Peterson The Royal Yacht

In my efforts to continue fighting for truth, justice and the Royal Yacht way:

An all-time classic from one of the world's outstanding pipe and tobacco firms. It is a big seller at pipe shops around the country, and for good reason. It is outstanding. RY is my favorite blend, and the perfect way to start each day. I load up with a cup of coffee and spend the first hour of the morning in total bliss!

Royal Yacht is not for neophytes. I get tickled reading reviews of this blend from new pipe smokers. The tobacco spice upon lighting, and the powerful dose of nicotine will cross the eyes and blurr the vision of newbies!

If you enjoy true tobacco taste (the virginia base is excellent) then you will enjoy this powerful blend. It can be smoked all day with no fatigue or tongue bite. The delicate flavoring only adds to the enjoyment.

(Update 9/24/03) I most certainly am enjoying all of the recent reviews of Royal Yacht (Nectar of the Gods!) I smoke about four 50g tins of this tobacco a month. Although I was always flunking math in high school and college, I do believe that adds up to about 48 tins per year. And it is delicious with just about any drink (save milk, perhaps). The more recent production tins do, unfortunately, contain more water content than the older tins. So, let it dry out a bit before loading and smoking. But, not too much -- you don't want any of that wonderful and unique flavoring to evaporate! 🙂

*******UPDATE 9/05**********

With Orlik having taken over the blending from Murray's of Dunhill tobaccos, I have been asked by many friends who know of my love for Royal Yacht whether I have sampled the "new ROYAL YACHT." Yes I have and below is my review of it:

I recently received an order of 5-tins of Royal Yacht from JR Cigar. I had heard that JR was selling the new EU made Dunhill tobaccos and I wanted to compare some of them to the Murray's version that I have become so accustomed to. Naturally, Royal Yacht was my first foray into the world of Orlik produced Dunnie weed. No question, there are some differences. First of all, the five pack game in a cardboard bottom cover wrapped in plastic. While the new blender is still using the old tins, they are putting a heavy label on the bottom of the tin that does say Made in The EU. The way I know the old tins are still being used is because the top label still says "Made in the U.K. in association with Dunhill Tobacco of London." Upon opening the tin, I was greeted with a very broken flake rather than ribbon cut leaf. The leaf is darker in appearance than the Murray's version and appeared well aged. The smell in the tin is A LOT DIFFERENT, not nearly as deep and rich and actually "smelled cased" if that makes sense. Frankly, the smell set of some alarms. I was pleased to see that the new blender is not soaking Royal Yacht in water as Murray's had over the last few years. The leaf was still too moist for my personal preference, but will probably be at the perfect moisture content in a few days. I took a handful of the leaf and fully rubbed it out, then whacked it up in my one speed food processor for a bit (as I did with the Murray's version.) I loaded up and lit up. The taste and nicotine content is unquestionably lighter. Not a ton lighter, but certainly noticed. The added flavoring (thank goodness) tasted the same although not as strong as the Murray's. The leaf could use a bit more aging as it tasted a bit "fresh" to me. I believe (and hope) it will age just as well as the Murray's version which I think aged as well as any Virginia tobacco I've ever smoked. Once properly aged, I think I may actually appreciate this morfed Royal Yacht more than the Murray's version because the taste is not quite as heavy and the casing has been applied a bit more delicately. I hope the above review wasn't too boring. And I will be interested to hear from those of you who regularly enjoy other Dunhill offerings to get your impressions of the taste change (if any) you have discovered. Best, Pipestud

The topping is a little citrusy with a few raisin, fig, and very obvious plum notes, which leads me to suspect that the manufacturer wanted a mildly sweet perique taste without spending the money to actually use it in this blend. The mildly floral Virginias offer some tart citrus and grass, fairly tangy dark fruit, earth and wood, and though they are sublimated by the toppings, they have their say. I suspect a pinch or two of dark fired is present due to the light smoke and wood generally associated with that process, but I only get a hint of spice. The strength and nic-hit are a couple of steps past the medium mark. The taste is a hair more potent. Won't bite, but has a few minor rough edges. The very consistent flavor never weakens, and has no dull or harsh spots as it burns cool and clean at a moderate pace. Leaves very little moisture in the bowl. The after taste and room notes linger a little. Requires an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke, but it can be repeatable for a veteran piper.

-JimInks

I actually purchased a tin of Royal Yacht as more of an evening/after dinner smoke. When my tin arrived in the mail, I of course opened it, and took a whiff. It has an outstanding tin note, slightly sweet, but with hints of raisin and fall leaves. Just a very very nice tobacco aroma. It also seemed to have just the right moisture content with no apparent drying necessary.

My mail arrives earlier in the day, and after opening the tin, smelling and feeling the tobacco, I of course was not going to wait until after dinner to try it... Into the pipe it went! It packed quite easily and took light after an initial charring with minimal expansion of the tobacco. It burned quite well and very cool to the bottom of the bowl with only two relights necessary. The flavors were of hay (not in a bad way, I really enjoyed it), slightly sweet raisin and a little leather. The taste seemed fairly consistent on through the bowl, with no tongue bite and thick smoke even with small short puffs.

I did notice the nicotine level seemed to get stronger at the bottom of the bowl. Due to my eagerness to try it prior to eating, I felt a substantial nicotine hit that nearly buckled my knees and put me right back into my chair. This was fine with me as I was able to finish the pipe whilst sitting down in comfort. Great smoke, and highly recommended!!!

Update: After a few weeks in the tin, this tobacco has dried out substantially, where it's almost crispy. I was contemplating rehydrating it a bit, then figured I would just pack it as is and give it a go. Although drier than a popcorn fart, it smoked magnificently, and I almost prefer this particular tobacco this way... The nicotine buckled my knees again, and planted me firmly back into my leather recliner after a hard days work. Apparently, this tobacco prefers my sitting down whilst smoking it. I did not argue... I enjoyed.

Update #2: My original review was posted on 2013-06-26... I have since smoked through about 8 tins of the Royal Yacht and have just received 15 more tins, 5 of which are going to cellar. This has become my "If I had but one tobacco left in the world to smoke" smoke. Grand, glorious, and always on hand... This is my smoke of all smokes. The Royal Yacht sets sail every evening in my home, faithfully taking me on the most pleasant of voyages without fail.

It is not everyday that one smokes a blend for the fisrt time and have an instant love for it.

That was the case with Royal Yacht, without a doubt, the most anticipated tobacco i have ever smoked.I was gifted this tin by my fried Jason and i will be forever grateful to him.

This blend really is luxurious. If it was coffee it would be an Espresso, if it was a car it would be a black S Class Mercedes, if it was a building it would be a 6 star Hotel.

When i smoke it, i am amazed at the amount of smoke it produces with the smallest sip, the taste is almost impossible to describe. It is definately Virginia, but there is a topping that creates a unique but yet familiar taste profile. I do detect some Burley towards the bottom of the bowl.

There was another reviewer who compared RY to Petersons Irish Oak. I can see how they remind one of the other in that they are both extremely reliable standbys, they both deliver Nicotine in a civilised, yet satisfying way and that the cut allows one to pack your pipe easily, they do not taste similar though. No matter which pipe i have smoked RY in, it always delivered the same spectacular result. A perfect, satisfying smoke.

The strange thing about RY is that even after finishing a bowl, i always crave the taste. I smoke between 1 and 3 bowls a day but if i could, i would proabably have a pipe with this hanging from my mouth all day long.

I did the best i could to describe Royal Yacht but after reading the above, i have failed.

You just got to smoke it.

Mo, South Africa

An excellent Virginia blend. Review is based on a roughly three year old tin.

The tin note is extremely sweet for an non-aromatic: sweet, fresh breads, raw sugar, maybe hot crossed buns. Among my favorite tin notes out there.

Takes a match well and requires little to no drying time. Burns well, few if any relights required.

Extremely smooth Virginia. A blend that tastes very similarly to its tin aroma. Lots of subtle Virginia flavors here - smoked slowly and savored, one will pick out the sweet bread-like and mild hay notes. Reminds me of fresh baked, home made white bread loaves. Served with a good English tea with milk and sugar.

Very consistent throughout the bowl with little variance between first, middle, and final thirds. If anything, gains a bit of sweetness as the smoke progresses.

I can see how some would call this "flat" or one-dimensional. But as a dedicated Virginia and VaPer smoker, I've been very impressed with this blend. A delicate, sweet Virginia. Zero bite, even if smoked hot. Easy to smoke with no prep work required. Highly recommended.

An excellent introduction to Virginias. Also a great blend for aromatic smokers looking for something more. This is what aromatics should taste like: naturally sweet Virginias with a touch of sugar. Outstanding.

An excellent example of what virginias can do. Royal Yacht is an elegant blend of sweet virgina leaves blended with a dark, full bodied, smoky virginia. The result if a full bodied, full flavor, wonderfully sweet blend that just down right tastes of elegance and class. Then again it is a Dunhill so no surprises there. I enjoyed a pipe full of this blend the other weekend while on my way to my parents house for a visit. Walked in the front door and my mother was amazed by how much I smelt like my Grandfather did. No one in my family seems to recall what my Grandad smoked but if it turns out it was Royal Yacht then thats just icing on the cake for this classic Dunhill blend. Truly everything a straight virginia blend aspires to be. This blend is quality tobacco in one of its best forms.

-UPDATE-

With some age on the tin now my opinion of Royal Yacht has changed..... Its now without a doubt, absolute heaven on earth. With age the blend mellows and sweetens into the best straight virginia blend out there. Sweet, mellow, sugary, and wonderfully smoky. Bravo Dunhill. WIth some age I have to change my strength rating to Medium, my taste rating to Medium, and my Room Note rating to tolerable. Overall, Royal Yacht mellows into a mellower, sweeter blend. For some reason the room note also picked up a musky scent which I really enjoy but, not for everyone. So go buy two tins of Royal Yacht, smoke one and stash the other in a mason jar for a few month. You'll get two beautiful tins. An instant favorite.

When I want Virginias this is what I reach for 90% of the time. Zero bite. Sweet and delicious. Top quality tobaccos.

Many years ago, when discussing a topic other than pipes and tobacco, a friend of mine started the description of "fabulously OK". I never really understood what that meant until now.

This tobacco is interesting in that it's a virginia based blend that seems to be trying to be something else - but what, I am not sure. It has a very noticeable casing of some sort but it's not an aromatic. It's not a pure straight virginia and it's not exactly an English. Someone described it as a "Ship's" tobacco, as in the old days of rum and molasses cavendish, and that's probably the best descriptor I've heard so far.

In the bowl, this tobacco wants very much to burn hot, and it will do so if you're not very careful. The flavor is a mish-mash of so many different tastes, it seems they don't all go together - imagine eating a huge bowl of peanut butter, bologna and ice cream together. Each ingredient is good on its own but the resultant melange is a bit disconcerting, as each taste fights with each other for the forefront. Now top that mess off with some field hay.

This is not a bad tobacco by any means. It's an intriguing smoke, doesn't really change as it goes down the bowl and it's very different from anything I've ever smoked. I'm not sure what Dunhill was trying to accomplish with this blend, so I'm not sure if they were successful or not. "Fabulously OK" sums up Royal Yacht for me. As always, your mileage may vary.

I opened a tin of this after not having smoked the blend for at least ten years. It was a very pleasant, full smoke that left me very satisfied after each puff. Plenty of nicotine, and a great burner. This is like smoking a Marlboro Red; it's just plain good, strong smoke. I could swear I tasted a bit of Perique in there. Anyway, this is hte kind of smoke that satiates every craving I have for a smoke. Flavor, strength, and well behaved in the pipe.

Note: I recently revisited this old timer out of curiosity, and found that my ideas about it had changed. This trip was much more pleasant than the last journey, and I have returned it to my regular rotation.

Appearance: Mostly dark brown with some ligher flashes, quite fine cut. Could be called a shag, although not a fine as Black Shag.

Aroma: Very rich sweet Va aroma, almost winey.

Packing: Packs easily into any size pipe I own.

Lighting: One match light is ofen possible.

Initial flavor: Very full bodied, typical of highly fermented Va tobaccos. There is some similarity to St. Bruno, but much more subtle. There are some nuances, but they are very subtle.

Mid-bowl: Cooler than expected if you?re careful, but can bite if you get careless. Excellent flavor and good compexity as you progress through the bowl. Must be enjoyed in a relaxed mood, not while driving, or involved in tasks.

Finish: Gets a bit stronger tasting at the end. If you smoke it hot, It will leave some wet dottle in the bowl. Smoked slow and cool, it finishes clean and dry.

Summary: I don't understand the bad rap others are giving it, btu then tasting is highly personal and subjective. I think this is probably the most polarizing blend ever.