With Dunhill in danger of extinction, I felt it time to visit this reissue. Shrug it off as no big loss or worth a trunk of gold.
My first impression of Ye Olde Signe was initially a cross between Royal Yacht and Elizabethan Mixture, some what like a stronger version of C&D Briar Fox. Elizabethan Mixture was a horrible let down. I couldn't stand the topping and the perique was....well, where the hell was it. The Virginia content in Elizabethan is similiar to Ye Olde Signe but more in the class of Royal yacht. The topping on the Old Signe is more like the plum flavor of Royal Yacht but I detect a little more of a liquor element. It's not overwhelming at all and allows the virginias to meld into a unified flavor. Royal Yacht seems to have predominantly darker virginias, the Olde Signe has some lighter leaf. I agree with Jim's review, that the Virginia base used in Olde Signe may be the same as Royal Yacht. (I believe he wrote that) I would have to admit that the Royal Yacht has been knocked out of the number one spot its held with me, and Olde Signe has taken its place. Hands down. It's a cool smoke and the flavors right at the end of the bowl are some of the best Virginia flavors I've tasted. Very Malty. It lags from time to time though. The flavor has a vanishing effect, where there is little flavor, but then opens up when you least expect it to. It has a wonderful false light aroma, and leaves a delicious delicate room note. There are tea notes from time to time and that's what makes this blend really special. It's that toasted Malty Tea note that grows intense at the last embers that keep me coming back. The Nicotine is about the same as Royal Yacht. Decent in a Meerschaum, but stellar in a Briar. It also holds up in a cob. It burns fast, so it needs to be smoked slow, as if any Virginia smoker needs to be told to smoke slow. I'm defiantly not shrugging this one off, but it's still not worth a trunk of gold. Smoking a whole bowl to chase those last embers is gratifying, but not worth the fortune to take it off the market in the name of hoarding. Ye Olde Signe will find enough room in the cellar before it goes the way of the dinosaur, no doubt. Perhaps C&D will buy the rights to the Dunhill brand, but I'm probably falling victim to my own fantasies.
My first impression of Ye Olde Signe was initially a cross between Royal Yacht and Elizabethan Mixture, some what like a stronger version of C&D Briar Fox. Elizabethan Mixture was a horrible let down. I couldn't stand the topping and the perique was....well, where the hell was it. The Virginia content in Elizabethan is similiar to Ye Olde Signe but more in the class of Royal yacht. The topping on the Old Signe is more like the plum flavor of Royal Yacht but I detect a little more of a liquor element. It's not overwhelming at all and allows the virginias to meld into a unified flavor. Royal Yacht seems to have predominantly darker virginias, the Olde Signe has some lighter leaf. I agree with Jim's review, that the Virginia base used in Olde Signe may be the same as Royal Yacht. (I believe he wrote that) I would have to admit that the Royal Yacht has been knocked out of the number one spot its held with me, and Olde Signe has taken its place. Hands down. It's a cool smoke and the flavors right at the end of the bowl are some of the best Virginia flavors I've tasted. Very Malty. It lags from time to time though. The flavor has a vanishing effect, where there is little flavor, but then opens up when you least expect it to. It has a wonderful false light aroma, and leaves a delicious delicate room note. There are tea notes from time to time and that's what makes this blend really special. It's that toasted Malty Tea note that grows intense at the last embers that keep me coming back. The Nicotine is about the same as Royal Yacht. Decent in a Meerschaum, but stellar in a Briar. It also holds up in a cob. It burns fast, so it needs to be smoked slow, as if any Virginia smoker needs to be told to smoke slow. I'm defiantly not shrugging this one off, but it's still not worth a trunk of gold. Smoking a whole bowl to chase those last embers is gratifying, but not worth the fortune to take it off the market in the name of hoarding. Ye Olde Signe will find enough room in the cellar before it goes the way of the dinosaur, no doubt. Perhaps C&D will buy the rights to the Dunhill brand, but I'm probably falling victim to my own fantasies.