Cornell & Diehl Pennington Gap

A Burley blend with heavy bourbon casing. Excellent cube cut that burns evenly when dried slightly, Gravity pack lightly or you will not get the proper draw. The burley gave me the typical sour flavors and the bourbon was just enough, but overall it was nothing to write home about. The nicotine punch was heavier than the flavor.

This is a medium to strong mixture. The Périque's presence is fair so it's not for people whom do not enjoy it. The Bourbon casing is beautiful, the BUs are very nutty and the CA bring some sweetness to a blend that is not overall sweet despite the Bourbon. Being Cube-cut BU, it burns slowly and does not bite if you don't puff like hell. This is a good example of a very high quality aromatic that does not smother the tobaccos' taste. If you enjoy high quality aromatics tasting like tobacco and do not fear a good dose of nicotine, Pennintong Gap might be just right for you.

This is a cousin to Barbary Coast but has bourbon as the main flavoring agent. It is not overpowering, but the granulated cut needs some drying time, and requires very minimal tamping in order to burn well. I don't like this as much as Barbary Coast, but it's good tobacco, and the flavor comes through nicely.

If one loves the smell of bourbon then this one is for you! Some sweetness from the bourbon topping and the black cavendish, but about mid way down the bowl that fades away and then you get the kick from the spiciness of the St. James perique. I was really suprised that this bourbon soaked smoke did not carry that taste all the way to the end but its probably best that the bourbon vanishes under the nutty and spicy tastes of the burley and perique. Overll a good smoke, not much taste for tall that bang you get when you open the tin, but over all a well balance C&D smoke that Ill revisit again.

You pop the top here on Grandma's Fruitcake soaked for days in Bourbon. Heady liquor aroma on top Fig Newtons, butter cookies, nuts and candied fruit. The bourbon is strong, but comes across in shades more like sweet red wine and Southern Comfort Liqueur. Moving in and out of the Nut-Cake-Whiskey-Raisin background, fleeting scents of peach, pear, grape, and especially banana - as Briarabbit put it in his review - Banana Pudding. (Amen, Brother! Nilla Wafers and all.) Another strange scent developed after the tin was open a few days, it was a fruity - yeasty aroma that reminded me of Flintstone's Chewable Vitamins, oddly pleasant.

Don't pack the cube cut too tight and it burns very well. Lighting up releases the bourbon flavor and the spice from the Perique and Cavendish. I swear for a moment I taste KFC Original Recipe's 11 herbs and spices, maybe this blend just makes me think of all things Kentucky.

In moments the bourbon is gone, and we're in cool, comforting Burley country. Always pleasant, nutty Burley, but this time it‘s haunted by the ghosts of the richer, spicier Perique and unflavored Cavendish. Wrapping up the bowl with over-roasted nuts and black pepper, with the slightest sweetness. The nicotine grows down the bowl to a decent kick at the bottom. If you didn't pack to tight, it will burn well to the heel.

I think this is an excellent flavored burley, sort of a gourmet chef's version the old American stand-by. That said, it's just not my favorite style. I give it 3-Stars for my humble opinion, but if you love good Burley or very light aromatics then consider it 4-Stars for sure.

Kentucky Cube Cut and Burley, rich Black Cavendish, all balance the flavor of Perique. Intense aroma and taste of bourbon. One more tobacco I bought from Israel, where fortunately the polite miss gladly sold them at lower prices, because they were old! Packed in 26-9-2007. I smoked 1-2 bowls as soon as I opened the tin. Afterwards I left it open for a little while to lose some of its humidity and intense aroma. The result was very good. No tongue bite at all. Sweet smoking. The tobacco should be gently pressed into the bowl in order not to be plugged. I was very impressed by the fact that I smoked 2 consecutive bowls without cleaning my pipe at all, and the balsa filter I used came out spotless!!! I wouldn't say it is an aromatic or that it behaves like one. I would classify this one under the Perique category.

A friend gifted me a tin of this just today. It is my first C&D blend. The tin was dated 4-14-09, so just a little over a year old. Upon opening the metal lid to the tin, I took a whiff of the tobacco and it smelled just like alcohol-soaked bananas - and VERY over the top. It also reminded me of very sweet bubble gum. "Oh, oh, where's the tobacco," I thought. It was also quite moist for the tobacco to have been 13 months old. You couldn't tell it was really cube cut Burley by the feel as all of the tobacco was very spongy. I loaded up a meer-lined briar and smoked a bowl. I have to say I was not impressed. Surprisingly, the strong tin note did not translate into the taste. As a matter of fact, there was no taste of it whatsoever. All I tasted was a spiciness that I attributed to the Perique, disagreeable at best, and thankfully, not all of the time. Not like what I am used to with Perique or Kentucky leaf. It actually made me a bit nauseous. Mostly, the experience was of smoking hot air - very boring and not enjoyable.

Now in all fairness, I will leave the lid off for a week at least to dry this some. I want the tin note to vanish as much as possible (hopefully all of it) in the hopes of bringing out some real tobacco flavor next time I smoke it. Until I dare try it again, only 2 stars. Not a good introduction for me to the C&D line. I almost wonder if I got a bad batch considering the many 3 and 4 star reviews for this tobacco.

UPDATE 9-3-10: No change from previous.

UPDATE 2-13-12: Looking for something different to smoke tonight after a long day of teaching which kept me on campus till nearly 10pm, I dug Pennington Gap out of a tobacco cabinet that consists of "hardly ever smoked" tobaccos. Although it had dried out considerably since its tinning from over 2 years ago, if given to me without prior knowledge I would say it was still quite fresh. It wasn't sticky to the touch, but stuck together with compression and a tad more springy. It still smelled of alcohol soaked bananas but not nearly as when first opened. In all fairness I would have to say it was like smoking hot air. Only the Perique made itself known from time to time with its spicy signature. There was a mild side-stream sweetness at times but not enough to satisfy. If there is any Burley - or Kentucky Burley for that matter - it has yet to make itself known to me. Now I am a lover of good Burley and smoke Aged Burley Flake, Burley Slice, and Edgeworth Sliced on a regular (daily) basis. The Burley in Pennington Gap is nowhere in the same league in my opinion. I know it is all about personal taste, but I just don't get all of the glowing reviews where the Burley is touted to be the holy grail here. I just can't see it, let alone taste it! Out of respect for my fellow pipe smokers I will hold to 2 stars, but personally, that's a stretch for me.

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.

This is a decent blend that definitely differs from typical aromatics. There is a slight taste of Bourbon and a bit of woodiness but what you really taste is the Perique and burly. The blend has a good balance and lights as well as any tobacco I have ever tried. The casing does not foul up a pipe, and is very light. There is a bit of a kick from the Perique but it is most evident in the tin note, which is almost of rotting fruit.