Rattray Malcolm Flake

Smells of liquorice and ripe fruit out of the tin. Packed fairly moist.

I've smoked it using the fold and stuff method as well as rubbed down. It's not an unpleasant blend, but it is very mild. It smokes very much like Hal O' the Wynd or McConnels Scottish Cake--it has a very soft, round sweetness with some pepperiness on the draw and a bready aftertaste. The fruity topping does come through every now and then, but it is not an overwhelming aromatic experience. I will enjoy the tin I have, but I don't think I'll buy another.

Tin purchase. The flakes are very neat and tidy. They handle well and also rub out easily. I find them too moist for my taste so dry them out before packing. The flakes are not sticky or goopy.

Tin aromas of sweet fruit. I wouldn't say pineapple if I wasn't told that was the primary topping. I also notice some earthy notes in the tin. After letting the tin sit unsealed with the flakes in it for a few days, the aroma is still sweet and fruity but more tobacco scent comes through. I notice the Burley's are earthy and slightly smoky.

First flavors are sweet fruit flavors. I begin to get some tobacco flavor after a few minutes. This is consistent from bowl to bowl. The Burley is more present than the Virginia's in the first half. I get some earth and smokiness from the Burley. The Virginia's come and go and are sweet and smooth. The tobacco flavor is second place to the topping until the final third if puffed at a slow pace.

Overall this is a good smoke but not one I would rush out for again. I would recommend to leave it in the tin for a few days if you find the topping is a but too much. Once the topping fades a bit you are left with a good smoking Burley / Virginia that has a lightly fruity topping.

Wonderful tin note! You can smell in the tobacco a faint, rasin-like aroma just peeking through the very nice, tropical pineapple topping. The flakes are perfect to rub and smoke right after opening. I rubbed out and loaded a flake into a brand new meershaum pipe I acquired from an old man who bought it about 40 years ago and left in its box unused. Took two or three lights to get going, but then burned smooth and clean. Smoked nearly to the bottom; only requiring about three relights. The ash was fine and almost-white to grey. Hardly any dottle left on the bottom at the end , which I attribute to the draw hole of my pipe being about a quarter-inch from the bottom of the bowl. Malcom Flake smoked very dry and clean the whole way down. I'd call it a warm smoke: it certainly wasn't cool, but definitely not hot. Oddly enough, there were points during my smoke where it went cool enough that if i hadn't just exhaled a massive cloud of smoke, and the pipe wasn't smoking steadily that I would have sworn the pipe had gone out. I didn't realize it needed a relight until three or four puffs were actually cold. Very nice and dry with no gurgling and no tongue bite whatsoever. As to the flavour, I'm not exactly a connoisseur but you can definitely taste a mild to medium burley, with the Virginias just peeking through. The pineapple was mostly absent in my first smoke. I can't speak to the room note I smoke outside and nobody was around at the time). I'm going to keep smoking this tin and hope my shop has more when I'm out; the shopkeeper said they probably won't be getting any more Rattray's, ever. If they still have any the next time I'm there, I plan to buy it all.