The Malthouse Founders Reserve

Malthouse is presented well and looks like first class tobacco. The tin aroma is very nice, it has a tangy scent not particularly reminiscent of scotch. There are some broken flake pieces that need to be rubbed out to get some consistency, but it packs and lights easily once done. My tin was too moist and it did not burn well at first, but once dried out it burns well. The flavor is mild from the start and does not really change. I could not taste any scotch flavoring when I smoked malthouse but maybe it is there somewhere. It is not at all a bad tobacco, but it fails to achieve its goal: adding whisky flavor to good tobacco to make it even better. The tobacco does not have enough flavor to stand on its own and the flavoring is too light to improve the experience. In light of countless better options for a straightforward virginia, malthouse is not a very worthwhile smoke. Spot on is the fellow's suggestion to smoke an unflavored virginia and sip scotch on the side.

This is one of the few virginia blends availabe in my neck o' the woods that isn't cased to the gills. The casing itself is a little bit whiskyish but more along the lines of Dan tobacco's Daddy' favo(u)rite Baccy, which no one (except one other prolific reviewer and myself) has ever smoked. Malthouse has very little casing. The tobacco is high quality. If this didn't bite so much, I would smoke more of it. I have this problem with all of Dan's virginias. They bite. Otherwise, a good, cheap smoke. I say try it. If you like slightly cased blends with good tobacco taste, and if it doesn't bite you too much, you might just be in whisky virginia heaven.

Tin aged for 6 months, aired well before smoking. Had a little trouble rubbing this out correctly for loading, but was well worth the effort. I don't smoke aromatics but I always try them hoping to find one that tastes good and also pleases the crowd. I believe this one fits the description quite adequately. I could swear there is a slight pinch of Latakia in there too, but I guess that this is just a personal perception of the rendering of flavors. In any case, apart from VA smokers like me, it could be a blend worth trying by English smokers too. I think they could find a nice change of pace there.

Rubs out and packs easy, takes a few lights to get going but well worth the effort. Tasty, super smooth, mellow and of tangy red virginia. Wont goop the pipe and burns cool and even with no bite if sipped slowly.

A very nice Red Virginia,dark,and flavoured with just a wee bit of single malt Scotch Whisky. Rubs out well,packs easy but will take a couple matches before lift off. The taste is M E L L O W red virginia tangy. The single malt plays in and out of the and slip stream smoke,and is heavenly. I think that single malt whisky and red virginia just may the perfect marriage in tobacco. It's good,it's really good and not to sweet,but just right.

Keep your stick on the ice.

Cut & Color: Red Ribbon Virginia, about 1.5" flakes Hand: Good mositure, not damp, rubs out easily Tin Aroma: Wonderful tangy smell of aged, pressed VA mixed with Scotch Pack: Easily rubbed out, fills nicely, springy. Holds a dense pack well, which I like for VAs.

Char: Like a lot of flakes, takes its time getting charred. I start it, tamp, and let it set for five minutes. First impression is sweet, with a tangy taste kind of like the lemon filling on a meringue pie. Sweet, tart, smoky, and, yes, a little peaty.

Main event: Relights and it is smooth, mouth-filling rich sweetness. It is pleasantly pungent throught the first third, but not overbearingly. The topping was applied with a judicious hand. The VAs are obviously high quality, and smoke like well-aged McClellands to me.

2/3: Flavors are still compelling, and getting richer and deeper as the tobacco stoves. Caramelization enriches this stuff a lot. Very high sugar content.

Bottom 1/3: Still going strong. A delightful smoke, with seriously rich flavor at the bottom. No ashy taste. Easy to control the temperature. No bite, and I'm sure the dryness and preparation contribute to this. The room note reminds me of gingerbread, spicy, sweet, a little tang to it. This is an excellent smoke.

Who knows what kind of Scotch was used to flavor this... but it sure ain't a rare single malt! What a boring tobacco! It's not a sticky or sweet aromatic, it simply is watery and dull, very bland. It provokes some tonguebite, and even smoking slowly you can't either feel the whisky or a nice and rich virginia base. All is very subdued here, and at the end of the bowl you can even feel some unplesant off-notes.

I'd rather pick a nice unflavored Virginia with some real taste (like Marlin Flake) and a glass of Sprinbank than this unspectacular blend!

This is a high quality broken flake VA from Dan Pipe doused with Scotch whiskey. I believe the tobacco here would be too mild without the addition of the Scotch. Howver, the whiskey makes all the difference. I can't characterize this a true aromatic because the sweetness comes from the natural flavor of the VA but it and the aroma are only amplified by the Scotch. While you can taste the tang of the whiskey, it is low-key and doesn't overwhelm the tobacco. It burns well but is moist in the tin and doesn't seem to bite. I give it a grade of "B".

I find I like a lot of the same weed as the Pipestud, so when I came across his review, I said hell what's another 20 bucks on the ol Visa bill anyway? Here we have one of those semi-rare instances where the name on the label actually corresponds with the smell in the tin AND the taste of the smoke--that is, this weed provides a nice, sweet whiskey flavor that complements the already sweet virginias but which doesn't have anything of the sprayed-on-goo dimension that I find unpleasant in most aromatic tobaccos. The moisture level out of the tin was perfect and packing was no problem as is. I smoked this in a deep Savinelli Extra lovat-looking thing that I keep for sweeties, and considering my enthusiastic puffing style, it smoked clean and quite cool. A good change of pace that smoked well at any time of the day--(except at night when I'm looking for something less perky). I loaded this when my tastebuds were stale and looking for a lift and it did the trick. Reach for this when your nicotine level is all squared away, as at first this did not deliver the fix fast enough for me and my tongue was not amused!