Larus & Brother Company, Inc Edgeworth Aromatic (Red)

I remember that Sir James Barrie wrote humorously about the original Holy Grail blend, to which he gave the fictitious name of The Arcadia Mixture. I've found mine, at a time in a 50 year pipe smoking career in which I thought nothing new would overly excite me when it comes to blends. And I was right - this is nothing new. It's very old. How I missed it back in the day, I don't know. Wow. I received one ounce (yes, alas, just 1oz) of Edgeworth Red that has been cellared by an excellent tobacconist's establishment since the 1970s. I don't know if they reinfused it with brandy before a friend of mine received the sample and sent some to me, or it was some magic in the cellaring process. But the Edgeworth base is smoother than I've ever tasted in any iteration of this tobacco. The fusion of the sweetness of the brandy (or whatever liquor was used) conjoined with the type of tobacco and the aging/cellaring is, at the risk of being accused of using perfervid prose, heavenly. The sweetness does not cloy and the tobacco flavor is not only retained but enhanced, and made the most palatable of any pipe tobacco I remember ever smoking. On a class by itself among all the categories. And no longer to be had, as this product has been defunct for years. But I decided to post this review to stand witness to a past greatness that afaik remains unmatched, and that by a mile. A long mile. I am not exaggerating, even though on the basis of just one ounce.

Edit: I subsequently learned that the sample came from a tin that had been sealed all those years. Patches of rust were found inside the tin when opened but that the liner wrapper kept the tobacco not adversely effected and retaining/acquiring this incredible flavor. The buddy who sent it to me explained that Edgeworth Red was infused with birch and brandy, a combination that obviously really worked. What I find really stunning is that an aromatic has aged so well, a first one in my experience. Why on earth did they ever discontinue this blend? Was it Marketing's fault? P.S. I later did get hold of one of those tubs, i.e., the one in the picture I uploaded to this review page.