Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. Sweet Whiskey Twist

The dark Virginia is very earthy, woody, dark fruit sweet with a light citrus and grass, floral, with occasional bare hints of cigar. The sweet whiskey is mildly applied, and doesn’t tone down the tobaccos much at all. I get a very small sense of Lakeland once in a while. The strength is almost in the center of medium to strong, and the taste is in that center. The nic-hit is a little closer to medium than it is to mild. Won't bite or get harsh, but sports a rough edge here and there. Needs a little dry time. Burns cool, clean, and slow (unless you mince it) with a mostly consistent mildly sweet and savory flavor. You may need to stir up the last quarter of the bowl. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, and requires a fair number of relights. Has a pleasantly, lightly lingering after taste, and a stronger room note. Not an all day smoke.

-JimInks

Thanks to fellow reviewer SteelCowboy for gifting me a slab of this delightful rope. Preparation time was necessary to get this tobacco just right for smoking. I used a Bowie knife and thin sliced myself a few discs. I left the discs in the open air to dry out overnight. I then rubbed out the dried leaf as best I could and loaded up.

The strength hits you in waves as does the deep, dark, Virginia flavor with the usual hints of Lakeland floral. I also tasted the whiskey notes deep in the background. Being a veteran of G&H plugs, I did smoke this blend in a pipe with a group-3 sized bowl. I didn't fall off my horse but did need a tight reign. If you're ridin' legs aren't up to snuff then you may want to avoid this one. It's got the strength of a Hookin' Bull.

I first smoked this in a clay with hilarious results. Every ten puffs or so I could feel my throat tighten followed by the hic-ups. Had to give up on that. In a cob this is a very nice smoke. Has a very bold generic tobacco flavor with the mild whiskey flavor riding on top. The whiskey adds a very welcome sweetness. It's a most satisfying smoke.

I like to cut the rope into discs and then throw the discs into my food chopper for a few pulses. I get a great burn that way.

Medium to strong in body. Full in flavor. Flavoring is mild. A stout smoke that leaves me fully sated.

Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Sweet Whiskey Twist.

I bought this alongside their Sweet Coconut Twist not particularly because I wanted a whisky or coconut twist but more because I wanted to try every one of their offerings. They are, after all, a U.K. based firm, and being from England I felt I should! Coconut Twist left me indifferent, but this is a solid four star smoke!

I found the preparation quite simple. I normally opt for my coffee grinder where twists and plugs are concerned but couldn't be bothered with having to clean the grinder and the kitchen after I've sprayed it everywhere! So I just got my craft knife and actually found it easy: slice into coins then rub into coarse ribbons. The moisture wasn't that bad and the aroma's only very mild with whiskey.

I'll start with the burn: cool, slow, to a snow white ash. The flavour? Mostly Virginia with only a touch of added flavouring. But it isn't a 'boring' old Virginia, it's rich, ripe and mature. There isn't much alcoholic sharpness from the whiskey, it has more of a sweetness. I've not had one puff bite me.

Nicotine: strong. Room-note: not its best point!

Sweet Whiskey Twist? I thought it would be a strongly flavoured, bitter, acrid, smoke, but it's bloomin' lovely! Highly recommended:

Four stars.

Neat twisted brown rope with streaks of various shades of brown. From the mason jar in which I store this, the note is of dried fruit, subtle, yet intriguing. I slice 1/8" coins from the rope using a shaving sharp Inuit ulu. Lightly rubbed to open up, and gravity fed, this stays lit after charring and tamping. The initial draws are wonderful. Minute sweetness with a tiny hint of whiskey. Room note is subtly sweet.

This will give "nic-ups" if guzzled. Sips and savouring with nasal exhalation allows full flavour enjoyment. One hint I would like to share is load a pipe and allow to sit a couple hours, this allows some of the moisture to leave.

This isn't my first foray now into rope tobacco, and judging from the previous blends I tried I enjoy how melded the flavours can get. I bought G&H's Whiskey Twist in bulk so I can't say much about packaging. What I recieved was a delightful brown rope reminiscent in colour to SG's Best Brown #4. The tin note is not overwhelming, it smells like autumn leaves, sweet Virginia hay, & a deep but yet light smokiness that reminds me of the smell of leaves burning in the distance.

It doesn't look it but this is very wet, so I've had my best luck doing the following method. I take the rope and cut as many coins as I think I'll need with a cigar cutter. Then I lay those coins out to dry for an hour and then rub out and stuff into my pipe, and then I use the same method I do with wet flakes. I leave my filled pipe out over night to dry out some more, and then I smoke it the next day. Using this method I normally have good luck getting it lit and staying lit. But mind you this isn't the kind of blend you take to the races.

Once lit there is a deep complexity to this blend that I really enjoy. The Virginias taste darker than their smell supposes. They are earthy and woody and have a nice floral character to them. There is something in this blend rememiscent of Dark Fired Kentucky, that deep smokiness. The Whiskey is present but in a way like Peter Stokkebye's Highland Whiskey; it is very complementary to all the natural tastes of the tobacco. This comes off as sweet and smokey.

The taste is medium-full. The taste is lingering after in a nice way. The strength is a medium-strong. I've not had anything for breakfast and I can feel it but it's not as strong as some other flakes and ropes I've had. I can't say much about room note as I really haven't smoked this around other people, all I can say is that I like the smell when I set my pipe down. It does leave moisture in your bowl even after prolonged dry time and I think it's the nature of the beast. I really like this blend and plan on buying some more when it comes back in stock.

This is my first rope tobacco twist, it took three attempts to master the drying time which from my climate at 85 to 90 degrees is around give or take 15 minutes, 2 hours. I sliced this tobacco using a cigar cutter very thin about dime sized slices. Slicing it with a knife for me was just too much work, the cigar cutter worked perfectly for me and very easy to use. The aroma out of the pouch I detected very strong tobacco notes the whiskey note is very slightly detectable way back in the background. The first time I smoke this I did not dry it out, I almost went through a complete Bic lighter trying to keep it lit. The second time I tried it I sliced into coins and dried out for about an hour it was a little better but keeping it lit was still a chore. The third time I tried it I'll let the coins dry for around 2 hours for me and my environment this was perfect, there was a few realites that was to be expected. Regardless whether the tobacco was dried or wet the flavoring was the same surprisingly. For me this is a very smooth, full flavored, medium to strong smoke in the Missouri meerschaum cob pipe. If you like a good smooth, full flavored cigar this is your tobacco. The smoking experience when I got the drying time right was pleasurable for me, the whiskey note is so far in the background it is almost not noticeable, but it's detectable enough that it keeps the smoke a little sweeter and not so harsh. I did not get a big nicotine hit but that said the nicotine is there it just did not hit me hard. I'm sure if I smoked it in a larger Briar pipe I may have had a different result on the nicotine hit. I have only been smoking pipes for about a month-and-a-half now and in my opinion this was a surprisingly pleasurable smoke, I will be purchasing some more of this probably around a pound so that I celler some in a mason jar for future use. Update July 28th 2018. I took this rope and cut it up when my cigar cutter and put it in the Mason jar and I let it get about a month or a little longer age on it. I can tell you it definitely sweetens the tobacco up a little bit and makes for a better smoother smoke. When opening the Mason jar after it had aged a little the smell on the nose was a lot better big difference. If I ever purchased this particular tobacco again I will definitely be cutting it up and let it age in the Mason jar for a while. Aging it does make a difference in the way it smokes and the way it smells. This one to me is a keeper.

Presentation is rope - brown, between nickel and quarter diameter. Looks and feels dry, but oozes oils when prepped. To prep, one must slice thin coins with a sharp blade and then rub out the coins. Needs some drying time.

I'm not a huge whiskey guy, but the flavor seems spot on to me. A rich sort of aged woody taste, like an Irish whiskey or a Scotch. There is a hint of sweetness in the nose on retrohale, but this one isn't as sweet as the other flavored twists. But it works - whiskey isn't sweet, and I don't think this would taste right if it were any sweeter. Very good.

This is brown rope...if you don't know what that means, here's what you need to know - prep is a bit of a pain, it takes a while to get it lit and it needs a higher than normal number of relights, and (most importantly) it is very very strong in nicotine. I'm not exaggerating - this is some of the strongest stuff out there.

Highly recommended if you can handle the nicotine and enjoy whiskey flavor.

Similar to the other brown twists, but with a detectable whiskey flavor. I find it quite delicious and rewarding to smoke or chew. Since I've been (literally) whittling away at a collection of Gawith twists, my technique has been improving as has my enjoyment of these very fine tobaccos. I've yet to try them in a wide bowl as I smoke cobs, none of which are wide. I've recently dedicated a trio of tiny MM Mizzou cobs to the twists and find them perfect for the job. And have enjoyed the full pipe experience with the changes of characteristics etc.

As far as prep goes, I use a pair of very sharp and not too thick scissors to make very fine angled cuts around the perimeter of the twist. Picking apart the clumps and then drying in an empty Altoids tin works well and alows me to make some up ahead of time for future bowls. Even dried, these twists are slow to go and a Zippo Pipe lighter really helps. I've also mixed in a litle bit of Gawith Dark Birds Eye, which improves the ease of smoking considerably. The tiny Mizzou Cobs are the perfect dose for me, so no concerns about strength here, just pipe smoking at its best. Smokingpipes has been an excellent vendor for Gawith products; I find their ounces heavy (1+1/8) and their inventory more reliable.

Finally a somewhat novice description of the smoking experience... A slightly persnickety second lighting is usually followed by a short period of sweet dark virginia flavor. Typically, a relight is needed and a rich creamy flavorful smoke follows. The flavoring is natural and subtle and definitely a light whiskey, mingles with the full sweet caramelized Virginia. This is an enjoyable smoke right to the bottom of the bowl. Not much tamping, but perhaps lifting out a little ash helps. After smoking, I have a very pleasant taste in my mouth without any strong odors in my beard - a very nice after dinner and bedtime smoke. Great with a shot of Southern Comfort and a glass of very cold water!

Sweet Whiskey Twist;

Star Rating = 2.5;

Rating Scores - 10 is the Best and 0 is the Worst;

Pouch Note = 8;

Room Note = 8;

Flavor = 7;

Bite = 8;

Burn = 8;

After Taste = 7;

Raw Score = 46;

Rated Percentage = 77%;

Comment = Smooth, Medium Strength, sort of a Bitter Whiskey Flavor, lots of BTU to Ignite, not a very enjoyable smoke.

If you are one who likes to “play” with your tobacco, by all means get this “Twist” form of tobacco, you can spend countless hours “Slicing, Dicing and Drying” this “Twist” tobacco before it is ready to smoke. I admit I am a lazy pipe smoker so I didn't find this necessary extra preparation exercise to be of any value to heighten my pipe smoking enjoyment. You had better have a sizable ignition source on hand because you are going to need a lot of BTU's to get this “Twist” tobacco to light. Once you achieve the first ignition you will need to have your best “Tamping Tool” at the ready to handle the endless re-packings and re-lights that this “Twist” form of tobacco requires. Perhaps you have detected that the “Twist” form of tobacco is not my “cup of tea”.