Peterson Irish Cask

In the bag, I smelled a clear earthy nuttiness accompanied by a spicy/ peppery note, probably from the Perique. Also some notes of Scottish peat and oakynes. The peppery comes stronger through in the aroma while smoking. Slight sweety notes at the end of the bowl .

Not too bad, but too much Perique to my liking.

http://youtu.be/fB1dC8drs5c

The smell of Peterson Irish Oak immediately reminded me of a Dutch cigarette rolling tobacco, any of the popular Halfzeier Shag such as Drum and Joker... with some dried fruit (raisin, apricot). This corresponded with the room note that my wife described as "like a cigarette".

This blend smokes extremely well, and has a no frills, classic tobacco flavor with just enough extra richness (from the Perique, I presume) to help the smoker know it's a pipe tobacco, and you haven't crammed a crushed Lucky Strike into your pipe.

I really enjoy the way this smokes, and tastes. It does burn a little hot as the cut is finer than most and it seems to pack a little dry even fresh out of the tin... I found that I really have to smoke this blend just right to really appreciate it and not get a stem full of gurgle and a mouthful of wet tar. If I smoke it just right, it produces great wonderful creamy mouthfuls of thick blue smoke, which isn't the most important thing to me but pleasant nonetheless.

The nicotine was just about perfect. Not ideal for a smoke first thing in the morning or on an empty stomach, but just strong enough to need a beverage.

Before trying Irish Oak I must admit I was at odds with at least two of Peterson's blends. University Flake was a disappointment, and though I find Sherlock Holmes better, its strange and understated watery sweetness sloughs its body and structure. To put it in Irish terms: if Fox's blends are the essence of richness and flavour, Peterson's (Murray's?) are the epitome of indefinable blandness. Irish Oak, however, was a pleasant surprise. Though it is definitely a tobacco on the mild side, its straightforwardness provides a natural taste that gradually builds up to a medium strength, quite falvoursome smoke. The initial Virginian astringency is countered by the Cavendish and the Perique, and the whole blend is enhanced by a woody undertone, presumably from the sherry oak barrels it matures in.

Rather moist in the tin, this blend benefits from overnight airing. It comprises an unsweetened Cavendish, orange Virginias from Zimbabwe, a very discreet amount of South East Asia Burley (providing a bit of sour nuttiness) and enough black Perique to spice things up. Not difficult to pack or light, it starts off as a simple straight Virginia. Nothing out of the ordinary, the first third of the bowl in fact betrays a hidden strength and tanginess that begin to develop towards the mid bowl mark. As you puff along, the Burley and the Cavendish mix in an odd sour-bitter combination. Just when you think the stuff is going to bite, the Perique saves the day. Piquant and sharp, its appearance enlivens the blend and from then on becomes the dominating presence, upgrading it to the medium strength range. The tobacco has an excellent clean and long lasting burning rate. No dottle or gurgle, it burns to a fine grey ash with a very pleasant natural aroma and after taste.

This makes for an excellent introduction both to straight Virginias and to Virginia-Perique mixtures. Specially recommended for those wishing to move on from aromatic drug store blends into the world of natural tobaccos, or for those looking for a suave first encounter with Perique.

Smoking now:

Sample bag note was sweet, hay, nutty, tobacco. Came to be already dried and ready to smoke. The casing might be stronger fresh in the tin.

The taste is earthy, nutty, sweet. Semi tart with some hay. Fair amount of pepper spice at first but it dissipates. The sherry topping is welcome as it tones down and I suspect sweetens the blend . It didn’t impart a lot of flavor on its own though.

This isn’t bad at all. Burns well enough no complains fewer than average relights. Rather consistent flavor. No mouth tingle. Retrohale is spicy though. A decent “all day” sweetened vaper.

In South Africa we don’t have much to choose from in terms of tinned tobaccos. Basically we have a few of the Petersen blends available so this is one of the first I tried. Connoisseurs Choice and University Flake being the others. Irish Cask is by far my favorite of the three. I am on my 3rd tin with some more squirreled away.

Opening a tin you are welcomed by a range of tobacco aromas with a perique like soury smell countered by an almost sweetish alcohol aroma. There are earthy, nutty undertones.

Looking at the contents of the tin, you see a mix of dark and lighter ribbons and broken flakes. It is rather finely cut and packs very easily even in a smaller pipe.

On lighting up the aroma of alcohol (sherry like) is at the forefront and the Virginia sweetness complements the taste. Did I mention that it was perfect right out of the tin. No need to dry it out. Lightly packed its an easy burner, very light regular tamping keeps relights to one or two per bowl-full.

Working through the smoke it stays rather mild and sweet through to about halfway down, then the background nuttiness starts competing with the sherry like sweetness but does not overpower it.

It burns to a fine ash and smokes dry with no tongue bite or gurgling.

A satisfying flavorful smoke. On the room note, this one is not necessarily a crowd pleaser unless the crowd are other pipe smokers.

A pleasant surprise to an aromatic lover.

This blend clearly states how it was prepared and what it is made of. This vaper has a clear woody aroma lined with the liquor it fermented in. The taste immediately translate to exactly the tin note, woody notes with sherry in the undertone and a definite floral taste (which I would say is rather the case than citronella). The sherry surprisingly lingers in the room note as well.

The tin I smoked was from an estate that I bought at a pipe and tobacco store several years ago. It was dated 5/08. I opened it up the other day but did not hear that vacuum whoosh sound. The contents were not disturbed. Either it was opened prior to me buying it or the vacuum seal dissipated. The description on my tin states “A rich blend of Brazilian and African Virginia leaf with Cavendish and rare Louisiana Perique.” I have noticed from reading other reviews and also the description on the web page for this one that the contents seem to be different. Maybe truth in advertising, I honestly do not know. This tin had dark and medium brown flakes, dry as a bone due to losing its seal and had a faint aroma which I will say is Sherry since that is what is described. Me personally I do not know what it smells like. Nice though. When lighting up I notice the spiciness of the perique right off the bat or so it seemed. I might buy a fresh tin and see what that is like. I would try it.

Blend for Burley lovers, Virginia in support role, Perique hardly noticeable. Easy to pack, lit, few relights, no chance of tongue bite. Not an all day smoke but repeatable during the day. Worth to try once. Recommended.

Well well, Irish Oak... is quite hard to put your finger on... so let's add to the slew of (already) contradicting reviews ! First, in no way does the tin mention perique, so someone buying from tin description alone might be in for a big surprise. Second, opening the tin, one sees a nice ribbon cut, mostly golden browns, with darker brown streaks, which i guess are the cavendish, but no black strands are to be seen, which would indicate perique. On the nose, the tin smells of natural tobacco, somewhere between the hay-like notes of Va, and the date notes of the Burley. Not much candied fig here, which would be the perique... Slightly moist from the tin, but perfectly smokeable. On first light, one gets spices, and also a background sweetness, which feels more like a topping than a natural tobacco sweetness. Once lit, there is that Va aroma for a short while, then the blend quickly takes a dramatic turn to hot, peperry notes. The perique becomes very obvious, especially in the retrohale, it is not fruity or figgy, it is VERY peperry and spicy, so much that it made me wonder if i was feeling bite. By adjusting smoking cadence, one can mellow the spice a bit and discern the more subtle tastes, but a slight wind outside is enough to wake this baccy and it becomes fiery. The finale brings back the odd sweetness mentioned at first. Not much progression throughout the bowl, rather a progression throughout each puff. The oaky notes, i cannot taste. But a sherry topping wouldnt surprise me. I like this blend, it is tasty, robust, complex. But the perique overpowers the rest of the composition, without adding much actual taste, the spiciness simply crushes all other subtleties there, which come wafting in and out, which isnt bad at all, but a relaxing smoke it is not. Packs well, burns well, recommended for perique fans who want something a little different.

2017-07-05 UPDATE: after some time in the tin, the blend has mellowed quite a bit. It now feels like some distant cousin of Elizabethan Mixture, with a robust Va base and some spice from the perique, but it still feels darker and more ''square'' than elizabethan. I like it better than fresh from the tin.