Peterson Irish Cask

Peterson?s Irish Oak is a plain, indistinctively tasting smoke that is blended by Murray & Sons Co. of Belfast.

Irish Oak has a singular tin aroma. The odor of the blend is very musky with similarities to a sharp cheese and wet hay. The aroma itself is not overly pleasant. Irish Oak is a mixture of familiar varieties of tobacco obtained from what one would consider nontraditional locations. The tobaccos employed in this blend are: Zimbabwean Virginia, Thailand Burley, unflavored Cavendish, and Perique. The color of Irish Oak ranges from a dark brown to a lighter brown/orange.

The cut of Irish Oak is a longer stringy ribbon cut. No rubbing of the blend is needed and the packing of the blend is average. Irish Oak benefits from dehydrating and doing so reduces bite and allows for a more complete burn.

Irish Oak lights well and burns completely to the walls of the pipe bowl with a fine medium gray ash being produced without any dottle. Not many relights are needed and if enough attention is given to the burning cake, a single match could very well be all that is needed. The Irish Oak tobacco blend does tend to burn quickly and the room note, being of the cigarette-like odor, is not inviting.

The taste of Peterson?s Irish Oak is plain, straightforward, and has a slight bit of spicy wood-like undertones. The taste can be considered more bitter than sweet, with very little of the natural Virginia sweetness dimension being expressed in the flavor. The spicy characteristic becomes more and more pronounced as the burn continues, most likely due to the medium high Perique content. Irish Oak has an unfortunate ashy aftertaste that certainly downgrades the blend. Irish Oak may have some alcohol topping but it is not noticeable when smoked. Irish Oak also has the ability to produce a somewhat nauseating effect when smoked, especially in larger amounts. Tongue bite is a factor with this blend but the tobaccos do cool to a certain extent later in the smoke. A dirty white smoke is given off in medium thick amounts.

Although possessing commendable burning characteristics, Peterson?s Irish Oak blend lacks any truly enjoyable flavors and can be categorized as a bland smoke with a disadvantageous aftertaste.