Cornell & Diehl Pennington Gap

I purchased this tin based on it's description. I like some Burley blends and the addition of Perique to spice it up a bit and Black Cavendish to smooth it out sounded very much to my taste. Finished with Bourbon I thought might be good if not over done.

When first opened, I found the blend to be a bit on the moist side compared to other C&D Vintage Blends. The aroma of Bourbon was pretty strong.

After letting the tobacco get a little drier, I dug in and fired up a bowl. My initial smoke was nothing special, perhaps a bit of sharpness from the Perique but not exceptional, just good.

Smoking several more bowls over the course of several weeks really put the hooks in me. This blend is very smooth and flavorful, with a welcome bit of sweetness I wouldn't expect from Burley. The Black Cavendish element contributes this I suppose, but it doesn't overwhelm. The Bourbon flavoring is done very well, it should please both fans of good aromatics as well as fans of Burley. The tobacco flavor is predominant, and it is good. Pennington Gap, like most really good blends, is more than the sum of its parts. It is a rich Burley lifted up with a sparing amount of Perique - which I have come to appreciate.

The cut makes for very easy loading and smoking. It seems to burn a bit quickly, but that is probably because it is so enjoyable. It seems to like larger bowl sizes. "The Gap" smokes very nicely to the bottom of the bowl and has earned a place on my short list of favorite smokes.

Pennington Gap is described on the tin as "finished with bourbon for that touch of southern hospitality." I'm not a big fan of blends finished with spirits, as I find they tend to bite a little more than I'd like. The tobacco itself is a "crumble cake," a coal-to-chocolate color with bright flecks of cube-cut burley, and the tin aroma is sweet, fruity, and slightly nutty (the burley shining through, I presume).

The tobacco's exposition is smooth and clean, with an easy light and an initial burst of flavor. There is a definite casing that is well-balanced with cavendish and burley, and burns off quickly, leaving distinct flavors of cavendish and something slightly sour (the bourbon?). Perique makes intermittent appearances through the first third of the bowl, becoming more pronounced as the bowl progresses. It's a tasty and satisfying smoke, very smooth, cool and gentle, exceedingly pleasant through the nose. I've smelled a friend smoke this blend as well, and it has a wonderful aroma.

I notice a bit of the sweetness returning towards the end of the bowl. It seems to take on some fuller dimension and linger on the palate at its finish, and leaves behind a very fine white ash.

This is easily my favorite C&D blend, and a great blend for a regular smoke.

Now this is a great tobacco, albeit a decidedly weird one... It belongs in a bizarre, perique-drenched category all its own. At times, Pennington Gap fairly reeks of humid nights spent in a haunted bayou, savoring a glass of chilled bourbon while listening to the wildlife as it frolicks under a full moon. Alternately, it evokes images of sitting in the backyard under a blazing summer sin with a glass of iced tea in one hand and a good book in the other .... Either way, it's a seriously good time.

Pennington Gap is reminiscent in appearance and concept to G.L. Pease's Barbary Coast, only this blend is easy to light and burns smoothly all the way to the bottom of the bowl. It burns cool, doesn't bite at all, tastes naturally sweet, and it sings in pretty much any type of pipe I care to smoke it in. As the tin description indicates, the flavor seems to go back and forth between the burlies and perique, which is an interesting effect if you're smoking this at a time when you can really concentrate on the tobacco. The perique deserves special attention here, as for some reason this mixture really brings out that condimental leaf's fruity character and would serve as an ideal introduction to its charms.

The bourbon topping is heavily applied yet seems to actually cool the smoke, producing a flavor and texture akin to a chilled banana pudding. As a rule, though, I prefer to let the tin air out a few days. The flavoring seems to evaporate quickly, leaving behind a more natural taste that retains some of the cool mouthfeel. As good as this stuff is, however, I think of it exclusively as a summer blend -- I just can't seem to imagine smoking it much once the weather turns cold.

After years of smoking this, I'm still not sure whether to call Pennington Gap an "aromatic" or not. On the one hand, it's heavily sauced and has a noticeable amount of unsweetened cavendish. On the other hand, it doesn't behave like an aromatic at all. This is an exceptionally full blend, high in both nicotine and tobacco flavor (did I mention the PERIQUE?), which is hardly characteristic of aromatics. Also, the room note is unlikely to win you many friends -- it's pleasant enough, but pungent and quite strong.

I recommended this to anyone who likes, or thinks they like, perique. Otherwise, stay far away.

Because of the reviews that compared Pennington Gap to Barbary Coast (my current fave), I decided to try this blend. Thanks, fellow reviewers! This is a great blend, fuller than BC, but a bit more "touched" by the bourbon casing than BC's brandy. For me, the difference is the same as whether I'm in the mood for brandy or bourbon. Generally I prefer the brandy, but bourbon is nice for a change of pace. I'll have to get more of this!

Just as KFC claims to do chicken right, C & D knows how to mix bourbon whiskey in its pipe blend without overpowering. I generally hate booze and tobacco blends, as I?ve stated in other reviews. They?re exotic gimmicks, and you can?t taste the tobacco or the booze because they both tend to compete with rather than compliment each other. PG gets it right, and quite perfectly. This is a classic American cube cut burley without any bite and a grand whiskey, almost maple flavor. The Perique is evident though not overwhelming. It reminds me a little of the style of Canal Boat, though PG is much more interesting. Unlike Wilke?s Nut Brown Burley, which hurts my tongue, I never have this problem with PG. It?s a long smoke, perfect after dinner; cool, even burning and delightful. Even if you don?t like aromatics, you?d have difficulty not enjoying this one. More great quality from C & D right down to the tin art.

Four of five stars

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update 2006

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Still great, though give it a few days to dry out. The pebble cut makes it sticky and wet, and the true tastes will not be fully revealed to you. At first shot, I thought Tarler was putting in that same crap he uses to poison the newly revised Strathspey. However, after a few days it got good again, and this is one I'll want to try several more tins before reaching a definitive consensus.

Four and a quarter of five stars

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Update 2007

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Unlike Strathspey and other C & Ds, PG actually improved tremendously. Sometimes Craig Tarler decides to add rather than subtract from his blends. As other reviewers here have observed, C & D is not consistent in their blending style or quality control. In this case, Craig must've been hittin' the moonshine a little heavier one night and actually introduced a more generous dram of Kentucky bourbon into the mix. The result is a heavenly hash of flavors and genuinely earthy aromas. This is currently my favorite burley/perique blend; stuff to smoke all day. Please Mr. Tarler, don't change perfection, you've already achieved it.

Five of five stars

After Haunted Bookshop, I almost swore off burleys...Being a new Pipe smoker and perhaps not having the knowledge or experience I am acquiring. So I tried Pennington Gap with some hesitation- I was soo pleasantly surprised. Opening the can you get a great smell of Figs or raisins- a nice sweet smell. Also you can detect very faintly in the background the smell of the boubon topping. Lighting up, after the charring light, there is a wonderful full smokey sweet taste and some great spicy perique finish as you finish your exhale. I can't do it justice in words. Its a great sitting on your porch smoke Or taking a long drive. But not what I would take on a work break. It a slow burner due to the cubed burley, I would put aside some time.

A very nice surpise! As close to an ideal Aromatic for non-Aromatic smokers as I have tried. The only drawback is the room note is rather strong. Not bad, just strong. A very nice change of pace when I don't have time to load and smoke a flake-type tobacco. I would not have recognized the Burley component as such. It is very smooth and gives the blend some strength without any trace of bitterness. Highly recommended and very tasty too!

Very nuce stuff. Hints of bourbon with a touch of perique complement the burley. This was a little dry, but then I have decided that this is the way all C&D products come or they dry Colorado atmosphere gets through the tin seal. I add a few drops of water. Burns easily and cleanly. Yum!!!

My absolute favorite aromatic tobacco that I have smoked thus far. This comes as no surprise given my affinity for bourbon whiskeys. The initial tin aroma smells strongly of bourbon - possibly strong enough to put some off. However, the burn is not accelerated. Instead, it burns steadily and evenly, giving off a wonderful aroma. The taste itself is unique - extremely satisfying, full and sweet. It's extremely relaxing - best suited for when one has the time to enjoy it (or rather when one doesn't have the time, but would like to get one's thoughts in order). It seems to get better with every tasting. The perique, burley and cavendish complement each other almost perfectly - each picking up where the others leave off. This is an absolute must try, to say the least.