Rattray Old Gowrie

I bought a 100g tin of this Old Gowrie based on all the favorable reviews. Trouble is - the manufacturer has now changed to K&K of Germany so current tins might not be the same as the old favorites. I was quite surprised to find this tobacco absolutely smothered in preservative, so much so that it refused to dry out even when left to dry for a couple of weeks. The taste was okay as far as medium virginias go, but I was put off by the stickiness of the tobacco every time I loaded my pipe. Newcomers to Old Gowrie (and other Rattray tobaccos) need to be aware that production has recently changed to K&K of Germany and newer tins might not be the same as the reviews here.

I read all the raving reviews here only after smoking part of the tin of this tobacco, so my expectations were quite blank: well, I don't completely agree with the comments posted. It's certainly a quality Virginia, with a tin aroma that is more reminiscent of McClelland than of other Rattrays, but it leaves me a bit flat. It's good, balanced and not too heavy, and bites less than other Virginias (but it still does a little)... but I prefer the more marked woodsiness of Hal O' The Wynd or the incredible sweetness of Marlin Flake. I can't find some really bad things to say about this tobacco, but I'll simply leave it to those with more delicate tastes than mine. There's an exception: I smoked this tobacco in a new Peterson pipe, and the sweet notes were delicious. Probably it is due to the pipe more than to the tobacco (I'll try other Virginias in it and see if the sweetness is amplified with them, too), but it was a pleasant experience. If you want to try it, please let it dry quite a bit: it is full of humectants!

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.

This review was written for another group:

Received my order from JR in one day- can't beat that, especially since I live in a small town. The Old Gowrie got the best of me and I cracked that tin first. It's a broken flake, per se, but in really long pieces which made it hard to pack right from the tin. The color is typical of the Virginia flakes I like- yellow and tan and should be high in natural sugar content. I fired up a few pipes of the stuff during the day to get a feel for the blend. It came pretty moist and probably should have dried out some first, but it still stayed lit well and didn't add a whole lot of moisture to the smoke. Right now I'm smoking it in an old Linkman's Grabow billiard with screw off stem (like Kaywoodies) that is my Virginia Tester pipe. I rubbed the pieces out fully on a piece of paper instead of just cramming them into the bowl from the tin. My Zippo (yeah, I know- doesn't work with Virginias, but I like the old thing) fired it off with two lights and after about 5 bowls of the stuff today and yesterday, I can't see why this is supposed to be the "must try" of Virginias. The flavor is sort of musty and heavy- nothing like I expected from the light colored leaf. The aroma is excellent though, so thats a plus. I guess I was expecting the light, high, sweet notes that these Lemon Virginias usually give off and can only say I'm disapointed right now. My staple tobacco is Mac Baren VA#1 and while sweetened with sugar, is more up my alley than this stuff. I bought 2 tins each of Old Gowrie and Hal o the Wynd, so one tin will be for ageing regardless...I just hope this open tin changes some when it dries out. I know I'm the minority with this review (see tobaccoreviews.com and the P&T mag about Rattrays) but this tin needs to really "wake" up before I can enjoy it. EW



UPDATE**** The tin has been open almost 3 months now and I'll admit it's much better than new. Also, I've learned to pack a bowl and let it sit for an hour or so before smoking and that helps a bunch too.

When I got this tin I must admit that I hadn't done much research on the blend, had I done so I probably wouldn't have got it (I've never really had much love for Kohlhase and Kopp blends). It's not a bad blend as such, it has a great creamy tobacco taste with some spice, but it burns very hot (I find that with a lot of Euro rather than British blended tobacco) and I get tongue bite (or 'burley bite') from nearly every bowl of it in various different pipes. Yes, I try and 'sip' but have never been particularly good at that ultra slow smoking style so this really isn't for me at all (burley as a whole isn't). On first opening a couple of weeks ago I also got a strong whiff of what seemed to me like over-cooked cabbage or other greens which didn't help, but that has lessened now. One for a fan of Danish style blends perhaps, rather than English, but either way I can't go with the majority on here with this one, sorry!

My first Rattray blend. Virginia with Kentucky and a hint of Perique. Musky, fermented smell with dry fig and raisin undertones. The wet broken flake packs and smokes well from the tin. A light Perique blend with a decent amount of flavor that will probably get better as it dries over time. The flavor is naturally sweet, tangy and has that classic fig and raisin Virginia taste with a shade of spiciness from the Perique.

Update :I sincerely expected more but the tobacco taste remains the same after a few weeks even when transferred to a jar. 2.5 stars in conclusion. There are better tobaccos with Perique on the market, Three Nuns (the square tin) being one of them.

Virginia lover

This is my first Rattray's blend. First, I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful presentation of the tobacco, and the delicate aroma in the tin. As I smoked it, the first thing I noticed is the almost total absence of toppings, which is a must for me. Next, it took a while for the taste of this blend to shine, yet I was patient. As the bowl progressed, the taste profile was properly presented. It has a wonderfully rather sweet taste of roasted nuts, baked bread, and other delightful things alike. The taste remained throughout the bowl, with no added complexity, yet quite pleasing. The nicotine level was rather mild, which is not something I prefer. More so, there was a general lack of "oomph" to the blend. This would have been a fantastic top blend had it been "amplified" in terms of strength as the bowl progressed. I wanted that. I waited for that. I intently smoked hoping for that, but it never came. It remained mild, only hinting at what could have been. As such, although it has a truly delightful taste, it is just too weak for an experienced smoker like myself, who prefer much stronger Burley based blends.

UPDATE (a week after): It is growing on me! I must say, after it dries a bit, it has more "oomph".

I think I'm looking for more in my tobacco. I like rich, varied flavours and to me this is very one-dimensional. It is a nice taste I suppose, but there is nothing standout. This is just more my personal preference than the actual tobacco, but I'm rating this stuff so I have a reference on what to order again.

A lot of people love this, I can appreciate why, but it ain't for me.

After smoking most of a tin of this and coming to the same conclusion about it after every smoke, I think I'm ready to review this. I really like the way this starts out, very smooth and mellow but, halfway through the smoke this becomes a little too spicy for me to enjoy. A good quality tobacco but a little too much Perique for me, I think. Between this and Escudo, I enjoy Escudo more.