Peterson Irish Cask

I am new to pipe smoking. I bought this because of the name. The aroma upon opening the tin is a slight sour note. When smoked at first it seems very mild but then it burns the mouth not just the tongue but the top and sides with a peppery kind of burn. I do not get any flavouring from this tobacco. It does seem to give a kind of buzz of sorts...giving a boost of energy along with the sparks of pepper in the mouth. The burn lasts about an hour or a bit longer after smoking. I probably would not buy this again. I am going to try to age it a bit and come back to it. I can however see that it would be appealing to some. I however will be checking closely to make sure I go on more than just the name in future.

This is an unusually tobacco as I've noticed the mixed reviews. I think I know why. If you smoke this straight out of the tin then I was not impressed, simply because it seemed too mediocre and I can understand comparisons made to cigarette tobaccos - (cigarettes... I just don't enjoy anyway). However, I beg you to leave the tobacco in the tin to dry out and...wow! what a difference! You'd think smoking this completely dry would be like smoking hot coals, but not at all. The flavor is not so hay-like, more woody, rugged perhaps. So my love hate relationship has been borne through patience. I enjoy this from time to time and the strength of baccy is quite strong. Avoid if you're not tolerant of a strong tobacco kick. This is nice stuff then. I recommend - but try drying in the tin for while and I'm sure you'll get the enjoyment. Ideal to take on a country early evening outing with a good coffee or single malt.

first time I tried irish oak, I was amazed. but that was before I tired some other perique containing offerings --minus burley-- . I'm not absolutely sure if it's the burley causing my distaste for Peterson's irish oak, or because if it tastes downright a cigar/cigarette-like blend. whatever it is I'm looking forward to finishing what's remaining so I can keep the empty tin as a reminder of "not to buy again". Anyhow I believe it's a decent blend with quality content for those who seek for some strength without any complexity but oak(y) flavor.

I bought a tin of this back in 2006, smoked a few bowls, and jarred the rest.

I opened it back up last week and have had a few more bolw fulls of this, and I just don't think I care for it too much.

I am a nicotine wimp. If I break out into a sweat, get dizzy, and feel nauseas, then it is NOT a good experience!

That being said, I DO like some vitamin "N" and prefer a medium strength blend.

This tobacco is just too strong for me! I don't know if its the Burley or the Perique, but my oh my did this stuff hit me like a freight train!

Don't get me wrong:

This is high quality, well blended tobacco! As far as taste went, it was good, but nothing that made me yell with joy. It was easy to pack, aged well, and would probably please anyone looking for a good VaPer with a little extra fan out there.

Just not my cup of tea, but a good quality tobacco nonetheless.

This will put hair on your chest!....don't fear ladies, it's just an expression. This blend has put me in the enviable position of needing another new pipe(darn) as it really shouldn't be allowed to play with others. I'd describe this as a full bodied, slightly rustic smoke. Upon opening the tin I think of woodsy earthen smells, like damp moss, old pine needles under foot, and a distant fire in a fireplace. When first opened new you can find more of the sherry cask conditioning on the nose than later. It is not especially finicky about what you smoke it in, but a larger bowl and healthy filling to the top does help it become more complex. Big, unhindered tobacco flavors are what come up on the palate, along with faint wood or peat smoke, and just a hint of far away citrus and the oaky goodness of a fine aged sherry. I guess that means they got the name right.

This stuff does its best work when allowed to condition a pipe to this and only this blend. I have not had it smoke too hot, or have a tendency to gurgle at me, but it can bite if you get too excited and try to suck it down like a big gulp from 7-11.

If you like robust tobaccos, with out lots that oriental bite, give this one a shot. Also goes well with Dalmore Cigar Malt Scotch.

August 2014 update: Still a unique, well made, finely balanced blend. But now that I revisit it with many more blends under my belt, I wonder if I will come back again after this tin. Not for any fault of this blends flavor(wonderful), aroma(rich and cloying), and quality(top notch). But more for the fact that after being away from the vitamin N intentionally for a couple years, I find it leaving me tired and physically worn out after a big bowl full. Maybe my tolerance is flagging, or maybe this batch is more sodden with ol' nic than what I had previously, but I need to move the strength up to "strong"

Opening the tin, I get a musty funky smell--usually something I take as a sign of good things to come. And they do, initially. The first third (or half) is delightful, with toasty virginia and burley, quite sweet but very satisfying with a hint of perique spiciness. Then the perique totally dominates the blend and my palate and makes it impossible to taste anything except my very smoky burnt tasting tongue. This blend would be a regular if it had less perique, as it is truly an interesting mix of ingredients. Unfortunately, the nuances of the various leaf that you get at the start are gone by the end...and so went my mood to smoke again after finishing bowls of this weed. A long tin to finish.

My tin is date coded to this year. Opening it up, I get a very muted tin note, a little raisin scent and something vaguely boozy that could be sherry. Quite wet and a little sticky, so I take out a pipe’s worth and spread it out on the tin lid. I’m sipping an almond-vanilla chai, so there’s no hurry. Takes a light very well, considering. Not too much flavor right away. Gradually, a mild brown sugar pops up, and I’m pretty sure that’s the cavendish; I recognize it from a few other blends, especially Stokkebye’s Luxury Bullseye Flake. Other flavor notes present are a slightly boozy vanilla— vanilla extract, rather than frosting, a faint nuttiness from the burley, and a whisper of sourness, which I also recognize from LBF. Not a very flavorful blend, but not offensive.

At least at first. I left this tin open to dry out longer than I usually do. Some of the flavoring evaporates, but I consider that a good thing. Some of the more natural tobacco notes inch to the forefront: dry autumn leaves and a nuttiness like salted pistachios. I recommend drying this tobacco out before smoking, the whole tin. It depends on whether you prefer the aromatic experience or the more natural one. I smoked this in a pipe dedicated to aromatic blends, but it seems to me to be a prime example of a crossover blend: right in the middle of the spectrum.

I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of tongue bite. Smokes fairly cool, too, if you manage your cadence. It does have a certain spiciness in the sinuses— almost like wasabi or horseradish. I don’t particularly enjoy this effect, but it’s not a deal breaker. The sweetness doesn’t counterbalance this spiciness, it’s dominated by it a little, and I find this to be quite a spicy blend in general. I like pairing this with sweet, warm drinks: sugared tea or coffee.

You’ll like this if you like perique, sherry, or crossover blends. It’s not something I’ll put in regular rotation, but it’s good under the right circumstances.

Just finished this tin... and I think it unlikely that I'll buy it again. It isn't bad, but the room note didn't go over well-- I was told it was "harsh" and "loud."

The tobacco has a spicey nose-tickling quality and packs a big dose of vitamin N. Don't smokr this when its hot out or it is all too easy to be left lightheaded and dizzy.

Burns well, packs easily, and comes across with very little tongue bite.

As far as it goes, this was pleasant enough but I think it just may not be my cup of tea.

This a very strange blend. It was not bad at all. It has an unusual stringent quality, it was wet and needed dry time, lit well finally, made my nose tingle like smelling fresh horseradish, the perique I assume. Though this is not bad, its not great. I finished the tin but don't think I will buy more. Very odd indeed. Very unique.