Mac Baren Highland Mixture

It packs easily and burns well. It also smells nice both in the tin and while burning. It does not bite either. It has a variety of cuts in the leaf and burns slowly. And the additive in this one really has a lot of fans as it does indeed seem to help along the leaf within.

Here we come to what may be considered MacBaren's high end tobacco. At least that is what the price tells me.....and I got a deal.

The tin is a work of art....a rectangle box, bigger than a box of kitchen matches, it has a background picture of what appears to be Edinburgh Castle. The tobacco is in a sealed gold pouch, 100g of it.

The aroma upon opening the tin is just delicious. The Virginias are there, and what is called on the tin spiced Cavendish shows up. I could not detect the burleys. But in some ways overriding that is the sweet smokey Glenfarclas Single Malt Whisky. Now for those of you who don't know alot about Single Malts, that one is a winner.

The packing is easy, though I like to rub it out just a bit. The light is equally easy as this tobacco does not seem as moist as some MacBarens.

The inital taste is sweet and warm. This gives way to sweet and cool and stays that way all the way down to the bottom. The wift of whisky shows up from time to time. It in no way overpowers the tobacco. The measure is just right.

The ash was clean and white. I did have to use a cleaner or two, but this may have more to do with the smoker than the smoke.

I highly recommend this mixture, just try not to eat it out of the bag because that aroma will tempt you.

This tobacco has everything going against it, before it's lit. It's MacBaren, which I seem to get tongue bite from, throughout the range. It retails for $18.50 US for 100 grams, it contains flavored Cavandish, from it's description, and it's cased. This tobacco describes itself as follows:

Mac Baren Highland Mixture consists of ready rubbed, fully mature Virginia tobaccos and carefully selected, golden brown Burley. To round off the taste, we have added a touch of specially spiced Cavandish. As a finishing touch, the tobacco blender has added a generous measure of 30-year-old Glenfarclas whisky - a pedigree single malt highland whisky. In 1996, this particular whisky won the International Spirits Challenge, topping the list ahead of more than 110 other types of single malt.

(Yeah, for $18.50 it better make me breakfast afterwards )

Appearance: Beautiful gold presentation tin, gold foil pouch on inside with Mac Baren seal. Admittedly gorgeous gold, black and tan leaf, more a well broken flake than what I'd call fully rubbed. Ok, Ok! Very intriguing bouquet of single malt scotch tops a very nice Va/ Burley fragrance. Packs well, let's take it for a test drive. Fire hits weed releasing.......... Oh, No! Please dear Buddha, not this, take my dogs, my wife, my home, but not this........ I'm in LOVE with an AROMATIC!!! I HATE aromatics (this tobacco could only occur in Bizarro world, where superman is evil, Tammy Fae Baker has fashion and makeup sense, and the French could defeat the Germans!!) Pleasant, VERY pleasant, with a soft, lilting smoke, just tangy enough of a backbone to provide supporting structure. Great flavor in it's base components. The single malt is applied with a finesse that I have never encountered before. Any more, and it might be a distraction, any less, and certain diminishment. There is a hint of sweetness, but it merely showcases the beautiful Virginias and Burleys in the best possible light. Smooth, distinctive and utterly bite free throughout the smoke. I'm already repacking another bowl. I would, without the slightest hesitation recommend this to both aromatic and non aromatic smoker alike.

10 out of 10 Bearclaws.

Bear

The flavor of this blend is great... without being goopy. Finally, a whisky blend that is made of high-quality leaf. I have been looking for some blends that are aromatic but not bulk-jar sticky stuff. I found it here.

Following the lead of previous reviewer Effluvinator, I smoked this in a Savinelli with a balsa filter. It really tamed the bite.

This one is a winner.

Govern Yourself Accordingly.

I have a love/hate relationship with many of Mac Baren's blends. I like the flavor of many of them but they seem to have a grudge against my tongue! I was intrigued by the description of this blend and decided to spend the $18 for a tin to give it a try. I expected the worst and was surprised to find a tobacco that I really like. The flavor is a nice mixture of the natural sweetness of virginia and the nuttiness of burley. If overpuffed, it will bite, but even reasonable care prevents it. I ended up smoking the entire tin before moving on to any other tobacco. If it weren't for the cost, and sometimes limited availability, I would rate this higher. If you are an aromatic smoker looking to try a virginia blend, this is a good place to start.

I agree totally with Bear and Cooksmoke. This stuff is heavenly! Smooth, balanced and soft but not too mild, with just enough backbone to avoid being a wimpy blend. The Scotch whiskey is indeed applied with perfect finesse and so is not overpowering, and the taste and room note are as pleasing as the tin aroma. The only reason why this will not be my everyday smoke is that I wouldn't want to become bored with it, so I will save it for special occasions. Definintely worth the extra cost.

Highland Mixture. April 2004. 'Heaven' Yes,I'm in heaven.This is absolutely delicious,full of flavour and I could happily puff on this all day without a sign,of a bite. Its very hard to believe this is an aromatic,as it is just so smooth,plus,extra good. Every other tobacco I have tried with whisky either bites the tongue or has a very bitter taste.'Highland Mixture'does not,have either. Easy to light and not at all gooey and leaves a nice clean white ash. Thankyou,Vic.For guiding me to this wonderful exquisite,superb blend. Highland Mixture,truly deserves the highest accolades possible.

Very pleasant smoke! As a single-malt loving pipe smoker, I had to give this a try. Very flavorful, colorful and wonderfully aromatic with no bite to speak of. The only thing that prevents me from keeping it on hand is its price and availablity. Its unexplained absence from the Mac Baren website is a bit odd as well. I certainly hope they do not drop this blend.

This bit me so strongly that I almost thought I didn't know how to smoke a pipe. I mean SERIOUS bite, worse than any OTC drug store tobacco, and a goopy mess.

This is really a shame. It appears to have been blended with high quality leaf. Then, for reasons only known to the Dutch. The put napalm on the tobaco and toung bite is aweful. On the positive sid, it did come in a very attractive tin.