McCranie's Murdock's Pipe

A rich tasting, well balanced, slightly malty Scottish English blend. The Virginias are earthy and mildly dark fruit sweet. The Orientals are spicy, dry and woody; noticeable in every puff without overtaking the other components. The Cyprian latakia is smokey, woodsy, and a lightly sweet, and is a team player. I sense a pinch or two of cavendish in here. It is rather McClelland-like without the vinegar smell or taste, and needs some dry time. Has a mild nic-hit, and won't bite or get harsh. Burns slow and cool with a consistent flavor, though it leaves some moisture near the finish. Needs a few relights. Has a nice after taste. It’s not very complex, but it’s a smooth smoke that's almost an all day smoke.

-JimInks

First, thank you to Jon Tillman for including Murdock's Pipe as a blend to be reviewed. I am, and have been, a fan of McCranie's Pipe Shop for several years, and it is my pleasure to be the first reviewer of this delightful tobacco!

I will say up front that unlike a few reviewers who try to wow us with their "knowledge" of various types of leaf, I just give a general description of what my impressions were while smoking the tobacco. If I wanted a history lesson on tobaccos, I'd buy a book!

All I can say about Murdock Pipe is that I received a delightful smoke every time I loaded up. It has just enough Latakia, Virginia and Oriental leaf to make the blend soft and cool burning. No single element comes to the front. It is just a combination of downright good stuff!

My pipe club members enjoyed a tin of this a few months ago, and I don't think anyone disliked it. I do not normally enjoy blends with Latakia -- even a smidgen -- but Murdock Pipe was so smooth and flavorful that I didn't mind the Latakia leaf. In fact, I'm sure it enhanced the experience! Get a tin or two today -- you will most certainly enjoy it. At least, I hope so.

MP is indeed rich and soft, though not too soft, and though not as complex as some blends always remains flavorful and interesting. I never get tired of it, and it could easily be my desert-island smoke.

Tobacco reviewers go way too far around the bend sometimes with this whole complexity, lack-of-complexity thing. A lot of complex flavors are simply due to the construction of the blend (e.g., flake, coin), meaning for example that right now, stoved VA and Lat is burning, but in a few minutes, the Perique or Burley leaf will catch, changing the flavor and aroma. They’re all good, but a blend should never be penalized for being delicious and consistent. Would you penalize your Glenfiddich for not being alternately malty, peaty, smoky, sherried, fruity, dry or floral enough? I mean, that’s why there are so many different types of single-malt whiskies. And tobacco blends.

My tin is five years old, so I am not reviewing a new tin. Wonderful tin note, bit of VA and sour Turkish and of course the Lat, gives me shivers. Perfect dryness. Room note excellent, wife-approved. Great VA flavor, with plenty of support and flavor from the Turks and Lat, although I would be hard put to say that either of them is dominant. A new tin probably would have a bit stronger Lat presence. If you like an English-y blend but not too Lat-forward, try MP. McCranie’s tobaccos are just plain good.

My finished tin of Murdock's Pipe is about 10 years old. MP is a mellow Scottish blend in the McClelland tradition. As such, it does need some ample dry time. MP is mildly sweet with the Virginias and Oriental's playing the lead role with the Latakia there for support. It smokes without the need for much attention and that's not bad, but if you are looking for complexity it isn't here. I don't line up with the comparisons to Account's or Professional Mixture. I find this is compares much more closely to other McClelland mild English blends. That's not a bad thing, but there is a lot of commonality among them. Given the choice, I would reach for the fine Scottish blend, "Scottish Mixture" by Compton's before seeking another tin of MP. If you are a fan of mild McClelland English blends or prefer less Latakia in your smoke, than I would recommend Murdock's Pipe.

Dang, I just have to repent what I did to this one, even though it was the first Latakia-containing blend I ever tried, two years ago when I was just starting to sample pipe tobaccos, and I must admit I threw it in the trash! Good God, do I regret that. Of course, I could get some more, and will if I have a chance, because there are a couple of other McCranie's blends I want to try again, and a couple I want to try for the first time. Just don't ever assume you will hate something after only one bowl, especially if you are a newbie. Now that I have tried and enjoyed some Englishes, I would like to revisit this one someday, and will update my review accordingly. As I remember the taste that made me discard the blend those two long years ago, it seems now that it wasn't so bad.

12-20-09 Yeah, I guess I can leave this at three stars, now that I have tried it again. My tastes have changed-I would like a bit more Latakia now, at least in this blend. There is more than a pinch in here, but somehow the blend could use more oomph. This from a reviewer who usually prefers straight Virginias! One funny note: I'm trying to convert my brother, who smokes RYO mainly with American Spirit tobacco (at least he has good taste in cigarettes) to pipe smoking. I was letting him smell some tobaccos in my collection, and he swore when he scented this one that it was cased with Laphroaig scotch. He likes single malts, but not Laphroaig because it has in his view an "antiseptic, Band-Aid like flavor." I guess a Scottish blend might have a scotch topping, but I don't sense it here. Upon reflection, I believe the aroma of the light Latakia element is what he is associating with the Laphroaig. But he is adamant! If anyone reads this before adding their own review, and is partial to scotch, let me know what you think! I sure don't smell it.

1-23-10 When I revisit a tobacco I like to read the other reviews, just in case there is something I missed. Solar Pons said Murdoch was best in a small pipe. SmokeKing David compared it to Rattray's Professional Mixture. What, I said to myself, RPM is more like a light Virginia with a brushing of Latakia! However, in a small pipe I could taste the similarities. In a small pipe, I tasted the sweetness of the Virginia more and the Latakia less. Not that I don't like Latakia, I just like it to be either full, or but the merest touch; not in between. Smoking this in a big pipe makes the Latakia seem too much...in between! Hell yes, I will leave this blend at three stars, and with some age might give it four.

I really like this blend. Murdock's is not a full English by any stretch of the imagination. Rather, it is from the same school as Rattray 7 and Professional Blend, or PCCA's Cyprian Star. It has a lot of Virginia and a smaller measure of Latakia.

But this tobacco contains a variety of Virginias, with an emphasis on dark VAs that are naturally sweet. Both those leaves and the Latakia are top-shelf and very high quality. The interplay between the two types of tobaccos is just wonderful.

The tin description says that Murdock's is soft and rich. They are spot-on. And not even a hint of bite. A 4-star winner.

Govern Yourself Accordingly!

I mistakenly rated Murdock too low. Again, it's a great Scottish, probably more like what a real Scot would have smoked than some of our more revered mixtures. A great all day Scottish (and if it's na' Scottish it's craaaap! 🙂 )

I found this to be a fine example of an all day blend. The Scottish blend is not found as much as, say, the Balkan, however it is a fine English sub-type. While Black Mallory is the grandest, fullest example, and Robert McConnell?s is the quintessential, this McCranie's blend is probably the softest. This blend is not dominated by latakia, nor does it push it to the back row. Its right there doing the right thing when the time comes, with the oriental and virginia doing their own thing too. All in all, this is a good representation of the style.

***** Updated ***** I have upgraded my rating. I find myself reaching for this more and more. It has become a regular part of my rotation.

This mixture reminds me of Peterson's Old Dublin. Smokey and woodsy and spicey. McCranie's Murdock's Pipe is much smoother and more refined than the Peterson's Old Dublin. The Petersons is like a nice wool sweater, while McCranie's is cashmere. This one will be replacing the Peterson's in my rotation.

My favorite Scottish Blend, and my favorite tobacco, is Davidoff's Scottish Mixture which is a completely different smoke from this scottish blend.

Mild, sweet tin aroma with a light Scottish accent. About half & half, brown medium ribbon and black thick, wide ribbon cut. The tobacco is moist.

Taste is a nice, soft honey undertone and a nutty Scottish accent of mild Latakia, with the Virginia in the forefront. The top of the bowl tended to produce a mild peppery feel.

Aroma is of a soft, nutty hue. Someone mentioned "cookies baking in the oven."

Little tongue bite.

Low nicotine content.

Sometimes, there is moisture in the bottom bowl, using tobacco straight from the tin. It was left to dry on a paper towel for 5 hours and was almost bone dry. There was still moisture in the bottom of the bowl. Tended to burn all the way to the bottom though, with no relight.

This is an all-day tobacco.

Overall, it has a soft room note and could be smoked all day, but I had moisture in the pipe and a bit of mouth scour.

Review based on a 2007 tin, opened 2010.

In short, this is a rich and mellow Scottish blend that burns well (if a bit smokey) and will satisfy anyone who appreciates the classic Scottish ingredients: Virginia, a dash of orientals, cavendish, and, in this case, a bit of latakia. (I think Scottish blends shouldn't focus too much on latakia; that's for English/Balkans to do.)

To my palate, this is something of an all-day version of Rattray's Accountants Mixture, which seems weightier in terms of nicotine and, perhaps, orientals. Accountants has a strength to it that, for me, can be a bit overpowering; Murdock's is softer, smoother.

If you like Murdock's, I'd encourage you to try Accountants and see what you think. I also highly recommend Rattray's Jocks Mixture, which has even less latakia but is truly wonderful.

Bob