Peterson Irish Whiskey

A lot of nicotine, but a nice blend for the rest. The burleys are nutty and earthy. Some sweetness is added by the virginias. The whiskey is there somewhere but it is not overdone. One that can be smoked slowely to be savored.

IRISH WHISKEY (a.k.a. Irish Mixture due to the new EU laws) is a flavored mixture in the old tradition. I mean this is a flavored blend not in the American or Danish style (no Black Cavendish in it) and not even in the line of the modern English flavoring, such as Peterson Sunset Breeze, Sweet Killarney, Luxury Blend and so on, but it is rather in the line of the classic English school, of the classic English flavoring.

However I want to clarify that this is not the old English style (Samuel Gawith 1792 Flake and Bracken Flake) nor the Kendal flavoring (Gawith, Hoggarth and Samuel Gawith). Irish Whiskey is a classic: a Virginia /Burley blend flavored with some whiskey, without Black Cavendish and no concoctions. A classic English flavored blend, such as Dunhill Royal Yacht, Peterson Hyde Park, Samuel Gawith Firedance Flake. And it is tasty, strong enough, it doesn’t tire and it doesn’t cloy. A good to excellent flavored blend, perfect if you smoke with a shot of whiskey (try it, it makes a difference). Therefore in my personal rating system (from 1 to 10) my score is 9 and three complete stars.

I can't taste much whiskey in this blend, but I think I can smell some a bit. I think there is more Virginias then what is let on. But it does not burn hot. It has a great VaBur taste and is around the strengh level I like.

Tin: Upon opening the tin of Irish Whiskey, you are greeted predominately by a wonderful, grassy, Virginia smell. There is also this "dried fruit" smell, which very much reminds me of the tin note of Royal Yacht by Dunhill.. There is a slight hint of whiskey, which gives the tin note a caramel, toffee-like hint.

Packing/Lighting: Moisture level is perfect. Will not require drying at all. It packs and lights, and stays lit easily like any ribbon cut.

This blend can get hot if you smoke it too quickly. However, if you "sip" and take your time with it, you will generally get a nice, cool smoke.

Strength: Irish Whiskey is a wonderful blend to smoke, and it is a great tobacco to smoke throughout the day. It has great middle ground as it's not too mild, and it's not too strong. However, if you mostly smoke mild blends, the nicotine might take you by surprise, but it should not be an issue.

Taste/Room Note: Despite the name, it's not an aromatic pipe tobacco. Irish Whiskey is a traditional blend with a very mild whiskey flavouring. The topping is incredibly mild, and is more detectable in the room note than the taste itself.

The room note to me is very pleasant, but for non-smokers, they will probably not care too much for it.

Occasionally, while smoking this blend, you will get a slight caramel/sweet note of the whiskey, similar to the tin note. The blend mainly has a straightforward Virginia taste with its grassy notes, and Burley/Kentucky with its toasty, nutty flavour. That raisin/dried fruit tin note is sometimes there in the smoke as well, it is something you will notice when you spend enough time with this blend. This blend can be "retrohaled" if you wish to pick up on the flavours more.

Final Thoughts:

Like - Good flavour, good volume of smoke and strength. A very satisfying smoke indeed.

Dislike - Whiskey flavouring could've been a bit stronger.

Very dry smoke. Have a drink handy.

Overall, a very fine pipe tobacco. If you're finding that what you're smoking is a bit too mild, give Irish Whiskey a try. You won't be disappointed.

Another excellent blend from Peterson. More of a Virginia forward English Cavendish than a proper aromatic. The whiskey topping is only present as a back note to the tobacco itself. Both in taste and aroma, being almost undetectable. This blend is quite similar to Peterson Irish Oak with only very minute differences between the two. A superb blend if you prefer tobacco taste over flavoring. I prefer mine with a pinch of Frog Morton. The latikia and orientals in the Frog add a lovely body and character for those wanting more of a Scottish Style smoke. Either way, an excellent blend. Cheers.

I received a tin as a gift since I'm fond of it's casing in a bottle, and Stokkebye #2 is my 'everyday' smoke. So while I'm not sure I can add anything the 100 other reviews don't cover, I can make some comparisons to the somewhat simular and much less expensive Stokkebye.

The pouch note smells less like booze and more like cake, much like another irish whiskey blend, Erin Go Bragh. It's a collection of very thinly shredded dark brown tobaccos with a few bright burleys just to mix things up. Straight out of the tin, the blend seemed pretty moist which became extremely apparent on packing, and especially lighting. It was very, very hard to get it to stay lit. And it sports some bite which discourages hard hitting (although not as much bite as the Stokkebye #2).

Once I (finally) got it going, I was treated to a very middle-of-the-road smoke. That's not necessarily a bad thing, mind you. It seems that Peterson is going for a very mild smoke, and that's exactly what they achieve. Mild, smooth, with very subtle casing. Notes of honey and caramel. Oddly, no vanilla. Which is the note irish whiskey is somewhat famous for. It does pack a lot of vitamin N for a aromatic (although I think not as much as the Stokkebye, although the jury's still out on that matter. At any rate, it's close).

All in all, a mild, pleasent smoke that gets the job done in the nicotine department. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the blend, but there's also nothing so right that compels one to indulge it's higher price tag on the regular.

Taking the advice of some of the other reviewers, I opted to open the tin and let it air out for a few days. I must agree with that approach as it worked well for me. Some may say that it is a “cross-over” blend and not a full on aro and that may be the case as it is on the border, but for me I would classify it as a light aromatic that is pleasantly sweet. I didn't taste a lot of whiskey flavor in the blend although there seems to be a light tin note of whiskey. It doesn't leave my pipe wet and burns cleanly. This is an aro with some kick as Lady N makes herself known, although not in an overpowering way. Considering that Peterson also makes Irish Flake and University Flake, I would gage the nicotine as less than those two blends. Having finished my tin of Irish Whiskey, it was worth the cost of the tin, however I am not sure if it will be making another appearance in the cellar as it was good, but not memorable. Recommended.

Everyone who dislikes this blend has the same problem, "no whiskey flavor, too strong, smoke casuses coughing, intolerable room note". Literally every one of these problems can be solved by one thing; let the tobacco age for about a month!

I love the taste of this stuff. The only problem I have is keeping it lit after 3/4 the way down. I don't really smell the whiskey, either. Still and all I love it. Maybe it's my inexperiance but I had no problem with keeping Irish Oak lit (which I love as well.) This tobacco will give you a little buzz for sure, which I like. So far I've really enjoyed all Peterson's tobacco I've tried. I'm looking to get my hands on Irish Flake next.