McClelland 40th Anniversary

--- 2021-01-21 ---

When I'm ready and have the time to really enjoy a bowl of tobacco, this is the jar I reach for. Continuing to age, this tobacco shines more and more. The sweetness continues through the bowl and offers sublime satisfaction. I really limit myself to the numbers of times I allow myself to enjoy this blend as somehow I have to make the limited tins in my cellar and this jar last a lifetime.

---- Original 2019-06-26 When I think of McC closing this is my biggest regret of not getting more in my cellar. Forget Frog Morton Series or whatever, I wish I had about 50 of these to keep me the rest of my smoking career

Great broken flakes, the famous McKetchup smell. Easy to rub out or just stuff in a big bowl. Not too much Nic hit, so you can smoke this one all day. It's not fancy, but man is it good....

Sigh.

Upon opening the tin, you are greeted with a wonderfully woody, earthy, fruity smell with a touch of the signature vinegar/ketchup smell that McClelland is famous for. Although this is purported to be straight red Virginia leaf there appears to be a lighter leaf present as well. The sugar content of Virginia tobacco, as with prior McClelland Virginia’s should allow this special blend to age and ferment extremely well. I was lucky enough to get my 1st can of this just prior to Mike and Mary closing up shop. As soon as I tasted my first bowl, I ordered several more which I am cellaring for as long as I can. It's sad to see such a great company with such wonderful blends close. I have prepared this in numerous ways, folding and stuffing, partly rubbed out and fully rubbed out. The flavor experience is slightly different for folded and stuffed which also tends to burn a bit cooler and slower (making it sweeter) but requires more relights. The tobacco itself has a slight moisture content but does not need any drying time. Smoking this straight Virginia is such a pleasure! Subtly sweet, medium body with fuller flavor compared to most other straight Virginias. Folding and stuffing also let you taste the nuances between the different color Virginias better than fully rubbing out. You get some citrus and grassy notes along with a little bit of spice added to the fruit, wood, and earth.

This blend is my kind of red Virginia. The red Virginia tang is there but it doesn’t bulldoze the rest flavors present. I opened a fresh tin right when it was released and smoked an ounce, then set the rest aside in a jar for 6 months. It was very good fresh but after 6 months the blend opened up a bit and gained some more complexity. I’m willing to bet that after a couple of years this tobacco will be sublime.

Just as there are some va/per that enter my rotation as virginias, the reverse also happens, that there are some tobaccos made up of red virginias that, due to their flavor profile, enter my rotation almost as if they were va/per. This is one of them. It's fine and smooth, yet savory and fruity, in the style of McCranie's red virginias, like Red Ribbon. At some moments towards the middle of the pipe, it also provides slight toasty nuances. It burns well and evenly, without the need for more than average relighting. It does not bite the tongue even when rushed, nor does it produce moisture.

In my opinion, one of the best Virginias to come out of the McClelland Manufacture, which is saying a lot, and certainly one of the best Virginias I've been lucky enough to smoke...

In my mind this is one of the best McClelland VA's. Depending on the day, I think this one edges out all the Christmas Cheer offerings I've tried (barring the very heavily aged offerings). Somewhat complicated smoke and one that gets better and better throughout the bowl. The reds definitely play a dominant role but not so much to be one dimensional. If I didn't have so little of this left, I could see this being an all day smoke. This tobacco will get much better the longer it ages. So sad to see these great blends discontinued. Enthusiastic 4/4 stars.

This tin is from 2017 and now 6 years old. I get the "McC" ketchup and barbecue essence in the tin and then a little in the smoke. There is a rich tang and robust fruit in the taste, followed with a mellow earthiness and a backdrop of a woody scented vinegarette taste. The strength is mild to medium, lights well but one must sip this gem slowly or may get tongue bitten or "leathertongued".

Spoiler Alert: This is absolute gold standard for Red Virginias! It's that good... Couldn't believe I hadn't reviewed this already.  Regardless, with that out of the way, let's get into it.

Presentation: McClelland's tin artwork is a thing of beauty. Comes in a distinct blue labeled tin with their trademark whale on the front. Beautiful to my eyes. Comes in a chunky flake format to boot. Second to none IMO. Nothing I would change there as I prefer flakes to almost any other tobacco production style.

Tin Note: Slightly Vinegary, but sweet upon opening the tin and the vinegar smell is in the Forefront initially. After the blend has been opened and has time to air out while in a jar or remaining in the tin itself, the sweetness takes Center Stage. Very appealing to nose.

Smoking Mechanics: Needs very little dry time. Basically ready to go out of tin, but anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes may be preferable to you. Much more than that and it gets to crispy and loses flavor IMO. No bite whatsoever. Smokes well, burns well, and leaves a fine white ash in the bottom of the bowl when finished with it. High quality all around.

Taste: Doesn't have near the vinegar taste that other McClelland Virginias do. Quite different from Christmas Cheer for example. I was initially surprised by that because I thought they'd be similar. It's very smooth and mellow. Very smooth. Like a 25-30 year old scotch. Not in taste, just for comparison purposes smoothness wise. My dad, who is 67 and used to smoke a pipe and then went to cigarettes, says that this is the smoothest tobacco he's ever had.  He's smoked for 50 years now. Moving on, what very little vinegar taste is there at the beginning, quickly fades to zero within 5 minutes or under. Hints of brown sugar, molasses, and baked bread appear as you work down the bowl. The sweetness builds as you go, but never gets "overly sweet" (if that's a thing) either. Very consistent and that's a good thing. Unbelievablely enjoyable to smoke. The most enjoyable for me, personally.

Conclusion: This is without a doubt my top pipe tobacco of all time. Top shelf Virginias that are amazingly smooth and consistent. I don't think you'll find a finer Virginia tobacco than this. I *try* to save it for special occasions because I want to have tins to cellar and smoke down the road, but I find it hard to do so. This will be a cellaring dream too! In short, I know it's very difficult, if not impossible to find, and expensive to boot, but it's a once in a lifetime tobacco for me. I recommend picking up a tin, if you're able, just to try it and smoke it sparingly once you do. I guarantee you won't regret it unless you don't like Virginias to begin with or don't know what a quality one tastes like, but even if you don't, you still might like this top notch, world class, blue ribbon tobacco. A+ Enjoy Fellas, this ones a beauty....