Peterson Irish Cask

Edit...... I up it to 4 stars. There are simply too few blends like this around.

A good tobacco, but a bit too like cigarettes for me. People often recommend this if your switching from cigs, that I don't get, because the nice thing about a pipe is you can get so much more sweetness and flavors than cigs. I finished the rest of my tin in roll-up cigarettes after letting it dry out a lot. And that experience was one of the best cigs/rollie's I have ever smoked. Buy a tin to mix with your shag (hand-roll) tobacco!

General impression: The tin smell is unique among tobaccos - a bit like sour dried fruits. Packs easily and stays lit pretty well. This smoke is VERY tasty - spicy and mildly aromatic (but not overly cased). Best description is maybe a VAPER/aromatic crossover. Room note is slightly sweet but might not be appreciated by non-smokers.

Who should buy this stuff: Any lover of VA and/or VAPER blends would enjoy this. If you like aromatics, this is a nice change of pace since it is not super-sweet and has some complex flavors. This is not an English-style blend.

Final notes: As others have noted, this stuff leaves a coating on your mouth and teeth - have your toothbrush handy! The nicotine content is also fairly hefty, so do not have this blend on an empty stomach either.

My first foray into Peterson's. Thanks to Captain Dan for "hooking me up" with a tin.

From the reviews I expected something nearly unsmokeable. I expected a scorched throat, dry heaves and swirling rooms reminiscient of my first smoke of Haddo's.

If smoked quickly, or getting a really young tin, I think this stuff could invoke those nasty side effects. Upon opening my tin I smelled an extremely pleasant grassy/fig odor typical of this type of blend; rich, aged tobacco. Would it be the polite and polished smoke of Dorchester? Not a chance, this stuff is Irish all the way. Most of my Irish fore fathers were mad to a man. Perhaps they smoke a lot of this (or it's historical analog) in their day? It certainly is strong enough to be "sense altering".

Upon first light there really *is* a woodsy (as in forest) taste and aroma. The flavor of liquor comes on a bit strong for a moment then fades into lovely curls of yellow-blue smoke. As the bowl progresses solid VA flavorss meld together in a sweet/bitter dance. Then the perique rises up. It is black pepper and cayenne - but not overtly violent. I would guess the cavendish is mellowing it all out.

The liquor comes and goes very gently. If you concentrate you can taste it, but it never gets out of hand. Towards the middle of the bowl the perique and burley become more dense. I found *a lot* of flavor variation in this.

Down towards the heel, the perique predictably intensifies. After relights, both spice and the flavoring are enhanced and compliment each other nicely. But make no mistake, this stuff gets strong in both flavor and nicotine especially if you smoke quickly. I've managed nearly 2 hours out of a bowl, and it was an incredibly enjoyable smoke. This is the first VA/P blend I would classify as an end of the day smoke (at least for me). There is strength and richness here that rivals Nightcap. And like that smoke, there is a latent harshness that you have to accept if you are going to partake of Irish Oak. I personally like it.

Though fans of both Irish Oak and Haddo's may take offense to this - I see quite a few parallels in taste, complexity and punch when comparing these two blends. They fill different niches, but will easily make up the bulk of my "heavy duty perique" main stay.

I bought this at a sale of old stock so the tin was 4-5 years old. I'd read about this blend and was intrigued by the review on Stuff and Things.

Wow. The tobacco in my tin was at the perfect moisture despite its age in the tin. It required a few re-lights in fact.

There is so much flavour here, the perique has a spicy but not overpowering taste, there's a sweetness to this blend I've never experienced before in pipe smoking. The nicotine is medium to strong but if you puff it slow the effect is a relaxing buzz not a headache or nausea.

It did burn hot so you may want to puff slower or find a cadence. It lasted nearly 2 hours for me and left a few bits of doddle.

This to me is what pipe smoking is all about. The sweetness mixed with a tangy spicy from the perique and an aroma of what someone described as black currant bread adds to the overall experience.

There's a lot going on with this blend and it's what makes smoking a pipe such an amazing experience.

very good quality,nice and smooth. Burley, Cavendish, Perique, Virginia blend,gold and light tobacco mainly. it's gentle and lighten if somone want to find a blend not aromatic and not english smoky.

I'll keep this short. The moisture content is just right, the tin aroma sweet and a little fruity. It burns fairly cool, but has a nice little sting from the perique. Virginia and burley are first up, followed closely by the perique, then the sweetness of the cavendish towards the end. Oak showed up in the finish. If I had to come up with a comparison. I'd say it's kind of like Old Joe Krantz if it had a slightly less potent, crossover aromatic version.

Reviews seem to differ as to the perique content, and I'm in the group that thinks it's on the heavy side. An excellent but underrated blend.

This Tobacco is Perfect. I have very sensitive nose and some issues with tongue bite but this blend works for me perfectly One of few blends which is smoke till end of bowl. At the beginning it has kind of woody and nutty smell and after smoking 1/3 of bowl Perique starts to get bolder and have a pleasant effect because it is mild. Burley has very high quality and it gives the smoke a very mild but pleasant cigaretty note. Some people say it is similar to Dunhill Elizabethan Mixture and it is kind of true but for me Irish Oak tastes even better Elizabethan Mixture of course it is my opinion and experience which could be different than others.

Cavendish, burley and perique aged in oak sherry barrels? Sounds different, unique and interesting!

In the tin, it's mixed colors, mostly light-medium brown with some darker and lighter flecks, fairly uniform ribbon cut. I detect a somewhat sweet fruity scent...maybe white grapes? My 9 year old son (resident expert tin note conniseur) says it smells "stinky, but with some berries in it" so the fruityness isn't just my imagination. My tin was packed tight and hard, almost a cake! The moisture level was ok for smoking right out of the tin, but it wouldn't hurt to leave it out to dry for a little while either.

It's an interesting smoke. I get that sweet slightly tart fruit flavor that I picked up in the tin note, but it's subtle. Perique is there....soft in the mouth, but obvious in the nose on retrohale...on par with or perhaps a slightly bigger dose than Escudo. Not super sweet, but I believe the cavendish is adding a bit more sweetness than the typical VaPer...or maybe it's the leftover sherry? It might be my imagination, but I think I detect a little oaky wood in the smoke as well.

Nicotine level is a solid medium, maybe medium-strong. I'm finishing a fairly large bowl now after a big meal, and am feeling a little fuzzy and relaxed. Enough to hold my interest most of the time, not enough to ever be overwhelming to me. Remember, though, that I'm a nicotine junky and I like the strong stuff, so YMMV.

originally reviewed 7/18/2012

Though I haven't had any in quite some time, I've smoked a ton of this stuff. I don't crave it very often, but as soon as I pop a tin, I seem to smoke it almost nonstop until it's gone. Highly recommended.

Classic... impressive... long on flavor and decidedly Irish. Burns evenly and dry, no fuss no muss. Billowy smooth smoke. An easy go-to blend that never disappoints.