Samuel Gawith Bothy Flake

A well done English-Lakelandish-Flake! The tin note is that of musty, peaty Latakia and Whisky, quite intriguing. But then the Lakeland - which is very mild, yet everpresent - joins in, which I don't like too much.

Surprisingly my tin was rather well conditioned, being ready to smoke right out of the tin, but it benefits from drying imho. In the pipe it's a smooth Virginia+Latakia blend with nice body and the rich qualitites of Latakia, being smokiness, musti- and peatiness, as well as woodsy and ethereal notes. The Virginias balance the Latakia out very well and add mild sweetness to the smoke. The Whiskey topping is rather mild and sometimes you'll find yourself grasping for it, when the Lakeland-Essence subdues it quite a bit.

Sadly I don't like the Lakeland essence too much, but nonetheless it's a blend I'd recommend to lovers of English-, Lakeland- and Boozy-typed blends - Bothy compromises them all! 😉

The tin note smells like whiskey and that shows in your smoke. It is somewhat similar to Navy Flake, but the liquour flavour seems to be more apparent here and I dare to say it is packed with less latakia. In true honestly, it is giving me hard time to keep it lit, but the moist content is quite high. Despite this, these flakes are quite rich and full of aroma, so I don't recommend drying them all out. The smoke is quite mellow and tongue friendly with sweet and spicy undertones whereas the latakia it contains seems to bring a woodsy dimension to your smoke. I am finding the smoking experience quite complex and satisfying in so many fronts. I think this tobacco deserves 3 stars.

Like you would almost expect from Samuel Gawith, this flake is pretty much on the moist side in a fresh tin. It's good advise to let the medium brown, mottled slices you want to smoke dry for about 30-45 minutes before filling your pipe.

The tin note is like taking a whiff from a bottle of Lagavulin. There's peat fire and whisky.

I use the fold and stuff method for packing my bowl. Especially when the tobacco is still rather moist, it can take two charring lights, after which I level out the ashes, and also two true lights to get the tobacco burning evenly.

The taste is dominated by the smoky Latakia enhanced by the peated malt whisky flavoring, which also adds some malty, floral sweetness to the blend, and the tangy, grassy aroma of the Virginias. As long as you don't draw too eagerly on your pipe, it'll burn down coolly and slowly leaving some dark grey ash. A glass of Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Islay goes along well with this smoke.

The room note is fumy and tolerable.

A long long time ago, myself and a couple of friends walked the 90 odd miles of the West Highland Way, in December! It was cold, wet, miserable and we had a fabulous time. We spent a night in a bothy after a small navigational error had found me in a loch rather than walking alongside it. That night I only had St Bruno to put in my pipe, but I wished I had had this blend. It would have helped enormously. In fact, a dram of whiskey wouldn't have gone amiss either. We also didn't have any of that!

First it has nothing to do with Penzance . Perhaps Best Brown SG with a hint of latakia? A whiff of whisky added, not much, definitely not an aromatic, Will not ruin your pipes believe me. It is quite moist, Let it dry out , rub it well, pack your pipes lightly. When I do this I am rewarded with a pleasent smoke, not too strong, can burn well an slow down to the bottom sometime. Leaves the pipe dry without mouldy smells. Thats something. During the day I tend to smoke Squadron leader or other EM or Balkans, Still I feel more and more attracted by this traditional flake. Very enjoyable, latakia yes as it should be, in the background. Sweet? No Harsh ? No. Just a very fine medium smoke. Enough said . Last but not least, please do not give it to beginners. Update 7/21 I am slowly switching to Virginias from EM , I believe the culprit is Bothy Flake. A very satisfying flake.

Bought a tin of this on a whim when visiting Edinburgh. Glad I did, its a cracking smoke and it's how I found out about the Kearvaig Pipe Club!

So the baccy... Its the usual slightly messy Flake from SG, on the moist side, a mix of medium browns. The smell in the tin is of stout Virginias with a background campfire smokiness from the Latakia. The whisky topping blends in harmoniously with this, and seems to me pretty subtle. I like Ennerdale Flake of course, so may have a different tolerance for scented baccy.

It smokes like a nice slightly stoved, sweet Virginia Flake, the Latakia giving a nice smokey background. The scotch is subtle, but enhances the sweetness and smokey flavours. It burns to a shred of dottle if you've dried it a little after rubbing out, never gets sour or harsh. I didn't get any bite. I used pipes I keep for unflavoured English Mixtures, and it did not ghost.

In summary, a splendid and completely unique Flake, I look forward to smoking it in the Kearvaig Bothy!

This has to be one of the most interesting and unique tobacco's I have come across. I tried some of a sample during a pipe night from another piper. It was intriguing enough for me to purchase a tin.

Upon opening the tin for the first time you can smell the peaty scotch topping straight away. It's very strong, but not off putting. Over time that smell from the tin diminishes and instead one gets a sweet earth balanced by smokiness, probably from the latakia, with just a hint of the scotch.

I tried multiple methods in loading my pipe. I found that the air chamber method, after a flake or two had been rubbed out, worked the best for keeping it lit. This does require some relights here and there, but the air chamber method required the least amount.

The smoke was quite flavorful. The VA's were naturally sweet, like FVF, throughout the smoke and provide a decent backbone. The latakia is there in tones of smokiness and slight floral offerings. Now, bear with me on this, the combination of the malt, peat, smokey latakia, seemed to produce a flavor I have not yet experienced in any other tobacco....the best way to describe it for me is Sandalwood Incense. Now, I know this doesn't sound appealing, and my nose could be wrong, but I swear the components created this experience time and time again with this tobacco. It was actually very delightful. I can see why other reviewers mention the 'lakeland' essence, though I don't think it's quite accurate. The fragrance was great during the smoke and the room note was slightly sweet but gentle. Quite an enjoyable smoke. I think some will love it and others will hate it, not much in-between IMHO.

Obviously this is good but it needs SO MUCH drying, or you just end up with a steamy mess. It would be lovely if Gawith would fix this - as it is, it's like buying pears - preparing Gawith tobaccos is an exact science, and leave it too long and it's too dry. Get this right (and you will waste flakes experimenting) and what you have is an interesting, strong virginia with overtones of single malt. It is nice, anyway, to know that you're smoking something while doing so. But there must be more convenient flakes than this - or most of the damp Gawith blends. Please fix this, Gawith. Your customers have lives to lead.

When I saw Bothy flake, I was hoping for something akin to an Islay whisky. I was expecting peaty and briny flavours, in addition to the smokiness; but this is more akin to a perhaps a Campbeltown Scotch whisky that is lighter on the peat, lacking the brine, but adding a touch of lingering smokiness. This is a fine English blend, but I admit that I was let down by my own expectations.