Peretti Pride of Loch Lomond

Another great smoke from Peretti's. I live in Boston and started smoking through their catalogue several years ago. I really enjoyed this smoke but have to say it is not one of my favorites. All the reviews are correct when they say the balance of the various tobaccos is excellent. The flavor is strong, smooth and rich. Just when you thought you have smoked every variation of oriental/latkia/ perique this mix comes along. The Orientals are the main taste. The latakia and perique are very subtle and save the blend from becoming dulled by the rich orietal flavor. The taste of the latakia and perique are very light and the blend is interesting because those flavors come and go in the smoke. I notice the latakia more in the room note than in the actual smoking of the bowl flavor.

Because I really like a stronger latakia presence, I will give POLL a highly subjective "three stars" instead of four. The blend will easily get 4 if it hits your sweet spot. A solid performing all day, every day smoke.

Based on a 1 oz sample. Speckled brown and black with a bag aroma of orientals. Tough one to rate because it's not a strong blend to me, nor is it full in flavor. I found this one to be full in body which made it seem richer than it really tasted. It's a very satisfying smoke, which very well might mean it's high in nicotine, but I didn't notice any overabundance. But it struck me as being as easy to smoke in the morning (as I am now!) as in the evening, which to me signifies a blend that is neither full flavored nor overly strong. But still rich in body, if that makes any sense.

The orientals are front and center throughout the smoke, as they are in most Scottish blends. Very aromatic orientals, too, as the room note in this one is absolutely mouth-watering. The Virginias ride shotgun and provide their tang and slight sweetness throughout the journey, while the latakia and perique are lightly applied and just sort of keep the whole thing together. There are wisps of both (or one or the other) from time to time and they keep things interesting. I liked this one but for my personal taste I would have preferred more sweetness. A little dark Cavendish would probably have helped me, or some sweeter Virginias. I may get more of this and doctor it a bit. But on its own, it struck me as a very nice example of traditional Scottish blending from an excellent blending house. I bought several Peretti blends, as I'd like to get to know this blender better. I recommend this one for those who like dark tasting, non sweet oriental blends. Not destined for my rotation but it has an excellent base I can build upon.

Peretti's - Pride Of Loch Lomond

This was the most moist of the five Peretti's blends I recently picked up.  Still smoke-able straight from the satchel though.  Virginia tang is prominent in the jar note.  This is a rich, full bodied, complex and nuanced smoke.  The main event, flavor wise, is toasty - earthy, with notes of coffee and dark chocolate.  At times this blend takes on tones of a good Honduran cigar. At other times it smokes more like a va/p from the darker end of that spectrum. The perique tingle is in effect, not too spicy though, some sweetness is there but it's subtle and subdued. I can't taste the latakia as a separate component although I can pull the individual flavors from the others.  They all come together very nicely no matter which way the overall taste of the blend shifts as a whole.  Nicotine hit is about medium.  Fast smoking will turn it bitter, but when smoked at a reasonable pace this is an interesting and rewarding mixture.

This is.... fine? As a "Scottish" I can't say it rings any bells - it lacks the things I'd consider critical in a Scottish mixture (light latakia and the use of cavendish?). What's really astonishing is that none of the reviews mention the overwhelming soap/rosewater/Thrills flavoring. It's not offensive, but it's... pervasive. Obvious and almost dominat. I couldn't pick this apart in terms of component tobaccos, and as far as orientals go it's basically nothing like any of the Rattray's or McConnel blends. So how is it Scottish again? Its a weird muddle, pleasant enough, but to me it's genre-less. It's okay, not any kind of benchmark (as many Peretti's blends indeed are benchmarks). A strange one. Enjoyable but not a re-order for me.