Old Virginia Tobacco Co. Antietam

An enjoyable everyday smoke. A nice solid blending of burley and cavendish. Has a nice even burn. Very little tongue bite. The touch of apricot brandy is delightful.

I saw CoreyR's review of Gettysburg a couple of weeks ago and it piqued my interest in OVTC and their blends. Mr. Google told me they were still selling these blends and I found their website and ordered 6 of them. These blends are made for OVTC by McClelland. With the exception of CoreyR's review it's been six years since these blends have seen the light of day here. I think it's time to give them a look. I'm gonna take them in alphabetical order so Antietam is up first.

This is a rough cut of black and gold "chunks", mostly black. A little sticky, but not too much so. On first light I get a nice strong taste of apricot brandy accompanied by a slight musty note. The apricot settles down to a mild note and the mustiness disappears quickly as the other flavors build in strength. The most noticeable component is the Black Cav which has a bold toasty note. The Virginias are in the background and the Kentucky is nearly hidden. A note of toasted marshmallows develops and the mild apricot flavor rides on it to make for a very tasty smoke. I've seen others mention a marshmallow flavor in reviews of other blends, but I never have experienced it until now. It's very nice. The flavor holds to the end including the apricot which never burns off completely. All in all a very nice aromatic.

While mild in body, taste is very close to medium. I gave it a couple of hours of drying time, but it still needs a relight here and there. Burn is fair. This is better than 3 stars, but still closer to 3 than 4, so 3 it is. If you're an avid fan of aros this may easily reach 4 stars for you. Give it a try.

Edit to add that this may very well be McClelland bulk blend M58 Apricot Brandy. Haven't tried it so I can't say for sure.