Ashton Old Dog

Old Dog was a sweet mellow English Blend that I have enjoyed for years. If you can get a relatively recent tin, I think that you will enjoy it as well. It is, however, out of production so check out the Internet and the old stock at your local Pipe Shop.

It is my feeling that any blend with a significant amount of cased tobacco present with otherwise natural tobacco will be best smoked early in its life cycle. Old Dog is a great tobacco when smoked within say six or seven years of its production but the cased Cavendish doesnt age in conjunction with the other natural leaf. This throws the older aged blend out of balance and results in an artificial induced edginess that isnt present in younger tins.

That being said, I have plenty of 04 left in my tobacco cellar and I love it every bit as much as I ever did. The tin from 1995 that I just finished had natural tobacco that had mellowed as expected. However the cased tobacco portion hadnt mellowed in harmony with the others. It could have been a manufacturing issue but McClelland has never had quality control problems in my experience. In fact, they always have done a great job and continue to do so with their other products. If you get a tin manufactured since 2000, you should be fine. Too bad it is out of production as I have always enjoyed this blend and I will miss it.

I could kick myself for buying this. I read a thread on pipes.org praising this blend, calling for a reintroduction. Having seen a short supply of old Ashton tins at a Tinderbox, I happily scooped this up, with a good two years on it. My problem is this--it's great! ...and out of production.

I won't bother going into the details regarding why I love this stuff. It will just make me mad.

Found the last few tins of the old Ashton blends on sale at a nearby B&M where sadly, pipes are almost completely forgotten.

For a blend that should be latakia-focused, OD lacks certain elements that I have come to expect from latakia; and it does take quite a bit of drying to get this to a reasonable moisture level.

On the other hand, it _doesn't_ smell like ketchup or vinegar at all, smokes well without much bite, and is (was) another reasonably decent addition to the pantheon of english blends out there.

Wow, distinguished gentleman, that's quite a review! While this tobacco does have elegance and polish, there's something lacking. I don't find it that luscious. As with its cigars, Ashton produces a refined label, but the product doesn't take me to the moon. This is smooth, probably due to the black cavendish, and it definitely isn't characteristically McC. Overall, though, it's a Frog Morton on Geritol. It's not bad, but five of four stars? De gustibus non est disputandum.

Three of five stars

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December 7, 2005

By coincidence, I'm reviewing this again on that infamous day so declared by FDR. This tin had some time to age. Tried it again and liked it. The latakia is a bit spicier & it's more elegant, then again, I've been smoking a lot of junk lately. I'd like to try another tin, but alas, it's been discontinued, or at least, it is no longer being blended by McClelland. If you find a tin lying around in a close-out bin, give it a whirl.

Three and a half of five stars

i bought a tin of "old dog" at a recent pipe show.the tin was 7 year`s old so...i can`t compare it to the newer "old dog",since this was my first experience with this tobacco.i wanted to buy a tin after reading the description in a pipe tobacco catalog.the description seemed very close to another tobacco i really enjoy,british woods.

well,after the first bowlfull i fell for this tobacco.i think it has a nice smokey taste,and smokes cool for a heavier english tobacco.i think it is alot like british woods.i like my tobacco alittle on the dry side,so i let it air out alittle.this tobacco is easy to keep lit,and smokes to a nice gray ash.this one will fit in nicely with british woods and nightcap,which are in my tobacco rotation.give it a try.

This is truly an exceptional blend by any standard.Although McClelland blends this,there is no ketchup smell at all. IMHO this is probably their best English offering for the Oriental/Turkish afficianado. If FMOTT can be described as sweet then this would be tart.It is very similar to FMOTT, but the different orientals yield a more Germain like quality.This is for the lover of Turkish /Latakia blends.The addition of black cavendish yields a very smooth and sweet/tart flavor.It is so luscious in flavor it cannot be described.This is a triple chocolate torte with sweet chocolate ganache on top.It has a cube like cut,so be careful not to overheat the pipe.You will never experience any bite, harshness,or bitterness.The only warning I will attach to this is the folllowing: The flavor lingers on your tongue,anything you smoke after this will continue to tast like this blend.I give this 5 out of 4 stars! You read that right. Go get some.

Since the demise of the Syrian Latakia, I have been on the quest for a new go-to blend. My search led me to Old Dog.

The tin aroma was pleasant, for a lover of Latakia, that is! I could also detect the Xanthia influence quite readily. As has been mentioned before, the tobacco was too damp at first, some drying was definitely in order.

Once the mostly-ribbon cut was loaded and I lit it, I was instantly transported back to the day I last smoked FMOTT. Very similar style.

To me, the Cavendish and the Xanthia were a bit overpowering. In this case, I think the Frog would be my choice if I had to pick between the two.

In the future, I'll probably just let sleeping (Old) Dogs lie...

I concur with Norm, tilman and JClark about this tobacco. It is one of the best English blends I have tried. It makes a large volume of thick, creamy smoke that is very, very smooth. There is no tongue bite here. The taste is rich and creamy, too, with a little interesting perfume added by the xanthia. The nicotine level is satisfying, but not overpowering. Put your feet up and watch the fire while you sip on a bowl of this stuff.

Can't add much to tillmanj and KEF except to agree with them and others. Old Dog is one of my favorite English blends as well. I rotate between VA,s & VA/Perique blends with the English/Balkan blends getting airplay whenever I have the chance, and OD is always there. The sweet yet tangy flavors together with the citrusy, smoky and nutty flavors make for a very enjoyable pipe whether relaxing with a good book or writing tobacco reviews :o). Smokes cool and burns well to gray ash. If you like blends of this sort you owe it to yourself to try this one. Works for me.