Rattray Old Gowrie

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.

My son is trying to get me off aromatics.

I thought this was going to be some deep, dark, rich blend with a satisfing taste throughout the bowl.

After one bowl in my old savinelli and another in a corn cob (as a last resort) I can report to these battered old taste buds that this blend is none of the things above.

It's gotta be me. It's gotta be.

My last dalliance with Rattrays I think.

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.

I prefer the mild-medium strength virginias. (Fits better to my taste, maybe 'cause i use mostly non filtered pipes.) It is a mild-medium, so strenght for me: 4/4

I'm not a big aromatic fan, especially do not like strong toppings on VA blends. This baccy gives the sweet natural VA line with a good balanced perique support. (Pq is absolutely detectable from the beginning till the end of the bowl.) Flavoring and taste: 4/4

I think the room note should be a discrete pure pipe-tobacco smell. Smokable even in a party. 3/4

A nice mild va/per smoke. 4 stars.

This is my favorite tobacoo all times...Quality leaf of virginia...Package is fine but its needs to dry 1-2 hours...

Uniq and great taste...Everything is perfect for me...

No need to say too much if you are virginia fans this tobacco best of the best...

A 4 star tobacco for all times.

I try to dry this blend as much as I can for a fully satisfying smoke. The flavorful and cool smoke is suitible for an every hour and day smoke. I realy enjoy the fine and clean virginia taste with this blend.

Very similar to Hal'o the Wynd, but much more bland. I strongly recommend it for meerschaum users in their meerschaum pipes. Have it for your daily smokes and in your cellar forever!

I was not happy with Old Gowrie. It did not bite. It burned beautifully. I could not get very much flavor out this blend. I did notice a burley presence. It is on the strong side of medium.

I will explore Old Gowrie further, but I cannot highly recommend Old Gowrie, when there are many blends I would recommend before this.

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.

I let this age in a jar for about two years before really going to town on it. Then I let it dry out for about 24 hours and let it rest in a tin with the lid on for a few days before rubbing it out to thin ribbons. Your mileage may vary. I don't get a ton of Perique flavour from this. A little spice in the latter half of the bowl. This is mostly a fruity Virginia, some breadyness, cereal, a good amount of sweetness, but the Kentucky, for me, puts this over the top. It's in just the right proportion. Not really smoky. Just a slightly herbal spice. Simply delicious.