McClelland 2008 Holiday Spirit

Great blend, mild and tasty. They should make this one of their regular blends so that it is always available, although here it is May 22/09 and it is still fairly easy to get.

Very nice combination of flavors, Burley, Virginias and Cavendish with Rum, Pecan and Cocoa. All of the flavors are present at one time or another wafting in and out creating an aromatic bonanza. My taste buds would say that the pecan is more of an almond/amaretto type flavor than pecan, but hey, close enough. The first half of the bowl seems to be more dominated by the (lets just say) Rum and Nuts. Then the Cocoa works its way in. Great aromatic smoke !

One thing has always struck me as odd. Why do some people think a blend like this is only good around the Holiday's. I understand that many flavors and fragrances remind us of certain holiday's, but good is good. When I BBQ a steak in the winter, its good. When I eat turkey in the summer, its good. When I smoke a bowl of 2008 Holiday Spirit in May, hold on to your shorts now, oh my God, its still good !

Don't practice self deprivation, get some while you still can !!!

Mine was the 2011 version, but I think the recipe is the same from year to year.

Tastes and smells like burnt pecan pie. Did they case it with Karo syrup?

My wife hated the smell of this one.

Only for the diehard aromatic lovers.

My first aromatic, very pleasing smoke, love the tin note and room aroma. My wife wants me to get more, and I won't mind doing so. A nice change of pace.

This is the exact same blend as the 2009 version, just a different date on the label. A good aromatic that burned well and with only the slightest inclination to bite if puffed too aggressively. The flavors described are certainly present, although none of which remind me of the holidays. A good crowd pleaser with a pleasant taste for the aromatic smoker.

I really enjoyed this Aromatic. I feel that when rating aromatics, they of course have their own category. This should not be compared to cool smoking English blends.

Being an aromatic, it can smoke a bit hot, but that is natural. The casing is something very sweet, and nutty. The rum tops it off to produce a very fragrant and pleasing aroma to those around.

I think if you are searching for an AMAZING holiday aromatic, this is it. Pick up the 2008 or the 2009 as I am sure by the tin description they are nearly the same.

Excellent blend. I love these niche tobaccos. It truly does remind you of a fragrant Christmas air...

I'm not a big aromatic smoker, but I recieved a tin of '08 Holiday Spirit from a good friend as a christmas gift. I really enjoy smoking it, and I wish I had more pipes dedicated to aromatics so I could smoke it more often.

It's a good mixture of Burley,Virginia, and Cavendish with wonderful tin notes of Caramel.

The room note is great, and even the most up-tight non-smoker would enjoy it.

It smokes great, although I have to be carefull when I pack it because of the broken flakes. I've yet to get any tongue bite from it, and it smokes to a fine dark grey ash.

On a different note, I reached into my pipe bag to load some up, and realized I only had enough for about 2/3 of a bowl. Rooting around I found some Dubliner from Ted's Pipe Shoppe in Tulsa, a strong English blend, and mixed a little in. It smoked great and took the edge off of the Latakia. I think I'll try it again.

I find that this is a wonderful blend, with subtle notes of nut and rum. Very Christmasy; definately not a year-round smoke. Still really enjoyable.

All I have to say about this blend is DELICIOUS! I cant get the stuff to bite and there is very little moisture left in the bowl when finished!