Comoy's of London Cask #5 Bullet Rye Select

In my opinion some people read too much into pipe tobacco names. In fact they actually expect and demand to taste a specific flavor based on the name printed on the tin or bag. 

Comoy's Cask No. 5 - Bullet Rye Select is one of those blends. To be honest, if they would have just stopped at Comoy's Cask No. 5, the name wouldn't cause the confusion some smokers seem to have with this blend. People try it and get offended because they don't get drunk off the bourbon flavoring it's supposed to contain. And, apparently, some people get their panties in a bunch when the description mistakenly says Tennessee Bourbon when EVERYONE knows only whiskey made in Kentucky can be labeled as "bourbon." I opened my tin the other day and cut open the foil liner. Initially upon deeply inhaling the aroma of the tobacco I was hit with a nice, clean tobacco aroma that made be sit back and ask, "What is this?"

I swear it is a pipe tobacco I smoked back in the 70s and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I have fond memories of a lot of the pipe tobacco I smoked during the mid to late 70s even if they were mostly the OTCs that were available in the ship's store when you're floating in the ice halfway between Alaska and Russia. Even if it were OTCs that are alive in name only today (I'm talking about you Borkum Riff and Capt. Black - neither of which is as good now as they were back then.)

From the open tin of No 5, I get the burley right up front I also get the Black Cavendish and I can even smell the Virginias sneaking around in the background. What I, as someone who has been intimately familiar with good Tennessee Sour Mash and with Rye Whiskey, don't get is a sensory hit of either type of whiskey. If it's there it is so low key as to be undetectable. Sort of like the way a friend of mine likes the vermouth in his martinis - Set the unopened bottle next to the glass while he pours the Vodka. In otherwords, non-existent.

I have now smoked No. 5 in a clay, meerschaum, cob and briar and found it to be a smooth, satisfying smoke that is bite free. It has a nice mild flavor to my taste buds with just a hing of grassiness from the Virginia. I just couldn't shake the notion that I have smoked this before as a different label. Maybe it's a little like Prince Albert. Maybe it's a little like one of the old Amphora blends? I just don't know.

What I do know is that I found Comoy's Cask No. 5 to be a good smoke even if I can't find the Rye or Bourbon in it. I will buy it again because I think it is a good day-to-day tobacco.

Funny thing about this tobacco, I had forgotten all about it. I had jarred it up in Jan of 2015 and squirreled it away behind some books on a shelf in my livingroom. Hey, out of site out of mind. My wife found it yesterday and of course I had to light it up because I don't remember tasting it when it first arrived. It's a pretty mild aro. I found it to be pretty good and satisfying. It lit well, stayed lit and smoked slowly. I experienced a cool smoke and no bite. It has a mellow sweetness. I believe it is a keeper for occasional use; you know when you feel like an aromatic.

I was quite surprised to see the reviews that were already done on this blend. I had quite the opposite experience.

I purchased a number of these comoys blends in bulk to explore the offerings of this manufacturer. I have not at all been displeased. They are very classic style blends and due to the fact they are offered in bulk, I consider them a good value.

Cask no.5 was a pleasurable experience for me. Although technically an aromatic, it does not possess many of the symptoms that usually give aromatics a bad name. It is not at all goopy, it is not horribly bitey, and it stays lit quite well.

When I first opened the bag of cask no. 5 I was hit with a smell that was familiar yet elusive to me. I finally realized the smell was very similar to the chewing tobacco redman ( a blast from the past when I was a younger avid fisherman). The smell was exactly like redman to me and that is not a bad thing. In fact, I love the smell.

The tobacco was very dry and I debated whether to bring some life back to it but I decided to try it as is. It was a very nice smoke. The flavor was very smooth and nice. I quite enjoyed it. I think the problem some other smokers have had with ts is this. When we think of Bourbon we dont think of soft subtle flavor. Bourbon is a mans man drink, and maybe some people expected those flavors to jump out at them. They are there but I really had to slow down and look for them. If you rely on blends like pirate kake to get your taste buds going this blend may be lost on you. I enjoyed it very much.

Comoy claims their Cask #5 is topped and/or cased with Tennessee bourbon. Evidently they don't know bourbon comes only from Kentucky. Anyway, I got the stuff because I thought it would be similar to Borkum Riff which was good stuff 40 years ago but it got degraded each time company ownership changed hands. It seems to have as high grade leaf as the original Borkum Riff but I couldn't detect any whiskey taste at all. However, it does taste okay and it is similar to Amphora brown label or Sail ivory or yellow label. It has a sweet/sour tin smell and tastes like a flake VaBur mixture. It would make a good everyday, go-to mixture if you like pure natural broken flake tobacco and you don't want perique or latakia. I like it but it will not replace Sail in my regular rotation.

First let me say I didn't read all of the reviews but I did read most and all that mentioned bourbon, whiskey, rye and Tennessee whiskey, I hate to break it to you but YOU'RE ALL WRONG. Bourbon DOES NOT have to be made in Kentucky, the exact requirements of a bourbon are, it must be made in the USA, not any one state, but any of the 50 States, it's mash bill must contain at least %51 corn, it must touch/be aged in a charred oak barrel but when it is barreled it must be 125 proof or less and nothing can be added to it except water and only to help lower the proof. Far as a Rye, exactly like bourbon except it's Mash Bill must have at least %51 Rye. The only whiskey variation that has to be made in Kentucky....big surprise, Kentucky Straight Whiskey. Speaking of straight whiskeys a fun fact is almost all of the major brands of Tennessee Whiskeys meet the criteria to be called a bourbon but they choose not to since Tennessee Whiskey has it's own unique requirements, it must be made in Tennessee and with sole exception of Benjamin Prichard (why I don't know) it must go through the Lincoln County Process (filtration process). All that being said, don't worry and especially don't get mad, it's a very common misconception of bourbon and Kentucky one I myself believed until a retired Head Distiller told me otherwise that I still had to go to the library and look it up (before the internet was everywhere). I really liked this tobacco, it was my favorite Comoy blend, didn't get to try a lot of them but liked this one the best. Tobaccos used are all high quality and the whiskey/alcohol topping was a great accent flavor, not cheap chemical tasting