Rattray Old Gowrie

This tobacco changed the way I feel about pipe smoke. It is the portal to all Virginas, easy to smoke, never biting, natural but composite to your nose, consistant through all the bowl.

The best thing after several tins and pipes, is that the flavour is there from beginning to end. I am not much into Perique, but it IS there and it's great.

Would recommend to fill the bowl and leave it there for a good while before lighting.

Living in the US I have always thought of Rattray’s tobaccos as something fine and rare, and their original, Perth-blended offerings were certainly that. And the current K&K version of Old Gowrie, if less rare, is good enough, IMO, to represent the marque and the genre, as well. To me, the scent from a fresh tin is enough to make me want to smoke it on the spot. While the varietals in the blend are clearly discernable, the lot is also floral, nutty and fruity; downright edible. I find the taste and the scents at the match to be delightful, and drying it out some before smoking it, and taking it slow, sustains this effect all through the smoke. The VAs used are sweet and grassy. The KY is "light" for its ilk, round and nutty before smoky. The Perique is plummy before spicy. Smoking it wet or pulling harder can override the more delicate qualities with bolder tastes that include more piquancy, more tannin and "smoke", and more “pepper”, and, of course, there is a range of scents and tastes to be discovered in between. OG, typical of premium, Old School tobaccos, lights and burns well right from the tin. Strength edges toward strong at tin moisture, and it's medium when it’s dry. Tastes are medium, with delicate side streams. I love the aroma, but don’t underestimate the Perique when considering the room note. Aftertaste is just fine, in good accord with the smoke. There is enough VA in the blend to make it worth aging (if you can stay away from it...).

If anyone were to ask me to recommend a VA/Bur/Per, I would first mention Rattray’s Old Gowrie. IMO, if there is a VA/Bur/Per for the masses, this is it, and it's also a nice intro to KY.

The twin brother of 5100 mcclelland but old Gowrie burns better and is less greasy and refined taste.

If you like straight red virginia,go there do not be afraid of Perique or strength kentucky the two are very subtle much softer and less powerful than hal o the wynd. Old Gowrie probably one of the best red virginia easy perique on market

Purchased a 50g tin from a store in Germany.i wish i had purchased more of this miracle blend!the tin discription says .I totally agree!when you crack the tin a sweet,citrusy and spicy smell comes out.the moisture level is a bit high and might need some rubbing.packs ok and lights with some effort.some relights might needed too.while burning OMG!the flavours are very rich and pleasing!sweet fruits,citruses.figs ,spices and some grass notes!i also got some nuts occasionally.burns slow and mediun,very clean to total ash.the nicotine level is medium.leaves no dumbness or moisture at the end of the bowl.the room note is somewhat pleasant to others.has lots of similarities with Hal O ' The Wynd with more tense flavours and tastes.do i recommend it as an all day smoke?definitelly!added to my favourite list!

Old Gowrie sits on top of a pillar in the world of VA+ blends. I love this stuff, and my first experience with it is what made me a confirmed pipe smoker. The glowing reviews are deserved. If I had to pick only one tobacco, this would be it.

I call it and it’s bretheren VA+ blends, as there are other components but they are used in a fashion to support the VA rather than add their own complexity. As a matter of fact, for the first few years I smoked this stuff it didn’t appear to be widely known that the blend contained Perique and DFK, it was something of a debate on the forums with people swearing that Old Gowrie was a straight VA. I was in the latter camp, thinking that it was just the processing and the darker leaf used that gave this blend its spiciness and full body.

Old Gowrie might be the only blend I smoke that with every bowl I think...”man this stuff is good!” It evolves slowly as you smoke, as time goes on becoming spicey and peppery, tingly in the nostrils...but with a solid foundation of sweet VAs that are really in their own camp flavor wise. The Nic is right, just a little past medium in my experience. Very satisfying and a good morning smoke if you need a little blast to get you going.

I find the smoke to be complex enough to constantly discover something new but not so complex that it becomes a bit of a mess...I can smoke Old Gowrie and enjoy the blend as a whole, and also slow down and let myself pick apart some nuances if I’m feeling so inclined. While complexity is definitely a positive attribute, I find that in certain situations it can be a distraction to my smoking experience...sometimes I feel as though I’ve wasted a bowlful as I can’t fully concentrate or give the blend the attention it deserves. Old Gowrie is something of a middle ground for me, I can smoke it while I’m driving as an all day smoke, or sit with a bowlful on the porch and sip slowly, enjoying the woody and spicey nuances to their fullest.

It’s an absolute must try.

I have a jar with about 10 years of age on it, and this stuff ages wonderfully. I also just acquired a tin from 2013 that I’m going to hold on to until my 10 year jar is gone.

Old Gowrie is my backup plan for when the tinfoil hat doomsday preppers and gluttonous hoarders discover Best Brown Flake and make it impossible for me to smoke that for a couple of years.

It's got that excellent fruity, steamed and heat pressed Virginia smell in the tin. They've cooked the VA quite well ... it is super rich, medium flavored with no harsh taste and no bite. The Perique and dark leaf are added to enhance the VA, not to stand alone, so folks looking for a Va/Per blend should keep looking.

It's got an appropriate amount of strength, I don't have any problem smoking a bowl with breakfast but it is just fine as the afternoon wears on too. It's just a perfect, all-day Virginia smoke with the refined taste and feel of the English style. Not bad at all for Plan B.

I give her 4, I love K+K blends (Peterson's, McConnells and Rattray's). It's all been said before. For me it's very similar to Scottish Cake but without the Perique and a little more subtle. I love Marlin Flake and I will make a point of trying HOTW asap...OG is a great baccy for a beginner to access what a good non-aromatic is really like.

Old Gowrie seems to fit the bill for lovers of that bread-like Medium Red Virginia taste. Sometimes this variety of Virginia is ghost-like or difficult to taste but not with Old Gowrie. You get that filling bread taste for the whole bowl. The Dark Fired Kentucky acts as a slightly spicey condiment that helps bring out that bread taste rather than giving a traditional dark fired taste. The Perique does the same and if you are feeling like it, you can get the peppery taste by letting some go up your nose. I can see why this tobacco is usually out of stock. To me it is a quintessential red virginia blend and should be in everyone's cellar. The nicotine is not potent but it satisfies and it can bite but only when you are on your third or fourth pipe, which can happen without a person even realizing it.

Without hesitation, this is a 4 star blend all the way...a personal favorite, alongside HOTW, that will always be a member of the cellar and rotation. Not a fan on first smoke? Try giving it at minimum about 6 months to a year of rest. I didnt find much remarkable about either blend right out of fresh tins, but just as with HOTW, OG really blossoms with just a smidgen of age. Literally, the change in volume and flavor is night and day - you must try it to believe it. I don't know how Rattray pulls it off, but it's pretty phenomenal.

Rattray's big 3 are all deservedly well-reviewed and expertly blended. The components of OG are in perfect proportional balance and play very well off one another. You get primarily the deep, brooding sweetness and tang of VAs with plum and pepper bass notes off the perique. It's pleasantly rounded off with mild smokiness and dark tea notes coming from the delicious Kentucky. The smoke begins heavier on the VA and perique and transitions to a more kentucky-forward flavor profile as the bowl progresses. Rattray's may well have created the vapers(or vaburpers) of my dreams.

OG is long and cool smoking, and never bites if puffed within reason. Volumes of creamy, flavorful smoke. It's naturally quite moist in the tin and will need about a half hour of dry time for maximum enjoyment. Can't recommend Rattray's enough, especially to fans of Kentucky leaf. I foresee many more purchases in my future endeavors.