McClelland Stave-Aged Virginia 35 Ribbon

I loved this blend from the first bowl. Its tin aroma is wonderful, but only hints at how well it smokes. It is the driest, most even-smoking aromatic I have ever tried, with a rich and balanced feel and utterly satisfying flavor.

If all aromatics were this dry and flavorful, then I would smoke aromatics at least half of the time. I think the manner in which this tobacco is "cased" (by way of the small piece of whisky barrel stave in the tin), is pivotal in its success. The tobacco marries the stave's aroma in a very dry but thorough manner, leaving it so flavorful that I would list it as one of my top-ten favorite tobaccos.

This tobacco, much like their Tastemaster, is one of the many reasons why I love McClelland products. These aromatics are both on the dry side and smoke very cleanly. No ghosting results if one's pipe is properly maintained. Yet, flavor-wise, they are rich extremely enjoyable, and even offer a little complexity to keep your taste buds and mind stimulated.

with mostly reddish brown finely cut ribbons with some lighter brown shades and flecks of black thrown in for good measure. There was a chunk of bourbon barrel nestled inside like a hen’s egg in a nest. A slightly sour hit me initially, but a deeper smell brought bourbon and a hint of homemade hard cider. The moisture level was perfect for me, a little moist, but on the dryer side. The unlit sip brought a slight bourbon taste, and the charring light brought this same taste along with a sweet Virginia taste.

The overall smoke was of a caramelized sugary sweetness with bourbon overtones, and at times some slightly grassy undertones. It was good in every pipe I put it through, but it was really excellent in my meerschaums. The room note was pleasant and left the place smelling like toasted bourbon goodness. I could absolutely smoke this all day, and have. The finish was short, but the desire for another bowl hit me almost immediately each time. I guess I liked everything about this blend, and would recommend it to anyone. I would particularly recommend it to aromatic smokers looking to try some Virginia blends, and I think Virginia fans should try this blend at least once. I have definitely got a good supply of this in my cellar.

I can lie to my self if this a nice and great blend. A mature virginia staved is very great smoked in any of my pipes. The taste almost similar with Mac Baren Old Dark Fired, just little bit different at flavor. Is just a pleasant and wonderful smoke with citrus scent and the whiskey flavor just really great.

I just make a 3 layer packing into my pipe, at bent shape or straight shape i had tried both and i dont get any difficult to pack it well into my pipes. needs a good charring light to make it burnt well and keep the light well. Easy to draw and the smokes are quite great with increasing flavor and taste, i found a whiskey, citrus, and a thin soy bean flavor at the middle of the bowl. the smokes is cool and no tendency to get any bite at my tongue.

Straightforward Virginia, bolstered with a mild vanilla/bourbon flavor. Somewhat tasty combination. Lit and burned well, a bit dry on the palate. Overall tobacco flavor stays constant as you work through the bowl. Retrohale brings out more of the pure tobacco flavor. No marked flavor transitions. 2+.

Appearance: the 50 gram tin was packaged in 2013 and, indeed, contained, in addition to a mix of tobacco (excellent, sliced evenly), a cube the barrel wood. Despite 10 years of aging in the tin, the different sorts of tobacco are easily distinguishable, the light Virginias have darkened quite a bit, though. The cut and moisture content of the tobacco is perfect. Flavor: good mild bourbon, almost no alcohol note - vanilla, light dried fruit, oak barrel, some clove. The Virginia tobacco notes are almost absent when you try it from the tin, but on the open air, the Virginia fruit and wheat dough notes are still noticeable, though faintly pronounced. The typical, for McClelland's Virginias, ‘vinegar’ is also present, but in a very slight amount. Most amusing is the fact that the wood cube, which the label claims was the source of the flavoring, smells considerably weaker of bourbon than the tobacco in which it was placed. This suggests that McClelland used a natural flavoring, mixing it into the tobacco, and then packed it in the tin with the cut of the barrel. So I'm inclined to view this ‘cube’ as an advertising ploy. Taste: a soft, well assembled bouquet of light, red and dark Virginias gives an even taste, which is based on moderately sweet fruity and woody notes intertwined with molasses, a slightly sour citrus note, a very small amount of earthy dust and light spice with a grain of salt from the bourbon, which by the middle of the pipe becomes barely noticeable, but does not disappear completely. The fact that the bourbon lasts so long once again makes me think that it was used as a sauce and the cube of the barrel is nothing more than a marketing gimmick, that's all. The tobacco burns slow, dry and cool without the slightest hint of any harshness. It is quite tolerant to overheating, however, when overheated, it is the bourbon notes that are the first to disappear, and the blend turns into a soft, high quality, but very ordinary Virginias. The strength of the tobacco is clearly below average, and even a very large pipe did not make me uncomfortable. The tobacco burns to a dusty gray color, leaving not a drop of moisture in the pipe - but leaving a dense trail of bourbon smell, which doesn't get weathered even after a week. So if you ever think of trying this tobacco, be prepared that your pipe will absorb its odor for a long time. The aftertaste of the blend is practically absent. The smoke from the tobacco has a light woody odor with a sweetish tinge of molasses. It is not patchy, but it is noticeable in the room, although it is pleasant. Bottom line: a very pleasant light blend. But I can't help but note that its aroma is somewhat intrusive, the taste lacks density, and the tobacco itself lacks strength. I suggested my wife to try this blend, and as a result she still preferred Deep Hollow, which seems to have a similar composition but a different flavoring.

This tobacco is sublime!! The tin note is sweet and creamy with just a whiff of Bourbon (sweeter than whisky). Actually the stave smells more of the cookie-sweet casing than Bourbon. It reminds me also of ...bubblegum, but it is nice!! It has the sweetness of 5100 and the Oriental series and attests to the craftsmanship of William McNeil. Not more of an aromatic than the above mentioned. Cut in nice ribbons it loads with ease and moisture is just about right to smoke as is. Very smooth and mellow on the palate, tasty with a creamy sweetness and woodsy overtones, it smokes perfectly to the last bit. An elegant tobacco with an almost pleasing room-note. One of the best McClelland tobaccos I have ever tasted. Four stars wholeheartedly.

The Virginias are soft, sweet, and wine-like; and maybe a little malty. The blend has just a tinge of fruity bourbon essence and a hint of spice. Somehow, the taste comes off as a faintly orange liqueur. This is nothing like an OTC aromatic (i.e. cased White Burley), so tobacco purists should have no reservations about trying this. It is a soothing blend -- quite the opposite of some "hot-smoking", grassy, or sharp Vas. Couple all of this with a solid tobacco flavor; thick, chewy smoke; and excellent mouth feel, and you're in for a delightful experience. (The 3.5-star average rating seems about right.)

My review may be a little influenced by the fact that one month ago I was looking for a mild, smooth blend with whiskey topping in order to put something into my weekly rotation that would have helped my taste buds to rest from the usual Latakia mixtures I use to smoke. I thought about the only one I’ve ever smoked, McClelland Frog Morton’s Cellar, and how I loved it, so why not fishing in the McClelland sea again?

This is how I got to this Stave-Aged Virginia.

The tin-note is very charming, warming and alluring. The bourbon topping reveals its presence at the very first sniff.

I let it dry a little and then packed in a straight pipe : I got a lot of malty sweetness, the taste is overall pleasant, really smooth and rounded but two things I’ve found foreigner to my likings. First, the smoke is flat and without any significant evolution through the bowl; second, even though the bourbon topping fits really nice in the blend, it is still too sweet, almost molasses-y to some extents that causes me no little troubles in finishing a pipeful. Many will enjoy its room note, as I and my friends did.

Unfortunately for me, the only combination of tobaccos that I see working well with whiskey topping is Virginia and Latakia, just like in the aforementioned Frog Morton’s Cellar.

I guess I caught the wrong fish this time…

Cheers Everyone, Brandr ODS

====Update July 30, 2015==== I feel the need to make an adjustment with this blend. I don't change my mind often about a blend (I've done so only twice before), but I feel obligated to downsize this one.

Several weeks ago I really enjoyed this blend, but, after leaving it in its tin for a few short weeks, its once intriguing taste has largely dissipated. It still remains a good blend, but the tobacco has lost its initial magic (the oak chunk dried out really fast—maybe that's why the taste has withered, though I don't know that for certain). So, 4 stars upon opening, but withering to 3 if you don't smoke it all right away.

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A piece of bourbon soaked oak in a tin of tobacco? A gimmick? Maybe. But it's a gimmick that works wonders for me. On the inhale I got a combo of the whiskey, not overpowering, and a wisp of cocoanut and vanilla, on the exhale, the oak came through loud and clear (so this is what oak tastes like? Marvelous! It reminded me of cedar). What a wonderful combo!

It's amazing what this fantastic hobby of ours delivers—the blend before, not so good, this blend, truly restores my confidence in the pipe!

This baccy needs to be sipped, or the virginia will kick back slightly, and, as the bowl got down to the dottle (of which there was very little), it got a wee bit hot. This is typical of many virginias, if you chug you can get scorched, so take it slow. Overall, this a smooth blend and it delivers! Excellent!

This is one of the best smoking experiences I've had in a pipe!

Highly recommended!

Keep on Pipin'!