Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic

Update 9/2017

Unfortunately, Lane has changed the formulation a bit and doesn't have the depth of flavor it once did. They have dropped the description of being flavored with imported liquors. Aroma similar but slight difference. Not nearly as enjoyable.

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The blend that Jeffrey Wigand had a cow over. But, as any tobaccophile can find out coumarin was ubiquitous in the industry and still can be found in paticular with Kendal manufacturers via Tonka beans. Anyways, I smoked this stuff back in the day when B&W still manufactured it and can compare it to today's iteration from Lane Ltd. The original version of course was better. In particular the cut was a drier ready-rubbed dutch cavendish than today's more moist ribbon. The contemporary version captures the aromatic quality faithfully and rather unique for a domestic tobacco. The flavor style is more akin to premium danish aromatics. It's aroma and taste has a seemingly hazelnut, maple and perhaps orange liqueur character with a fainter note of SWR original casing of cocoa and spice note. From what I have also found out is there is an underlying note of vanillian. My guess as to the three liqueurs that flavor it are Fangelico, Grand Marnier or Curacao and perhaps brandy. I think the original had a bit more flavor but the newer version isn't bad at all. Fairly good for a domestic.

A bit of an unusual aromatic. This I received as a sample in a trade - somewhere just short of 2 oz. Upon sniffing the contents, I got an overpowering aroma of sweet fruitiness. I wasn't encouraged. However, the taste is of straight burley with a moderate amount of sweet casing. Don't trust the nose, I guess.

This narrow ribbon burned brilliantly and did not leave a wet heel. I got nothing even close to tongue bite. The flavor did not dissipate down the bowl. And therein lies the only real problem I found with this blend - the flavor. I just did not like it. It tasted like a sweetened Amaretto or something (isn't amaretto supposed to be bitter?) and it just didn't sit well with me there. It wasn't horrible - it just wasn't a flavor I enjoyed. A lot of aromatic blenders can learn a lot from this blend, such as how not to overdo the sauce and how to make a pleasant blend that smokes the same down the bowl. If the flavoring were something more to my taste, this would be an incredible aromatic.

And so, my rec of 2 stars is for my personal taste only, as is my custom with reviews. As a blend, however, this is something every aromatic lover should try to see if they like it. It's extremely well made, and represents the aromatic genre splendidly.

Surprisingly good! I wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. This was a spontaneous purchase from my local grocery. Nicely cut burley with a very pleasant pouch note. It smokes well and stays lit. The flavor was nutty at times and not overly cased. Will I keep it in my rotation? Probably not. But I would purchase it again, definitely. No wonder it has been around so long...it's a good blend!

Ah yes, Sir Walter. This is an over the counter, heavily cased, sweet aromatic tobacco. I smoked a pouch of this mainly in my cob while grilling or messing around in the garage. To me, drug store aromatics all taste the same, like vanilla or something. Of all the over the counter pouches this one is probably my favorite. I may never smoke it again, but it's my preference over the other cheapies. An open pouch stayed pretty moist for about 6 months sitting on the back porch.

I found this tobacco to be very "middle of the road". Nothing really jumped out at me, but bowl after bowl I detected some chocolate to the aroma and taste, which I didn't really expect. I didn't find the tobacco to bite or burn my tongue, and was a smooth enough smoke. It wasn't overwhelmingly aromatic or tasting of liquor, and has a nice tobacconess to it. Burned well, didn't need to be re-lit, and was worth the $5 I spent on the pouch. I would consider buying it again, but if I am in the mood for a pouch tobacco I would probably buy PA or borkum riff whiskey. Sir Walter Aromatic is worth trying though.

SWRA is a good simple blend that burns clean and for some reason leaves much less of a ghost than most aromatics I have tried. I still keep a cheapo basket pipe just to smoke this blend in when I get the urge throughout the year and I always have a big tin of this open somewhere for dipping. It is a "good mowing the grass" / working in the yard type blend. I find in a large diameter bowl the smoke can really taste bitter so I have kept it in a normal diameter bowled pipe (3/4").

A fairly pleasant and tasty drugstore blend, especially economical by the can, with a mapley liquor flavor, good for frequent pipers. Makes smoke very nicely, but a bit too sour for my taste.

An interesting blend. I really, really like burley, but this doesn't quite do it for me.

It packs and burns very well. No moisture or dottle. A good clean smoke.

The flavor is ok. Whereas I enjoy the natural flavor of burleys, what comes through in SWR aromatic is the casing. The liquor doesn't taste much like liquor, just a general bitterness. It's still sweet, but not the buttery/nutty sweetness that you get in other over the counter burleys like Carter Hall.

If you like burleys, and you like aromatics, this is just the tobacco for you. Tobacco doesn't get much cheaper than this stuff.

Brown & Williamson - Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic.

I reviewed this, or what I thought was this, a few years back. As it transpired it was a pouch of something else - a nice blend but it wasn't what I was told it was supposed to be. So I deleted my incorrect review, and the moment I saw this and it's sibling Sir Walter Raleigh Standard on Smoking Pipes.com I put through an immediate order. I found the standard Sir Walter Raleigh a very enjoyable blend, but I'm not so fond of the 'Aromatic' version.

As Pipestud points out, this one's a shag cut blend, as opposed to the cube cut of the standard Sir Walter Raleigh. When I opened the pouch, the aroma that greeted me was both pleasant and misleading. It smells almost caramel-like and has quite a pungent alcoholic trait. This isn't reflected as pleasingly in the smoke: the only recognisable flavour I get is some of the harshness, bitterness, and yuckiness that can sometimes come from alcoholic flavouring. To be fair, aside from the nasty flavouring, the tobacco flavour's good and it gives the blend a bit of a redemption: it's a very full and true representation of a top-class Burley-heavy blend.

I'd think the nicotine's at a strong enough amount for most smokers to get along with as it's medium, but I can't guarantee everyone will get along with the room-note: I don't.

It gets two stars solely based upon the quality of the Burley, and in all fairness although I don't find the flavouring very nice, there's not a great quantity of it.

Somewhat recommended.