Rattray Old Gowrie
(3.47)
Fine, dark Virginia, Kentucky and a hint of perique are ripen in the press for up to 3 months, then cut and rubbed by hand.
Details
| Brand | Rattray |
| Series | British Collection |
| Blended By | Kohlhase, Kopp und Co. KG |
| Manufactured By | |
| Blend Type | Virginia Based |
| Contents | Kentucky, Perique, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Broken Flake |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin, 100 grams tin, 1 pound bag |
| Country | Germany |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.47 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 11 - 20 of 27 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2010 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Tolerable |
I love what Rattray are about: the Old-World style of no-nonsense tobacco, right through to the elegant house-style of the packaging; a subtle change here and there, detailing one blend from Its near neighbour on all those cream tins.
As one of a small sub-group of closely related Rattray blends, Old Gowrie is, perhaps, a useful reference point for those of us also drawn to Marlin Flake, and HOTW. Old Gowrie would seem to serve as a happy median, with Its full taste and voluptuous strength, working some serious toil to compensate for Its obviously lower nicotine content. Impressive indeed.
However, I found that Old Gowrie fell a little short of my initially positive impressions, and my affection for it - and interest in it - has slowly waned over time. Through the weeks I've had my tin, that hint of perique has grown to become something of an annoyance from a minor doubt, and if it weren't for Its inclusion, Old Gowrie would smoke like a piper's dream. Sadly though, I find it undermines the subtle sweetness of malted raisins and dates, through a slightly uncomfortable, prickly heat that never quite sits flush with the rest of the blend.
It's not quite conducive to a relaxed and contemplative mood, and strangely, my temperament seems to err towards a testy angst after smoking it.
As one of a small sub-group of closely related Rattray blends, Old Gowrie is, perhaps, a useful reference point for those of us also drawn to Marlin Flake, and HOTW. Old Gowrie would seem to serve as a happy median, with Its full taste and voluptuous strength, working some serious toil to compensate for Its obviously lower nicotine content. Impressive indeed.
However, I found that Old Gowrie fell a little short of my initially positive impressions, and my affection for it - and interest in it - has slowly waned over time. Through the weeks I've had my tin, that hint of perique has grown to become something of an annoyance from a minor doubt, and if it weren't for Its inclusion, Old Gowrie would smoke like a piper's dream. Sadly though, I find it undermines the subtle sweetness of malted raisins and dates, through a slightly uncomfortable, prickly heat that never quite sits flush with the rest of the blend.
It's not quite conducive to a relaxed and contemplative mood, and strangely, my temperament seems to err towards a testy angst after smoking it.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 21, 2009 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Mild | Tolerable |
i don't get this blend, it just doesn't work for me. nothing exciting about it, just boring ok tasting VA. i want to like this blend but it's just missing something.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 14, 2008 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant |
This was the first Rattray's tobacco I tried and also the first 'good' straight Virginia. I enjoyed it.
The tin presentation is great. Rough broken flake with a complex hay/moss/grass/peat note. An easy tobacco to pack and light. One char was usually enough for me. The flavour/strength mix is very well balanced. Neither is very strong. The complexity of the Virginias remain delicate and interesting throughout the bowl, with the overall mildness keeping the flavours forefront.
That said, it is a little too mild for me, so I tend to go at it too hard. That way it gets too hot, sharp and it bites. With discipline, and when I am not after a robust smoke, this is a fine tobacco.
The tin presentation is great. Rough broken flake with a complex hay/moss/grass/peat note. An easy tobacco to pack and light. One char was usually enough for me. The flavour/strength mix is very well balanced. Neither is very strong. The complexity of the Virginias remain delicate and interesting throughout the bowl, with the overall mildness keeping the flavours forefront.
That said, it is a little too mild for me, so I tend to go at it too hard. That way it gets too hot, sharp and it bites. With discipline, and when I am not after a robust smoke, this is a fine tobacco.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 09, 2008 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Mild | Tolerable |
I don't see the point of buying this one and not Hal O' the Wynd.. The second comes with a smoky character and low bite risks!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 27, 2008 | Medium | Mild | Medium | Tolerable |
I was looking forward to trying this for a long time with great expectations. I smoked Hal O' the Wynd and Red Rapparee and though they were quite good.
I am being generous giving this a 2 star rating. The tin I tried is over a year old, so I don't think age was an issue. I tried this in several pretty good pipes and it just doesn't do it for me. Oddly enough, I tried it in a brand new pipe and it tasted fairly good - thus the two stars.
Old Gowrie seems to be very pipe dependent.
Maybe it's a bad tin or maybe it is the inconsistency of Rattray tobacco that some mention. This was a 50 gr. tin. I do have 100 gr. tin in the cellar that I will try later. At this point, I am disappointed. I have had much better straight virginias.
I am being generous giving this a 2 star rating. The tin I tried is over a year old, so I don't think age was an issue. I tried this in several pretty good pipes and it just doesn't do it for me. Oddly enough, I tried it in a brand new pipe and it tasted fairly good - thus the two stars.
Old Gowrie seems to be very pipe dependent.
Maybe it's a bad tin or maybe it is the inconsistency of Rattray tobacco that some mention. This was a 50 gr. tin. I do have 100 gr. tin in the cellar that I will try later. At this point, I am disappointed. I have had much better straight virginias.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 23, 2007 | Mild | Mild | Very Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Well first of all i have to tell you that i bought the italian yellow 100g.tin. I love virginias so after reading all the rewiews here i decided to buy this tobacco. Well as soon as i opened the tin the smell was great, creamy but not so sweet, so i smoke my first bowl with great satisfaction. sweet and tolerable room note fresh smoke pleasant smooth taste. I thought it was a great choice for virginia's lovers.i used to smoke Va's in the morning so the day after i smoked another bowl, but the feeling was not the same, taste was diminished and the aroma-smell too..After 10 days, i'm going to finish the tin but the tobacco now have changed completely..Aroma decreased a lot as the taste and the smell. now it'a a light flat flavoured tobacco. the only raccomandation that i can suggest it to smoke this old gowrie as soon as possible when you open the tin.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 16, 2007 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Very Mild | Pleasant |
I hope I'm not double posting this review here. I just finished trying to post and my finger hit an odd key sequence and my post disappeared. I'll try to recreate what I wrote:
I just received my first can of Old Gowrie today, which I ordered based upon the recommendations in this thread. With the caveat that I've only smoked one bowl, I must say that so far I am not impressed. Has Rattray's changed the formula since the four star folks tasted it? Did I get a bad can? Have I just become set in my tastes? Who knows?
Upon opening, I found the tobacco to be very damp, so I let the can sit open for a few hours before loading my first bowl. I found the can aroma to be very pleasant with just a slight sweet smell. Blackwood's Flake is my favorite Virginia to date, so I find myself comparing all other Virginias to it. However, I hate the smell of BF despite how much I love it as a smoke. This stuff smells great in the can, but doesn't compare to BF in taste for me. I know this is a trivial comment, but the can printing also lacks any character. For a premium priced tobacco, the can looks cheap. Single color and poor printing on cheap cardboard. Ultimately, I found that the tobacco was as plain as the can.
It packed well, with the cut being somewhat finer that that of other 'flake type' Virginias such as BF. After a toasting light and a light tamp, it lit into a nice full, creamy smoke with...almost no flavor. It completely lacks the depth, character and taste of BF.
I figured I'd give it some time to develop as I smoked through the bowl, but found that it did not get any more complex. I found myself drawing a little too hard, probably in an attempt to coax some flavor, but just started getting a hint of bite instead. Ultimately, I regressed back to my usual Virginia tempo, gently drawing in a relaxed and unhurried manner. I saw smoke coming from my draws, but will be darned if I'd know that the pipe was lit if I was blindfolded. The taste did not match the volume and density of smoke.
As I progressed through the bowl, the taste did become more spicy, but in a way that most tobaccos do as the combustion products build up on the unburned tobacco in the bowl.
Again, this was only my first bowl, but I found it to be much less than satisfying. I'll revisit this post as I work through the can, but may find it difficult to choose this tobacco as my relaxation smoke as long as I have cans of BF in my stash. In fact, I'm going in and opening a new can og BF now for tomorrow night.
I just received my first can of Old Gowrie today, which I ordered based upon the recommendations in this thread. With the caveat that I've only smoked one bowl, I must say that so far I am not impressed. Has Rattray's changed the formula since the four star folks tasted it? Did I get a bad can? Have I just become set in my tastes? Who knows?
Upon opening, I found the tobacco to be very damp, so I let the can sit open for a few hours before loading my first bowl. I found the can aroma to be very pleasant with just a slight sweet smell. Blackwood's Flake is my favorite Virginia to date, so I find myself comparing all other Virginias to it. However, I hate the smell of BF despite how much I love it as a smoke. This stuff smells great in the can, but doesn't compare to BF in taste for me. I know this is a trivial comment, but the can printing also lacks any character. For a premium priced tobacco, the can looks cheap. Single color and poor printing on cheap cardboard. Ultimately, I found that the tobacco was as plain as the can.
It packed well, with the cut being somewhat finer that that of other 'flake type' Virginias such as BF. After a toasting light and a light tamp, it lit into a nice full, creamy smoke with...almost no flavor. It completely lacks the depth, character and taste of BF.
I figured I'd give it some time to develop as I smoked through the bowl, but found that it did not get any more complex. I found myself drawing a little too hard, probably in an attempt to coax some flavor, but just started getting a hint of bite instead. Ultimately, I regressed back to my usual Virginia tempo, gently drawing in a relaxed and unhurried manner. I saw smoke coming from my draws, but will be darned if I'd know that the pipe was lit if I was blindfolded. The taste did not match the volume and density of smoke.
As I progressed through the bowl, the taste did become more spicy, but in a way that most tobaccos do as the combustion products build up on the unburned tobacco in the bowl.
Again, this was only my first bowl, but I found it to be much less than satisfying. I'll revisit this post as I work through the can, but may find it difficult to choose this tobacco as my relaxation smoke as long as I have cans of BF in my stash. In fact, I'm going in and opening a new can og BF now for tomorrow night.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 08, 2007 | Medium to Strong | Medium | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
I am sure this is a good tobacco for VA lovers. It's just not for me. I did not like the taste and found it on the harsh side. Burns hot. If you like Virginia tobaccos, try it. All of the positive reviews can't be wrong.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 21, 2006 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
faintly sweet, grassy, oat like -lemon?? complex and never boring.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 14, 2006 | Very Mild | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant |
I started in the Rattray's world with Old Gowrie. The description said "Full Dark Virginia, ready -rubbed", so I was full of hope and anticipation when I received and hurriedly opened my first tin. But those noble and positive feelings became disappointment: I was surprised to discover a light to medium brown tobacco with a predominant grassy smell!!! So much for Dark, I started mumbling in a grumpy fashion.
Alright, I told myself, so be it. C'est la vie. I must take this with philosophy and remain strong. Worse things happen, but I'm sure you all understand how it feels when you've been expecting the tobacco for more than a week and had all those marvelous expectations...that might not be fulfilled. Ah well, I got over it: after all, it's a Rattray's tobacco. It certainly still is a very good start. The flakes are already broken down in a convenient size, they barely need extra rubbing before filling.
Although this blend is way too mild for me, it is still very nice - of course, it's Rattray's!!! and, thus, of outstanding quality. Old Gowrie smokes extremely well, has just a tiny sweet taste that puts a smile on my grumpy soul but I needed to pay a lot of attention to my smoking in order to get a real satisfaction out of it. It smokes dry all the way down, and has no detectable flavoring. My wife - I can't help invoking her, I smoke mostly inside, at home, so she's my witness- loves the room note of Old Gowrie, just like Marlin Flake's...but this about Old Gowrie, right?
So, to summarize, I will not rebuy Old Gowrie, for the simple reason that it is too mild for my own taste. It's still a gorgeous straight VA that will make people happy. A great tobacco for beginners in VA's!
Alright, I told myself, so be it. C'est la vie. I must take this with philosophy and remain strong. Worse things happen, but I'm sure you all understand how it feels when you've been expecting the tobacco for more than a week and had all those marvelous expectations...that might not be fulfilled. Ah well, I got over it: after all, it's a Rattray's tobacco. It certainly still is a very good start. The flakes are already broken down in a convenient size, they barely need extra rubbing before filling.
Although this blend is way too mild for me, it is still very nice - of course, it's Rattray's!!! and, thus, of outstanding quality. Old Gowrie smokes extremely well, has just a tiny sweet taste that puts a smile on my grumpy soul but I needed to pay a lot of attention to my smoking in order to get a real satisfaction out of it. It smokes dry all the way down, and has no detectable flavoring. My wife - I can't help invoking her, I smoke mostly inside, at home, so she's my witness- loves the room note of Old Gowrie, just like Marlin Flake's...but this about Old Gowrie, right?
So, to summarize, I will not rebuy Old Gowrie, for the simple reason that it is too mild for my own taste. It's still a gorgeous straight VA that will make people happy. A great tobacco for beginners in VA's!
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