Rattray Black Mallory

I concur with the esteemed Lochinvar, below. This is a very high-quality, classic Scottish blend with perhaps equal amounts of unsweetened Black Canvendish and Latakia against a solid Turkish component. There's a beautiful sweetness to the smoke that darts in and out - very nice.

Like most of Rattray's offerings, this blend is unique and pleasing. It reminds me of a stronger Highland Targe (yet another great Rattray mixture).

It may just be me, but the tin nose of the "English" genre of Rattray blends has a consistent signature smell, not unlike the way McClelland's tins do. While McClelland's tins smell something like ketchup (or whatever), Rattray tins smell like some kind of Malt to me. I wonder if you smell the same thing?

Either way, Rattray blends are subtle and they pack and burn wonderfully right out of the can. But please, don't smoke Rattray's "English" blends if you are looking for a Latakia "knock out", because that's not the point here. Not at all. The point is balance and quality - two attributes sorely missing from a lot of contemporary English blends out there.

Use a little patience and time with this and other Rattray's blends - there's a lot to learn from them.

There are many fine English blends out there. To my taste this just isn't one of them. The flavor is medium latakia with little else to offer. It is flat, one dimensional, to my taste. It is not a bad blend so please don't misunderstand me. I'm just saying that there are so many English blends that I like that there just isn't any reason for me to want to smoke this one. The balance of Red Rapparree has been lost and the latakia dominates to the degree of being boring. Compare this to the variety of tastes in a blend like GLP Rennaisance or Dunhill London Mixture and Black Mallory is no match (excuse the pun).

Thus far, I have been impressed with the quality and smokeability of the blends chosen for review by the Royal Society. I haven't disliked a single choice, and I find that this month's selection is no exception. This is an excellent, flavorful, sweet English-style tobacco with a decent amount of Latakia. The smoke is satisfying without being overly heavy or full, and the burning properties are very good. On opening the tin, I perceive a sweet, slightly sharp aroma, balanced by the leathery note of a medium Latakia blend. The sweetness comes across as natural rather than artificially added, and I can detect no topping or casing. In appearance, the blend is approximately 1/2 black, with the remaining leaf a varied mixture of dark, medium, and light browns that is fairly attractive in appearance. The cut is medium in length, with a few unrubbed flakes mixed in here and there. The moisture level is mainly on the low side, very similar to that of GL Pease tobaccos. Packing is easy and the tobacco takes fire readily, burning to a very fine, clean white ash. Through the bowl, an average number of relights are needed. I first sampled this blend in a large Stanwell Kingsway apple. In the first third of the bowl, the taste is as varied as the aroma. There is a nice, mild sweetness that mixes well with the Latakia and other tobacco notes; no one flavor is dominant. The complexity is decent, not outstanding but far from boring. This is a fairly full smoke, medium in darkness and richness with just the slightest hint of spice. There is some bite at the start, nothing major but enough to require a certain cautiousness on the part of the smoker. I find I am especially susceptible to this, since I want to smoke quickly and get more of the excellent flavor onto my palate. In the second 1/3, the flavor is still sweet and good. There is some increased complexity, and the smoke remains a bit on the full, rich side. There is increased maturity, with the sweetness not quite as "brittle", and I find this part more enjoyable than the first. The early bite appears to have vanished, and there have thus far been no moisture problems. In the final third of the bowl, there is somewhat less sweetness present, making the leathery Latakia darker and more obvious. The spice note is also slightly stronger, and the overall complexity has continued to increase and mature. The "sour" note that I find often present in high-quality Latakia blends has just shown itself, and provides a good ending to a very nice bowl of tobacco. The smoke remains bite-free, though there are some minor moisture problems at this point. A single pipe cleaner takes care of these, however, and the bottom of the bowl burns clean and dry. Overall, I found this an excellent medium Latakia/English mixture. After my third bowl of this, I placed an order for another two tins. I would rate this as less full than Raven's Wing or Penzance, and not quite as sweet as Frog Morton. It is a decently complex, high-quality blend that I find best as an all-day or hot weather smoke. If you enjoy English tobaccos, by all means try out this one!