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Did I make A Cellaring Mistake?

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phantomwolf

phantomwolf

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 14, 2017
266
1
Pittsburgh, PA
Hey All
I recently tried Samuel Gawith- Bothy Flake and loved it. Being primarily Virginia, I thought it would be a great candidate for aging, so I made my first substantial purchase specifically for the purpose of cellaring. Shortly after, I read that aromatics are terrible for cellaring as the chemicals used are essentially a wildcard- no real way of guessing what chemicals will do over the years.
I thought since the topping is whiskey and not some fruity chemical, it could arguably age well. I would rather not waste my money if it is going to be a flop, maybe I should try and trade some tins off?
I thought I would get some feedback on how you pipe smokers who have more experience with cellaring might feel this particular blend will fare? Any opinions are appreciated. If I open a tin ten years from now and it is a mess, I promise I wont blame you. haha
Cheers,

Justin

 
woodsroad

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,772
16,064
SE PA USA
Justin, I also live Bothy Flake. And I also put a few tins of it away. I think that it will hold up quite well over time.

 
tschiraldi

tschiraldi

Lifer
Dec 14, 2015
1,813
3,555
55
Ohio
Aros tend to lose the taste of their topping/casing over time. If you like it, just smoke it. It won't go bad overnight.
Tim

 

newbroom

newbroom

Lifer
Jul 11, 2014
6,109
6,594
Florida
I don't know but...I do know that aged burly is a thing. I have yet to smoke Solani Aged Burly Flake, but, it's on my TAD list.

 
B

bigpond

Lifer
Oct 14, 2014
2,019
13
Deniz -Not to worry, DFK is best when aged considerably. GL Pease Cumberland was originally made with 20 year old stock.
Edit: OP, truth is no one knows how that blend will age past about a year or so.My only experience with an aged aro came from the same blender and was outstanding.

 
L

lawmax3

Can't Leave
Jan 18, 2013
405
12
You didn't make a mistake.

I am smoking my way through a tin with Jan 2016 date stamp now.

It is excellent.

 
mawnansmiff

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,416
7,340
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
"I thought since the topping is whiskey and not some fruity chemical it could arguably age well."
That would depend a lot on whether the topping is indeed whiskey or just a whiskey flavoured chemical.
A lot of blends that have rum flavouring is just that, rum flavouring and not rum itself.
Sam Gawith claims "a dash of Highland malt whiskey", which probably translates as 99% flavouring and 1% real whiskey.
I could of course be wrong :puffy:
Regards,
Jay.

 
cosmicfolklore

cosmicfolklore

Lifer
Aug 9, 2013
33,977
75,659
Between the Heart of Alabama and Hot Springs NC
The stuff I hear about latakia and aromatics and burleys not aging well is speculation and over-generalizations. Greg Pease built up an entiure line of tobaccos based on aging latakias, and I have had several aged aromatics that were awesome!! And, Aged Burley Flake, I mean there's a whole blend that people love on this forum, literally called Aged Burley Flake. Ha ha.
If you like it, buy it. It wont get cheaper. And, how it's going to taste in 30 years should NOT be something that keeps you up late at night.
Sure sure sure, putting up twenty pounds of Peach flavored OTC crap is probably not the best idea. But, I wouldn't base a whole cellaring philosophy on that.

 
M

mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast

Guest
There are no mistakes in cellaring in my opinion. I have found that every single tin/jar of tobacco that I've pulled out of the cellar to smoke is either better than it was fresh or still good at the least. I imagine a blend like Bothy Flake will soften and meld just like the rest. The Virginia's will darken and sweeten, the topping will fade in strength, and the latakia will soften and meld with the Virginia's. If I'm not mistaken, Bothy Flake is pretty much just a Virginia flake tobacco with a dash of liquor and a dash of latakia, so it should fair quite well over time. I think you're in for a real treat in 2024. :puffy:

 
phantomwolf

phantomwolf

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 14, 2017
266
1
Pittsburgh, PA
Great idea!
I actually just emailed them. If I receive a response on the nature of the topping, I will post it here!
And I think you are right @mothernature! If the forum is still up, maybe I'll pass you a sample. haha

 
phantomwolf

phantomwolf

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 14, 2017
266
1
Pittsburgh, PA
@mawnansmiff Hope you're wrong, bud. haha Though, how much whiskey can we really expect them to expend on making a blend that is priced relatively low as this one. I mean if a batch had a few bottles of Laphroaig in it, that should reflect in the tin price.

 
sallow

sallow

Lifer
Jun 30, 2013
1,531
3,771
The only cellaring mistake is not to cellar. Yes, I used 'cellar' as a verb.
I would like to raise a glass to the members of the Kearvaig Pipe Club. Hear hear!

ehrlich-0915-600x448.jpg


 
ophiuchus

ophiuchus

Lifer
Mar 25, 2016
1,558
2,055
I can't speak to significant aging, but I've got a jar with the remnants of a two(?) year old tin of SG Bothy I opened several months ago (I let it all dry somewhat between the tin and the jar). Seems fine to me.
No ... it's more than fine. It's very good. :puffy:
I've got a few more tins tucked away. I'm not worried about them.

 
josephcross

josephcross

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 30, 2015
963
94
I'm not worried about any of the tobacco I've purchased aging well or not. I only worry about running out!

That Bothy Flake should do nicely. I can't imagine any SG baccy not improving over time.

 
phantomwolf

phantomwolf

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 14, 2017
266
1
Pittsburgh, PA
I did indeed hear from the good people of Gawith Hoggarth & Co Ltd. The correspondence kind of dodged the question as to the topping being actual whiskey or a simple flavouring, which is understandable. They did however suggest that this particular blend should be great for aging and went into some detail in describing the process.
I would copy and paste the info, but I have no idea if there are legal concerns in sharing private correspondence in a public forum. It was a lengthy and well written response though and they are clearly proud of what they do.

 
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