on the nose with cocoa and light undertones of pecan. The blend packs fairly easily, however it does feel fairly cased.

The light takes a bit of effort to get it going, yet it will stay lit for a good while after lighting.

The flavour is nice and soft on the palate for aromatics on the palate, while tobacco mainly holds on there. Yet the exhale really gives a good taste for the aromatics. Spicy sweet notes reminiscent of classical Christmas goodies that you cannot go wrong for

Leaves minimal dottle and doesn't gurgle at all. Personally, I cannot recommend this blend enough!

I'd suggest pairing it with some nice sweets and sweet apple cider that is nice and hot.
Pipe Used: Big Ben Elegance Churchwarden
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: Fresh, 2016
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 06, 2016 Mild to Medium Medium Medium Very Pleasant
Mcclelland Holiday Spirit continues to be one of the most interesting aromatics I have ever smoked. I was initially attracted to this blend with the rum/cocoa combo listed, but what I have found most enjoyable is the role of pecan in relation to the rum. I can't say I have experienced anything remotely close to this flavoring. The flavoring nuance is there for each and every draw keeping interest in the smoke. The rum let's you know it's present and balances out nicely. Any chocolate/cocoa to me, remains in the background. Certainly a departure from the norm and is so in such a good way. Certainly my favorite of all holiday blends. So much so, I have a stockpile of the stuff. It is truly unique and a departure from any norm.
Pipe Used: Varioua
PurchasedFrom: P&C, Mars Cigars & Pipes
Age When Smoked: 0-12 months
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 08, 2016 Strong Very Strong Very Full Strong
I'm a new pipe smoker, so consider the source. I was really looking forward to trying this blend! Once I received it in the mail I could not wait to try it. I fired up a bowl and was quickly disappointed. It had a strong chemical background taste to it. I was not pleased after paying $8 plus a tin and shipping.
Pipe Used: Briar wood
PurchasedFrom: Pipes and Cigar .com
Age When Smoked: New
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 10, 2021 Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
I opened this tin because I'm exploring aromatic blends and because it is flavored with pecan; most unusual. I liked the blend well enough but felt that it was a little on the weak side in overall strength. My review can be summed up neatly by reviewing that of reviewer Stefanos 2017-01-29. I too noted the strangely stiff and brittle black broken flake in the blend and had the same experience breaking it up with difficulty. However, it didn't seem to stop either one of us from enjoying the blend. I too noted the unique flavoring in the smoke that was, I agree, not overdone. We are also in agreement that the weakness of this blend is it's lack of overall strength. I will, from time to time, smoke it straight out of the tin. I found that it's real lasting quality was as a blending tobacco. Holiday Spirit 2016 uplifted every mixture I put it in and made each one a more satisfying smoke. I recommend this blend at three stars and feel that it should be a component in everyone's arsenal. The only problem is that it is out of production and, being scarce on the market anyway, will be hard to find.
Pipe Used: Ashton ELX Brindle Billiard 2007
PurchasedFrom: an Ebay seller
Age When Smoked: tinned 7/2016
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 15, 2020 Mild Medium Mild Very Pleasant
My early Christmas present to my self was to pop a tin of 2016 Holiday Spirit.

The tin note was cocoa/pecan. The moisture is a little damp, so I let it sit out for 30 minutes before loading. It took a couple of lights to get going, but burned well after that. Little bit of moisture during the smoke, but nothing that a pipe cleaner can't fix.

The first part of the smoke is rich cocoa. The nuttiness is barely there. The sweetness is in the lead through the bowl as I never get much of the tobaccos behind it until maybe the last 1/3 of a bowl. The rum is not overpowering at all but comes through behind the cocoa in my opinion. Smoked slowly.. it doesn't get over hot and makes for a pleasant evening smoke and goes great with a cup of cocoa or come coffee.

I jarred the tin after a few bowls and will dole this one out during the holidays to make the pleasure last as long as possible.
Pipe Used: Radiator Pipes, Cobs
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: 4 years
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