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Can Anyone Confirm These McC Discontinuations?

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Chasing Embers

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,446
109,364
According to this YouTube video, several MCClelland Blends are on the chopping block. Can anyone confirm this?
https://youtu.be/LD0p9lncAHE
There is even this list posted in the link below the video.
DTGT6LBXkAE08y9.jpg


 
sablebrush52

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,773
45,355
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
I don't know what the source for this list is. I saw it on the Christian Smokers forum a few days ago. McClelland has issued no such statement, so it's basically conjecture. Of course, we're all fond of conjecture.

 
tschiraldi

tschiraldi

Lifer
Dec 14, 2015
1,813
3,555
55
Ohio
John David Cole, on the Country Squire Radio Show, after talking to Mike and Mary said that the tinned blends are safe... at least for now. Some bulk blends containing red Virginia leaf will be affected, specifically 5100.

 
saltedplug

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,101
It's just been a few weeks since the McClellands announced about 5100 being discontinued, and I think the discontinuation of Christmas Cheer was sometime in the last year. Look what's happening. We're scared, and I suppose this is just the beginning. Product loss, rumor, product loss and rumor. It's got my attention.

 
H

headhunter

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 12, 2013
177
5
If they are discontinuing certain blends it could be they are slow movers and the volume is not worth the inventory cost. I suspect this is an ugly rumor.

 
mikestanley

mikestanley

Lifer
May 10, 2009
1,698
1,126
Akron area of Ohio
If all of these blends rely on a quality of Red Va that McClelland can’t source, it would make sense. It sounds as if it’s a matter of the way the plant is harvested that is causing the problem. Hard to imagine the practices now being used will revert back to what they apparently need, unless it makes economic sense for a farmer(s) to do it. If Legends is no more, that would be a real shame as far as I’m concerned. It is a favorite.

Mike S.

 
J

jackets

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 11, 2017
111
300
I’ll throw in my unsupported speculation here, I’m guessing these blends use the same component tobacco as 5100. With it becoming much harder to source the red Virginia used in these tobaccos they are going to put them on hiatus until a suitable leaf can be found. Since the red in 5100 is so much more difficult to find it probably doesn’t make sense financially to source, process and sell it as bulk, however it might be worth the hunt to keep these tinned “premium” blends going. They found their recent 500 pound crop unsuitable and threw it away, which could translate into a ton of these tins needed for production. This list was retweeted by country squire radio which leads me to believe there must be some validity to it considering John David has a working relation with Mcclelland and had just spoke to them.

 
alan73

alan73

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 26, 2017
666
653
Wisconsin
If this is all true....2015 is the biggest loss IMO. I saw this list on CPS from country squire about a week ago. I've watched nearly 100 lbs of 2015 being bought on sp.com in the last week. Only 695 ounces or 43 lbs left in inventory. Panic ensues.
If you like VaPer Flakes, 2015 is real good. get some get some. At $55/lb I think its very reasonably priced. Thanks to a gift, I can attest to its excellent aging characteristics.

 
mso489

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
McC's has always been my go-to blender for Virginias, the way i feel about C&D and burley blends. I hope they'll get their balance and hit their stride again soon. We all know, it isn't easy.

 
sablebrush52

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,773
45,355
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
It's just been a few weeks since the McClellands announced about 5100 being discontinued, and I think the discontinuation of Christmas Cheer was sometime in the last year.
Click to expand...
Christmas Cheer was a casualty of the FDA Deeming Rules, which made special release blends, like Christmas Cheer, too expensive to continue. That's why we got not one, but TWO, Christmas Cheer releases in 2016. And while Christmas Cheer is not a small batch release, it's not endless either. So it eventually runs out with every release.

 
jguss

jguss

Lifer
Jul 7, 2013
2,477
6,450
as jesse says, conjecture is a game the whole family can play. here's my own uninformed two cents.
absent clearer indications from the mcneils, we need to bear in mind that there is a huge difference between halting the sale of a bulk blend to third parties and not having any left. if it were my business to run, i'd be sure to reserve enough 5100 (or its constituent parts) for extended production of higher margin product. i'd be a bit surprised if mcclelland didn't have enough on-hand to continue production of these other brands for some time. remember how long they were able to eke out their reserve of syrian latakia.

 
woodsroad

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,794
16,147
SE PA USA
I can confirm with 100% certainty that we have no idea what is going to happen because the people that know aren't talking about it. But conjecture is good sport, so...

 
lazar

lazar

Can't Leave
May 5, 2015
445
3
Christmas Cheer was a casualty of the FDA Deeming Rules, which made special release blends, like Christmas Cheer, too expensive to continue.
Click to expand...
More precisely, it was a casualty of McC's preemptive decision to discontinue it due to an FDA threat which did not materialize, was pushed back to 2021, and might still be defeated. It was sad to see so many cave to that before it was necessary. As it stands, there's nothing to prevent a 2018 Christmas Cheer (other than leaf shortage).
Anyway, if this list is not fake news, the only reasonable explanation is that it's related to the VA shortage because quite a few of these are landmark blends (3 Oaks, Legends, Tudor...). I doubt it's related to low sales figures.

 
cigrmaster

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
Oh goody, rumors and speculation, my favorite game.
There is plenty of great Red Virginia tobacco on the market. This fact is from a source that is unimpeachable. This alleged list of blends maybe going out is so the people who started this list can create a false supply issue making their hoarded tins and bulk more valuable . However the joke is going to be on them as McClelland being the smart company they are, has plenty of the red Virginia's needed to keep a good supply of these alleged blends in stock.

 
saltedplug

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,101
When the rumor circulated last week that Greg Pease was no longer going to blend, after being contacted by georged, I think, he posted within 24 hours what the truth was. I wish MC had the courtesy of telling us what is rumor and what is not, or at least ask pipestud to post for them. It's not MC's fault that these rumors are going 'round, but they might take pity on their fans and either confirm or deny. Again, they have no obligation to put down rumor, but I would prefer that they did.

 
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