Rattray Hal O' the Wynd

I have had a long love-affair with the Rattray's Virginias; moving back and fourth between this, Old Gowrie, Marlin Flake, Brown Clunee, and finally back to this. In my opinion these blends (with the possible exception of Marlin) are so similar in profile, that it really comes down to how strong you prefer your blends to be, and how much Perique/KY influence you are looking for. Really, that is part of what makes the lineup brilliant; there is something for everyone. Hal O' the Wynd is the one for me. It not only packs the best punch, but it has the most Perique and by extension, the most interesting flavor to my tastes. I like many blends and reserve some for special occasions/aging potential, and while I do have some Hal in the cellar, I mostly smoke it fresh. There is always a 500g jar on my desk and I smoke this when nothing else sounds good, or when I want to break-in a pipe, or when I need something familiar, satisfying and easy to enjoy. The backbone of my rotation.

Having smoked my way through several 100gm tins of this now I've a few thoughts about it I feel might be worth adding to the many reviews already here.

Tastewise, I find it pretty flavourful for a blend that stresses the Virginia/Kentucky (I don't mean to insult VA blends, merely that a Latikia-heavy blend will always have a more pronounced flavour than a blend such as HOTW). The Perique adds a depth I find straight VAs lack.

What seems to make a big difference to the flavour is the pipe itself and how it is packed. I smoke clays, which means the bowls are generally not huge, and narrow and deep in proportions. Packed loosley, HOTW is a good, medium flavoured VA/Per type blend, with little variation as the bowl burns down. Rubbed out and packed quite tightly then smoked slowly it gradually develops a very marked and remarkable sweetness that starts around the half way point the nbuilds and builds which compliments the initial spiciness very well.

It's a very deceptive blend. I first found it very basic, montone and simple, but began to appreciate it more as I got the taste for it and experimented with how I pack the pipe. It's a bit like those wines or good-quality beers,ciders and coffees that you don't think are anything particularly outstanding at first but grow on you over time.

If puffed at frantically it can (and will) bite like a starving piranha, but with a little care it's possible to get it to produce large quantities of smoke without biting at all. What you can't do is smoke it absent-mindedly. Not unless you're fond of hot tongue syndrome, anyway.

Overall, as I got the "feel" for HTOW it's raised itself from "OK but nothing that remarkable" to a through the day regular. I prefer Old Gowrie as the "breakfast" pipe with coffee, but then tend to find HOTW suits more later on.

As far as nicotine goes, I'd call it a medium, with Nightcap/Artisan's Blend counting as "High" and the Captain Black aromatics counting as "low". Slightly stronger than Erinmore Balkan Mix or Dunhill Early Morning, perhaps and certainly strong for a blend of this type.

Overall I'd recommend giving it a try, it's an excellent example of its type of blend. Just treat it with a little caution at first unless you're used to VA/Per blends already and be prepared to put in a little patience.

PS.. It will build cake at high speed if you're looking to break in a new briar and, unlike English or aromatics blends is unlikely to cause too much ghosting.

If you are looking for a blend that bursts with flavors and knocks your socks off, you probably won't think much of this. However, this is a really solid mixture. I can mostly agree with JimInks' views, although I find it a bit more on the earthy side than he does. I think pipers looking for a solid, mildly complex, middle-of-the-road blend should give this a try. I wish I had years ago. 3 1/2 stars.

I don't know why it took me so long to get around to filling a bowl with this brawny old Virginia, but I'm glad I finally did. The problem is that with all of the glowing reviews surrounding this blend, it's hard to find your way to the tobacco. It's hard to smoke and look directly into the sun at the same time.

It's not, sadly, my life changing tobacco. I won't remember it as well as I remember my first...um...time.

But it is absolutely a very fine Virginia. It arrives partially rubbed out and with that natural honeyed raisin tin aroma characteristic of pure, mature Virginias. It packs well, smokes well, and produces generous quantities of honeyed smoke. I think it smells like a bumble-bee fart. And that's a good thing.

I do, however, find it a little coarse on the palate and so it works best for me in the longest stem I can find.

As much as I like this, I have to admit that I started my Virginia tour in the Wessex camp and nothing about 'Hal' makes me want to leave.

Okay this is a great blend. ROTT it was a little green and so I waited 6 months. 6-24 months it was great still a little bite but not bad. Perique lead the way for me with pepper and plum with the VA's right behind sharp and toasty, a little tangy and sweet. The KY added depth to the smoke but remained in the background. However, I have just finished a jar that is 3yrs and 4 months old. The profile has changed and quite a lot for such a short time. It could be that my taste has changed and/or developed. In any case the KY's spice seems at the front now. The VA's have softened and sweetened a little. The perique which was out front is still present but comes in and out and stays more in the background now. I like this blend at the 6-24 month mark. I take aging into consideration as it is important to me. Would love for others to update as it ages too.

This is a nicely packaged/presented 100g tin, cool artwork as well. I liked this blend a good deal. Needed some drying time for the broken flakes and then I was off. Smoked clean and had a simple yet compelling woodsy, peppery flavor, just the right amount of sweetness. VAs are not my usual fare, but as far as this one goes, its a winner.

A strong, stout Va/Per. Virginia forward. Perique is muted. Beware: Sip this one or suffer the consequences. Very rewarding for the experienced VA/Per or VA smoker, but not the best choice as an introduction to the genre. A niche blend. Good nicotine content - recovering cigarette smokers will like this one.

Update 11/2013: I find that I enjoy this blend much more in a large-bowled cob. The unique flavors from the cob just seem to do this blend justice and mellow it out a touch.

HOTW is another nice addition to my favoured VA tastes. That said, I do prefer it's stablemate OG. I'll also smoke FVF for when I want a richer and fuller experience, but that's not to take anything away from HOTW.

I find HOTW is less sweet tasting than the other two mentioned, and has a very slight peppery feel to it. Albiet a very mild one..

All in all a quality tobacco that comes in a lovely tin!

I did not find HOW to be either sharp in taste or strong in nicotine. It is a very pleasant Virginia which I can smoke all day with pleasure, but given the options of Old Gowrie or Marlin Flake, either of those would win hands down for taste and Full Virginia Flake for nicotine content. I am partial to Rattray blends and would recommend this unreservedly as a smooth mid-strength product, good, even very good, but not quite great.