Peterson Irish Cask

The Perique is peppery, not figgy, the burley is nutty and woody, and the Virginia is relatively mild in this medium, dry smoking blend. There's not much sweetness here. Ready to smoke out of the tin, it packs and burns very well and delivers a nice quantity of smoke.

There is no sherry topping and this is not an aeromatic or crossover. There's a touch of oakiness in this from the sherry casks, and the flavor it imparts is similar to how sherry oak lightly seasons Scotch or how oak influences wine.

Medium in strength, it also pairs well with Irish Whiskey. It's not a standout blend, but it's slightly different than most Vapers and worth a try.

This is a unique tasting blend, since its not just virginias and perique, but burley and cavendish as well. That being said, one can get puzzled with this blend, as it makes you wonder, "what are you?".

Flavours are good, when you take it really slow you can taste the attributes of each type of tobaccos. I do find that it bites easily if you smoke it just slightly faster, not in the usual tongue bite sense, but rather the whole bundle of flavours just knocks your taste buds off their seats.

Not my daily smoke, but every once in a week or two, I do find myself wanting to smoke a bowl of it.

The Irish know how to make great pipes and pipe tobacco...

This tobacco is very nice. The VA, cavendish, burley and perique come out great, but are also complemented very nicely with the oak taste from the barrels it was stored in. Not too woodsy, mind you, but a very nice addition to a great combination. It stands out for me due to this combo.

The smell on opening the tin is nice, but the smoke is so much better. I do have to admit, it had to grow on me a bit. Maybe after smoking some latakia based tobaccos I had to com eback to the VA based, but this one does it for me.

Smoked in a Peterson Rocky Donegal, this gives a great smoke, which leaves a great aftertaste as well. Drink a nice dram of Highland single Malt, and you're on a roll...

Enjoy it, don't over analyse it

The first time since I have smoked the Murrays version, I tried it again. Even the Murrays had more kontrast in colour, the current version looks amd smell enticing. Mostly light, with some dark brown to almost black and an unadulted tobacco smell out of the tin. After lighting a slightly sweet and tangy virginia in the frontseat.While after the first third the peppery perique takes more and more attention.A flavoring is not detectable for me. It burns cool with no bite and the nic is almost perfect to me. 3 stars

Peterson is known for quality tobacco and this blend definitely does the brand justice. Vinegar and pepper greet the nasal passages upon opening the tin. It is a very user-friendly product as it packs, lights and stays lit easily. As I smoked through several bowls, I detected none of the flavor from the sherry casks; I did, however, taste cigarette. Frankly, I find the taste nauseating, but keep in mind I have never been a cigarette smoker. The nicotine is also a bit high for my liking, but to some it may be just right. I also find, as the bowl progresses, it begins to give me a slightly scratchy sensation in the back of my throat. Despite my experience over several bowls, I will purchase this product again, but I'll probaly cellar it for a year or two before opening. We must keep in mind our tastes change and aging may mellow the scratchiness it tends to produce in my throat. On the bright side, it smokes absolutely smooth and I would recommend this product to anyone transitioning from cigarettes to pipes or someone who enjoys both.

I am new to the pipe but have been buying way too much tobacco lately, trying to see what is out there. Irish Oak has not disappointed me so far. Initial tin notes were a very sour fruit smell, along with some virginia sweetness. I felt that the tobacco came pretty dry, and it seemed to burn the fastest of all the other tobaccos I have tried. It was a nicely balanced mix overall, and definitely had some notes of wood while smoking. I did notice the burning sensation along the back and top of the mouth that some have described...I suppose the was the perique pepper taste? It was interesting but went away within minutes of stopping smoking, so I knew it wasn't the tobacco biting. I have two other blends that have perique in them but have not felt this same peppery burn in them. Aftertaste was rather pleasant as well, with notes of apple and wood. Overall I am happy with this blend, and being my first offering from Peterson, I hope to try more.

I think this is a very unique blend. I'm curently smoking only my second bowl, but it is great. Imagine a backbone of a vaper, then a little nuttiness from the burley. The virginia sweetness is always there, but not dominating. The perique lingers in the background, but is always noticeable. Then the odd oaky taste, which really is good.

The blend in the tin smells like sour fruits, not in an aromatic candy sort of way, but like real natural fruits.

honestly, the blend taste like vaper if you add the taste of the way a walk through damp, spring time woods smells. odd description, but great blend

To establish my credentials such as they are, I adore Nightcap and Condor so I am no stranger to strong tobaccos.

I bought this stuff on the back of favourable reviews on here and opened my tin, delivered today, with great anticipation. Great disappointment followed. No really discernible smell to the tobacco, just a generic mild tobacco aroma, maybe hay as others have said, and a slight sherry/cognac whiff.

On lighting the tobacco and exhaling it through my nose (I don't inhale) I immediately received a fizzing burning sensation in my nostrils, with no discernible taste whatsoever. None of the oaky/sherry nuances that others have described. The nasal fizzing overwhelmed every taste there might be. If this is Perique, it's not for me.

More of the same until my small bowl was emptied, half-unsmoked, 20 minutes later.

Undeterred, I took another bowlful out of the tin and set it aside to dry out. I returned to it 3 hours later having drunk a couple of pints of best bitter (which I find enhances my enjotment of tobacco) and tried again, with the same result. No nuances of sherry, and the oak I was getting might as well have been oak shavings. Horrible, rough, bad cigarette flavour.

Maybe that's what Perique lovers look for, but I'd be very surprised. I am about to re-align my tastebuds with a blast of Nightcap.

I will age this in the tin and see if it improves.

Update: Well, a fair time has passed since I first reviewed this 'baccy, and my opinion has changed favourably. I have decided that the secret to this stuff is to smoke it very gently and wait for the taste to show about 1/3 of the way down the bowl, when by taking small sips of smoke, rolling ot around your tongue and exhaling gently through the nose you can actually taste oak, and sherry and cognac hints.

I have this baccy reserved for occasions when I want a taste-blast after a couple of bowls of aromatic baccy (my usual being Erinmore Mixture with a pinch or two of a black cherry/vanilla shag incorporated as spice).

Uprated from one star to three.

This is awesome, the way tobacco was meant to taste. Marked improvement in taste by smoking slower, tastes like the wilderness. The perique burns my nose, badly. Other than that, it's a winner. Pretty heavy on the nicotine, good first thing in the morning. Buy more.