Rattray Bagpiper's Dream

I really enjoyed this aromatic, and I enjoy only a few. The tin note and taste was boozy, just like I like it. It can bite, but you have to work at it. It is mild enough to smoke regularly but has a consistent tobacco/scotch taste through the bowl. Took a few light but then settled down. I like MacBaren's Scottish Mixture and this is reminiscent but lighter and certainly of a better tobacco quality. I have aged this a bit, one year, and it has developed a hint of pine, not a bad thing overall, and no souring from the aging. This is not a overwhelmingly sweet aromatic but lends itself to a very social room note.

This is my favorite aromatic so far, and I'll update this review if that changes. The cognac topping pairs with the cavendish perfectly, and provides sweetness and flavour all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Even as most of the cognac burns off it still lingers around longer than expected. The Virginias come from four different cuts, so don't be surprised if you even find some curly little coins. There is an unexpected little bit of zest coming from the Virginias that titillate the taste buds. This is perfection in the aromatic genre. The tobaccos are elevated by the flavours instead of being overstated by them.

4/4 relax and enjoy

Preparation & Burn: 10/10 No preparation required. Just pack and light. Beautiful spongey/springy feel. Burns cool, no bite, good speed. Stays lit. Few re-lights required at all!

Taste: 8/20 Flowery fruity boozy and balanced. Nice toppings but mild tobacco flavor. Wish the tobacco was more obvious though.

Mildness: 10/10 My idea of a good smoke is a relaxing, low nicotine session. Therefore, the milder the better. I barely detect any nicotine here. Perfect!

Total: 28/40

Could an aromatic be better than this? Creamy, chocolatey, with an hint of liquor (they say cognac) and high class tobacco taste in the background; sweet and spicy aromas perfect in the holiday season. Along with his cousin Buckingham one of my favorites among the aromatics. Four stars

After sniffing the tin of Bagpiper's Dream, I immediately started salivating. It instantly became a high ranking member in my aromatic rotation of which there are very few. I loved the combination of Vanilla & Cognac & how it interplayed with the tobaccos developing a delicious, sweet flavor that hangs on the palate. It's not too harsh & as with any tobacco that may tend to bite initially, employing the DGT method will negate that issue somewhat. It is fairly moist but can be smoked from the opening or dried to the smoker's preference.

The tasty flavoring is there at the beginning & remains throughout but after some has burned off it gets even better... the point where all the varietals & flavoring meld together & form a unique flavor with a pleasing aroma. Drying it out doesn't seem to diminish the flavor or aroma which is my preferred method for preparation. If your taste buds are not dead or suffering from any type of infirmity, Bagpiper's Dream will seem like its name implies & will tantalize your taste buds.

BD doesn't cause chemical burn (bite) or become harsh if not pushed. I'm enjoying a bowl of it right now & I'm not really a heavy hitter when it comes to aromatics. Bagpiper's Dream has an alluring flavor that's surprisingly, tantalizingly delicious & a little "pinch" will go a long way. You could sprinkle a dab of quality Latakia & some Turkish to this and you'd have an exceptionally fine aromatic Balkan blend... "Balkan-Aro," if you will. I'll have to try this idea and edit the results... & here we go: If you mix this to your taste preference with a little Syrian, Cyprian, or both with some Turkish Yenidje, you can anticipate amazing results. However, Bagpiper's Dream is extremely satisfying & flavorful the way it is... just experimenting, as it were. It's no wonder so many appreciate this blend. It's an outstanding aromatic!

Some years back, I went on a misbegotten nostalgia kick for the no longer available Borkum Riff Cognac blend. I tried Tobacco Galleria's Simplicity and got nothing from it. Around the same time I purchased a tin of Bagpiper's Dream and have been trying to formulate an opinion of it ever since.

Bagpiper's Dream certainly exudes an aroma of cognac upon opening the tin (or jar, where it now resides). The flavor of cognac is there the whole smoke, backed up by the sweetness of the Virginias. The burn is flawless and cool. There's enough Vitamin N to keep me interested and none of the horrible traits of many American aromatics (goopiness, vile juices, bite, etc.). There is a floral taste, which some reviewers have attributed to the Virginias, but I get a similar floral flavor from many cognacs--maybe it's just me. But...

I get overpowered by the flavors in Bagpiper's Dream. I don't know what it is for sure. Perhaps it is some of the other flavorings that have been added. I don't find myself reaching for it very often. Maybe I'm just not attuned to the many flavors in a quality tobacco. Maybe I just have simpler tastes. I find myself so overwhelmed that I have to put the pipe down and rest a while before I can continue.

This is not to say that Bagpiper's Dream isn't a quality blend, or that no one should try it. It's just not one of my favorites.

The search continues. Somewhat recommended.

I confess at the outset to enjoying aromatics as an occasional change from a general pipe diet of English and Balkans. Normally a latakiaphile, and never having enjoyed either Marlin or Hal o' the Wynd, I wondered how I would get on with a blend that is purported to be Virginia-heavy. However, this could easily be an all day dessert smoke, with its cognac and vanilla overtones and high quality base tobaccos.

Rattray can do nothing wrong for me, at the moment. Highly recommended to those who want a gently sweet blend, which burns to the bottom of the bowl with a consistent flavour and unfussed simplicity. Never goopy, always predictable in the best sense, and very moreish. Sometimes burns a little hot, but that may be eagerness in me due to real enjoyment. Retrohaling increases the flavour profile.

Generally speaking I don't like aromatics and I decided that this would be my last attempt with this genre of tobaccos. On the opening the smell is extremely pleasant, you can detect berries, cognac, vanilla, and the smell of good quality Virginia. The Black Cavendish is somehow there but a little bit in the back. It smokes very smoothly, burns easily, one match is enough to light it up and you don't need to relight, that makes it a very easy to smoke baccy, even on a windy or wet day. For me the problem was the tongue bite. As mixtures that contain Cavendish in general, this tobacco gives a certain tongue bite. Of course you can reduce it by puffing slowly, but it's still present. The smell of cognac is a little bit overwhelming and the casing that gives the vanilla flavour is a little bit too strong in my opinion. In general it is a bit nauseating and harsh on my stomach. Compared to a other aros it's still a very good quality product, but I don't see how it's possible to say that it has no tongue bite at all. Also, the taste of good VA comes through, but still the flavour is too harsh and edgy. I wouldn't recommend it at all.

Bagpiper's Dream smells intensely of cognac upon opening. The various cuts in the blend are a pleasure for the eyes and the himidity level is a bit high, so I had to put the tin away for a while before trying it.

BPD smokes dry and cool. It is very good, tastes of cognac big time but lets the tobacco taste come out as well. A nice aromatic of high quality!