Holger Danske Black & Bourbon

Holger Danske - Black and Bourbon.

The unlit mix is really appealing (for me) in many ways: it is predominantly black Cavendish with about a quarter of it being Burley/Virginia. The smell coming from it is a treasure in itself: a really sweet one with a noticeable addition of Bourbon. I must admit that I felt a touch portentous with this one as I don't really care much for whiskey in my blends but I decided to try it and it blew me away!

It lights with superlative ease and then delivers a very steady burn which leaves behind a white ash and gives off (in my view) an amazing flavoured smoke. I have to say that it doesn't taste as I expected. I was expecting it to be a massive whiskey taste and that expectation was enlarged upon smelling the blend unlit but how incorrect and presumptuous I was! I can identify the Bourbon in it only it's more "mellow" than anticipated leaving room for the Sweetness from the black Cav' to be discerned with ease.

Nicotine: mild. Room-note: pleasant.

I must say I find this a little perplexing as up until now I thought whiskey tobaccos and me didn't mix but with its delicate/serene flavour I will make an exemption for Holger Danske's offering!

Four stars.

I recently purchased a couple of tins of this mixture from the Dan Tobacco catalog. I enjoy a little whiskey flavoring in my pipe every now and again, so, the description seemed enticing.

Unlike the Borkum Riff version, this blend was not overwhelmingly cased. I did taste the whiskey flavoring, and the burley kept the mixture from becoming unruly.

If you are an aromatic fancier, and would like to graduate from the drug store blends, grab a tin of Holger's Black & Bourbon!

This is an excellent everyday aro. Sweet, with a very discreet bourbon casing, without any tongue-bite, easy to pack and to light, smokes also without any difficulty. If tou are into aromatics, you should give this tobacco a try, otherwise... this review is not for you.

Too much flavoring, while taste is not full at all. Mild in strenght and dry too fast in the tin. After two weeks...it's just dry tobacco with a smell of old dried cake. Good only if you like aromatics and only if smoked fresh!

Update 1st february 2011: I gave this tobacco another chance. And smoked really slow, paying a bit of attention to the packing, it's really good! Fresh smoke filling mouth and room around the lucky smoker, while the nose can still smell the beautiful aroma and room note. My previous review was due to a misunderstanding between me and this tobacco. I smoked it too fast and may be in a "english" way. And...still going against what I said...better to let it dry 15' before smoking, improves. And...you can also taste a good virginia inside! Reccommended!

An aromatic I certainly enjoy. An every-day blend, non-smokers will like the smell Black and Bourbon creates. This was my second tobacco I ever bought and I have been smoking it for about half a year, sampling other styles of tobaccos inbetween. However, I keep coming back to this aromatic. The Burley works in two ways: firstly, it complements the added flavour of whisky by giving it a slight nutty taste; secondly, the Burley allows the tobacco to burn down easily without having to relight more than twice. You can puff very hard on this but I have never had a tongue burn! The taste overall should be described as a sweet, slightly nutty, and slight alcoholic one. I wouldn't go so far as to recommend sipping your favourite whisky alongside this tobacco, since the whisky taste is not discernible to me (yet). All in all, if you like sweet, nutty and cool-burning aromatics, go for Black and Bourbon.

Edit (April 2017): I found that ageing this blend has neither improved nor impaired the taste of it. What I have noticed, however, is that it does tend to bite you if you either smoke outside while it's windy (April weather, I tell you) or when you're puffing too frequently. Other than that I still quite enjoy smoking this now and again.

Edit (October 2017): Despite it being cold outside, I decided to revisit this particular blend. Usually I favour Latakia heavy blends such as MacBaren's HH Vintage Syrian or SG's Commonwealth Mixture, but I had a craving for something sweet. As a little side note, I kept the remains of my first ever pouch (that I got over one and a half years ago -- how time flies!) in a jar. Having only previously discovered ball-point jars (thanks to Stuff and Things on Youtube, by the way), the tobacco had some opportunity to develop. This development was unfortunately not for the better. I had hoped that the sweetness of the Virginias/of the Black Cavendish would maybe intensify. The smell of the blend had changed drastically; instead of being greeted by a whiff of alcohol and super sweet Black Cavendish, the tobacco smells...off. Sure, it's got some of the sweetness in it but there's a hint of alcohol that's been sitting on the porch for a few days and has lost all of its kick and aroma. I can't rediscover the sweetness that the blend used to have. Sadly, B&B does not age well in any old jar. However, I have a new shipment coming in and I will not make the mistake of keeping it in a generic jar.

Tried out during the summertime, was a pleasant companion during the trip down to Greece. Everybody loved it, even no - smokers. When I opened it, the casting was somewhat astonishing but pleasant. I tried out only outside, but the “room note” was pleasant, even for no-smokers. It kept the humidity level for all the time, even if I “treated” him very bad.

Exactly what one expect from a Holger Danske tobacco: - decent mild smoke - no tongue bite - fast burning tobacco - tobacco smell and room note present the flavour - not the best quality of tobacco in market but good enough - very low price: around $ 3 for 50gm. Pouch - the last part of bowl should be discarded (fine with me) - low in vitamin N Over all I think it is a good tobacco for its price and can fit in any one's rotation if in favour of American aromatic tobacco.

Tasty, not too strong, full of character and my current favourite pipe tobacco. I'm a bit bemused that this is not more highly recommended, as if you enjoy a nice, easy aromatic experience with a pleasing room note, then this is excellent stuff. In fact, I am just off to open a new pouch... and I don't have to go outside...

Black fore sure (at least in part), Bourbon I don't know. I haven't been able to detect any whisky aroma so far. However, it is a pleasant blend of black Cavendish, Virginia and Burley, with a sweet aroma of liquorice, fruit, coffee and chocolate, perhaps a little alcohol. A nice, cool burning aromatic at a very reasonable price (as yet). Recommended, even if you're not an aromatic habitué.

Perfect aromatic tobacco. Packs easy, burns easy, no relights, no tongue bite or harshness even if you puff extremely fast. Pleasant taste of whiskey through all bowl. Highly recommended , one of the best aromatics available.