McClelland Wilderness

I procured a tin of Wilderness with much anticipation a few months back. The glowing reviews here did much to fire my enthusiasm, I admit. That, plus knowing McClelland's expertise with Virginias and Yenidje(ala Tudor Castle) made me think this was a 'must have'.

There is no accounting for taste, it appears.

It's not bad by any means. Just not what I hoped it would be. It comes off to me as an oriental blend, the Latakia playing second fiddle. This in itself is neither here nor there, but I find Squadron Leader a tastier rendition. There are some nuances in Wilderness that are worth exploring further, no doubt, but I find after every bowl I've had that I don't care to flesh them out. Not caring to fire up another bowl is a death blow for a blend, at least in my book.

I still have a tin of it's kissing cousin, Legends, on hand. It will be interesting to see how it compares.

For me, Wilderness gets two stars.

After smoking a tin of Frog Morton and 3 Oaks Syrian, I felt McClelland english blends were maybe to mild in the flavor department. Good tobaccos, but too mild and monotone for my abused tastebuds. I deciced to try Wilderness after reading QuantumBoy's review since he likes many tobaccos i do. I've smoked an entire tin of Wilderness in less than a week and have 10 tins coming to me this week. This stuff is amazing. Mild to Medium in strength, but FULL in flavor. Super creamy and velvety, with tons of flavor layers. Although the Syrian latakia is prominent (You'll be familiar with the winey flavor from 3 Oaks), to me this is an Oriental blend, with the Syrian latakia playing support. Sweet and sour and velvety and slightly smokey and winey and creamy and savory. Wow!

(8.7.10) I heard this was formulated by a guy from Toledo, which is where I'm from, so I gave it a try. It was a little bit more potent than I expected.. in a very good way. It has a noticeable taste, but subtle enough. When I opened the can I was surprised.. no "ketchup" smell that usually seems to characterize McClelland. The can scent was fairly mild, but what I could smell was very pleasant and sophisticated (interesting since the name is "wilderness.") The only thing I have to compare this to is Dunhill Nightcap, of which I still have a small stash. It's not quite as potent, but very similar, and with a touch more flavor. All in all it's really outstanding. Even the last few dregs are fresh and intoxicating, not the burnt taste I sometimes get with the late relights. All in all it's a sure keeper. If you miss Nightcap, I think this might be a similar smoke. I highly recommend.

(9.7.10) This stuff is really good. I defer to Marshall regarding flavor; I couldn't hope to describe it better. It goes on and on; the only thing I've smoked where the last few dregs are the best--it retains its strong, full character and then some. And It burns superbly.

(10.7.10) I don't mean to have this on the seventh of every month, it just happens. Weird. STILL OUTSTANDING!

McClelland Wilderness - This blend is long gone from the market but I’ll do a review anyways in case someone happens upon some tins . The lovely wine like Syrian tobacco leads the spicy , buttery and savory Oriental varietals . Red Virginia for sweetness and a little bbq Essence in moderate amounts in seems . The Yendije leaf is noticeable, i love the flavor of it but cannot describe the taste in words . Excellent blend . Many pipe tobacco companies go away and great blends disappear from the market but McClellands was the best one and sadly gone forever ! 4

The tin aroma is similar to another McC blend...Yenidje Highlander but the taste is quite different. There is black, brown and light colored leaf in the mix. For the first few puffs, I mainly noticed a spice-like flavoring. This flavor soon deminishes and the various tobacco flavors begin to meld and interact. I'm not experienced enough to sort out the types of tobaccos in this blend but the compilation evolves into a satisfying, anytime smoke. The Latakia presence is not overwhelming but is applied in good balance. This stuff burns great, produces good tobacco flavor & is fairly easy on the palate for a Latakia blend.

Wilderness doesn't produce a sweet tasting smoke but delivers more of a straightforward, smoky tobacco flavor. I did not immediately crave another bowl but will probably get lost & wander in the Wilderness again soon. I'm not overly fond of this mix and feel it is already much over-rated.

For me, it was lacking in strength and too Latakia dominant to deserve four stars. I cannot sense the "depth" in this mixture as compared to...say, Mississippi Mud & some other Latakia blends.

Wilderness... lost now in a wilderness with no Syrian Latakia... thanks, Fred, for briefly taking us out of a tobacco nostalgia wilderness and showing that the good old days can be as recent as yesterday....

Another perfect all day tobacco from McClelland. I'm not sure what to say. This is super unique and very, very tasty. I crave this one. As an added bonus it burns and packs perfectly. I would be happy if this was the only tobacco I could smoke.

Slightly silkier than Legends, and one almost gets a sense when pairing the two that the subtle differences between Syrian (Wilderness) and Cyprian (Legends) are actually discernible. Both are superb, though I worked through Wilderness a lot more quickly and I prefer it.

My God, it's full of stars.

I can't possibly deconstruct this. A beautifully weighted tobacco that smokes like a dream and transcends the genre. Smoke it while you can because the orientals will not age well and some of these constituent tobaccos might never be seen again once stocks are gone.