Rattray Old Gowrie

In the tin this tobacco looks and smells just like it's cousin, Hal O' the Wynd. The flavor profile when smoking it is quite a bit different though. It's not as sweet as HOtW and contains more spice and is more savory. There are quite a few plum/raisin hints in the smoke as well. The kentucky and perique take center stage, unlike HOtW which is more VA balanced by kentucky and perique. The virginia flavor is present in the smoke, but its more subdued. It smokes beautifully down to white ash and behaves very well. Quite a tasty VaPer that has a bit more of a nic kick than HOtW.

Here is my review of HoTW just for comparison.

"Mellow and creamy flavorful smoke with absolutely no bite or harshness whatsoever. Gorgeous broken flake of medium brown and red virginias with a few light specs here and there. Its a bit wet right from the tin, but still ready to go. Lighting takes a bit to get it rolling, but behaves wonderfully after that. Flavors of sweet red virginia take full and center stage. Not overly complex flavors and doesn't take a lot of contemplation. Flavors of bread, sweet but subdued fruit, dark and rich sweetness but not cloying, along with slight hints of hay and tangy tartness come through. Not much if any spice at all with a few citrus notes."

A great deal has already been said about this tobacco so I'm going to keep it brief. It is good quality, it's tasty and interesting. I think there might just be a little latakia added if you ask me. The perique content is light but there for sure. The Virginia's are sweet. It's too moist in the tin and will need some drying. Too dry and it becomes somewhat harsh in my opinion. I like it and many others do too. It's a legend of a tobacco. It's not my favourite but was for a while. It's worth the money and should be tried if you haven't already. No bite and easy to smoke.

Very enjoyable tobacco, nice sweet flavor of VA's, almost like pumpkin or something, smokes cool and smooth. Just about all you'd ever want from a VA. Definitely recommended.

This is very pleasant Virginia tobacco. Yes, there is a touch of Kentucky and perique, but they are in the background. You can get a bit of nose tingle from the perique, but I would nevertheless rate this as a Virginia rather than a VaPer. A pleasant oatish flavor with the natural sweetness of Virginia provides a taste that does not tire the palate. The mellow flavor contrasts with the sharpness of its Rattray sibling HOTW. I prefer Old Gowrie, although I can understand why some would like better the edge of HOTW. The room note is a pleasant, natural tobacco variety. Old Gowrie does not require great care to avoid tongue bite aside from those smokers who are most sensitive to that danger in Virgina mixtures.

My tin is now nearing the bottom only because I've had to mix this evenly with MB's Burley, resulting in a rather nicer smoke. I fully expected to like OG more than I did; I like light VAs, especially F&T's. Why this is so harsh in my mouth is a mystery. It never settles in and remains astringent and sharp, even in a new and dedicated pipe. Some VAs do that, some don't. Perhaps it's the species of critters that ferment this during the curing that cause the affliction.

At any rate, burley tends to neutralize it, but it also masks VA flavors I like so well. My next stop is Marlin Flake and hope it fares better.

Update 05/05: Refusing to give up on this, I retried in yet another pipe that finally worked well with it, an ugly pigskin pipe with a metal insert. It may have been the tobacco's age, too, but OG finally gained a seat in my VA rotation. Upgraded my recommendation accordingly.

BTW, Marlin Flake became my favorite. HOTW close second.

The tin note here is exquisite, tangy blood orange. It is certain that there is an added flavoring but it is, as said, exquisite and moreover very congruent to the tobacco smell. Old Gowrie comes in broken flakes which are quite moist and pliable but still can be smoked as they are without drying, depending on taste.

The smoke is really nice, top quality juicy tobacco with an added zestiness and tangy citrus edge from the flavoring. Slightly smoky, sweet like baked cookies. It’s not a strong tobacco though. Rather mild, but flavourful. I prefer Hal O’ the Wynd, but mainly because of its higher strength. It’s soft on the tongue but can irritate the throat somewhat if inhaled.

I find it interesting to read the numerous reviews of this tobacco. When the first reviews were done, nobody had any idea that this blend contained anything other than Virginia, and it was reviewed as such. Since the Perique and Kentucky components became known, it seems everyone can taste them! Whatever. I can taste Perique in this when I smoke it in my "Perique pipes", which are saturated with the Louisiana condiment... But it's very nice in my Virginia pipes and if I hadn't been told otherwise, I would have taken it for a straight Virginia - and a very nice one too!

The tin aroma is very nice: fresh hay, dried apricots, a medley of delicious aromas which I associate with Virginia tobaccos. The baccy arrives as a moderately well rubbed flake, and I haven't found any need to tamper with it, but smoke it as it comes. It's easy to pack, don't cram it in too tight. It takes the flame with ease, and the enjoyment begins.

The flavour is in the granary bread, fresh hay end of the Virginia spectrum, naturally sweet and quite mild. Like all Virginias, it responds well to slow, gentle smoking, and can bite if provoked. I've not experienced much progression of flavour with this tobacco, it gets into its stride and stays there till the end. There is minimal dry dottle at the end and little need for relight.

Old Gowrie is not dissimilar to Dunhill Light Flake, Orlik Golden Sliced and Holger Danske Royal Navy Flake. Compared with Marlin Flake, which is a dark, fruity, malty smoke, Old Gowrie is lighter and more in the bready light Virginia flake camp, has better combustion properties and generates less moisture. I enjoy both very much, and Old Gowrie is one that for me suits warm weather and sunny days.

My suggestion is to ignore the ingredients list and consider this a Virginia. If you come looking for a Perique hit you may be disappointed, but it's a cracking smoke if you let go of preconceptions.

Rattray's Old Gowrie ... opening the sealed canister I'm greeted with an appealing zesty fragrance thats very much like Hal of the Wynd & Marlin Flake .... reminiscent of dried hay, plums & raisins. This tobac is a VaPer that's not heavy on the Perique (which I prefer). I like smoking this blend for the clean natural tobacco flavor it imparts upon my palate. It's more earthy yet lighter on the baked bread aroma as delivered from HOWT & MF (that I thoroughly enjoy & prefer). All said, it's a good smoke but I prefer HOWT and MF to OG. This review is based upon a fresh-from-the-tin smoking experience. I'll give this some "jar time" and see if this changes my experience down the road.

My tin of Old Gowrie was cellared for 15 months before I popped the top and discovered the auburn and dark brown shreds of a fairly well rubbed-out flake. It was at a perfect moisture level, and doesn't really benefit from my customary slight drying out. I didn't find the tin note to have any distinctive or enticing aroma beyond the expected (somewhat) grassy red Virginia smell. I find that it packs, lights and burns quite nicely as presented, but I prefer to rub it out thoroughly -- and it complies by falling into nice ribbons that approach that of a thick shag. Very nice to work with.

Old Gowrie delivers a nice volume of luxurious smoke with a more or less standard red Va. taste: very smooth, with a mild flavor leaning toward, but never fully committing to, the sweet side of the spectrum. I would call it a medium strong smoke with a dark nutty flavor that reminds me of toasted almonds -- perhaps from the Kentucky leaf. And if you focus on the taste(s), I think you'll get a nice hint of caraway seed flavor.

Although this blend contains Perique, and you'll probably be able to detect its dark, brut, fruity character lurking beneath the Va., it isn't prominent enough to classify Old Gowrie as a Vaper. I think it's in there merely to mitigate whatever sharpness the Va.'s may have. By mid-bowl I often find my palate chasing, but never quite capturing, a complementary bitter element -- mostly in the finish. Well, that's enough for the close dissection of flavors. The important thing to come away with from this review is that this is a dark, kind of nutty red Va. flake. Very smooth, very soothing, very true to the leaf. It delivers nice tastes, but there's nothing exotic or complex here. Give it high marks for quality, flavor, and satisfaction; and low marks for pizzazz.