Peterson Irish Cask

2006 has been hectic thus far for me. As a treat to myself and rather than further depelenish my meagre tobacco stocks, I purchased a tin of Irish Oak. I assume this is the Danish version, replete with a plain green tin sticker. I have never chanced to try the Murray's offering. I had a devil of a time breaking the seal on this one, and had to resort to some violence. Once open the blend smells very similar to Royal Yacht, which had my hopes running high. The tobacco itself is a hither and thither rough cut of blond and black and quite visually striking. Lightup is easy as the moisture level is slightly on the dry side, much to my preference. Other reviewers have made mention of this offering as an Irish interpretation of Elizabethan or Escudo. I would compare it to neither of those but feel it has merit on its own. The perique comes on assertively about 1/4 of the way down the bowl and the virginia flavor is superlative. This blend sings in every pipe I possess. The flavor is full and I, contrary to others here, rather enjoy the room aroma. IO pairs exceptionally well with a strong cup of English tea and the finish is dark and deep. I am impressed.

Got given a tin of this by a friend, ho didnt like it as it reminded him of cigarettes. I see his point. Its a rather mild blend predominantly of VA, supposedly containing Perique. I rarely notice this flavour in the smoke, they seem to hae been a bit stingy with it at the blending room. I think it's trying to be like Dunhills Elizabethan (Which I am not a huge fan of) but with less perique. It does have a complexity of its own, but the overall taste is so mild I am uninspired to smoke it again. A splash of whiskey ehanced it a little, so I smoke it in a clay while wandering about town on rainy days- it stays lit no trouble, and by turning the clay upside down I can keep the rain out. I hope I finish it soon.

Stout in nicotine content, and stout in Perique content, Irish Oak is a satisfying blend. There is a singularity to the taste which is attributable, in my opinion, to the absence of North American Virginias. Since my own preference is precisely for those Virginias Irish Oak will remain a change of pace, occasional smoke.

If you enjoy a non-aromatic smoke this is a good choice. Do not be fooled by the name and the Petersons reputation of aromatics, this is (in my opinion) barely aromatic.

One can tell from first opening the canister that it is a complex tobacco that will take several bowls to decipher what it is all about. The cavendish and perique mixture is good and imparts a complex flavor and a somewhat pungent smoke. My father and I smoked it and all I could think "cigarettes" by the aroma. Granted I usually smoke aromatics, so this was 360 on the norm for me.

I would not push this aside since it is not aromatic, it is very good. The tobacco smoked rather cool and stayed lit throughout the smoke. The flavors stayed in the mouth for some time an were not unpleasant. This would be a test for anyone's wife that enjoys an aromatic. Best to be tested outside first.

I might not be giving this tobacco a fair test. I tried it when it came by in a tobacco box pass. The tobacco in the tin I had was pretty dry. I tried it in a corncob pipe outside. It smoked very nicely for the circumstances. When you held the smoke in your mouth there was a nice combination of flavors and you could taste the perique without it being to strong. I think this would be a good tobacco for a beginner to perique to try. In general I was impressed with it. Maybe someday Ill buy a tin for myself.

I`ve spent a week with this tin, trying to grasp it`s essence and "soul". It is very eluding in it`s flavours; it is hard to say anything absolute about it, but it is, in this case a good thing. There are hints of cream and pepper,and something sour too. I also found sweetness as well as mossy autumn fields. It is very rich in it`s varietys. The smoke is quite full-bodied. It was,however,way too moist straight out of the tin, and it has gotten a lot better with a little drying. I may well have to go buy another tin, because this one`s almost empty,and I still haven`t "gotten it".

the fermentation of the perique comes through. Nice once you hit the zone at the second third of the bowl, with peppery notes. The final bit was a little bitter when smoked in a medium bowl. Could use a little drying out from the tin to keep a good burn. Might try it again, but didn't stand out enough to get a tin for the cellar.

Too finely cut for me. This leads to a pronounced harshness due to the burn rate. Would make a good roll-your-own tobac for those who like strong Euro-Canadian cigarettes. Two and one-half stars.

Upon trying this a few times (tins) I can honestly say that this is quite different than many other VA/Periques out there. I enjoyed this very much with all the exotic tobacs I think it payed off with the Flavor and aroma. Theres a traditional VA/Perique aroma upon opening the tin and you are also greeted with an earthy undertone that gives way for good things to come. It is an unassuming smoke that is somewhat strong but flavorful with nuts and coffe-like notes throughout. It tends to get spicy toward the end but not overwhelming like some others I've tried. I smoke this on occasion, but I like it very much.