Clan Shaw Galway Bay

This was sent to me as a sample with an order of other tobacco, so I decided to try it with an open mind. It's a light aromatic, with the casing described as "Irish Cream". That may be, but I certainly don't identify the tobacco's smell with that flavor. The smell is sweet, but not fruity; after reading the description, I suppose it could be Irish Cream, but I wouldn't have guessed so otherwise. My sampler pack tobacco came fairly dry; not as much so as C&D's blends, certainly, but far drier than most aromatics. It appears to be a mix of medium/dark and lighter brown tobaccos, with the darker making up about 90% of the mix. A mix of longer and shorter cuts, it packs easily and lights even more easily. I chose a new corn cob pipe for my first test. The first impression I receive is sweetness without fruitiness; the Irish Cream, I suppose. For the first third of the bowl, the casing is strong but not overpowering. I can taste the tobaccos underneath, and can tell they are providing some of the sweetness I taste. Blowing the smoke through the nose is especially nice. In the second third of the bowl, the casing becomes weaker in taste, though I still am getting pockets of stronger flavor. The tobacco taste is even clearer, and it is apparently a high-quality mix. There is sweetness from the tobacco, as well as some semi-complex nuttiness. The last third is similar to the second, with the occasional tastes of Irish Cream continuing right down to the end. There is some additional complexity as the bottom is neared, but nothing spectacular. At the very bottom, there is some moisture, but very little. Overall, I'd compare this blend to C&D's aromatics; both are far drier than normal aromatics, both burn fairly easily cleanly, both are based on high-quality tobaccos that you can actually taste. The main difference I can see is that the casing on this tobacco actually lasts through the bowl, and tastes more closely to the pouch aroma than C&D tobacco. An excellent diversion from English mixtures, this is a mild and uncomplex smoke that can be enjoyed without dealing with the goopy, sticky, wet aromatics that many dislike; an excellent smoke for mixed company. UPDATE: Smoking this blend in other (briar) pipes resulted in similar impressions, with the exception that the tobacco's sweetness was not quite as noticeable as it was in the cob pipe.