Over here mate asked 'What make a Balkan a Balkan, how is it different from other English Blends', to which python answered 'a Balkan has more Oriental with a little bit of Latakia and an English has more Latakia with a little bit, if any, Oriental', an answer to which I concur.
My question is, What's a Scottish blend?
I had thought I once came across a definition that said it was primarily an oriental/virginia blend, but I've been looking around for other definitions.
The answers I've seen are wildly variable, from GL Pease's claim that 'A Scottish blend is similar to an English, with less Latakia, a more dominant Virginia character and, perhaps, little or no oriental leaf' to answers at http://forum.pipes.org like 'I understand that a "Scottish blend" is similar to an "English blend"...but with the addition of a high percentage of cavendish tobacco' and 'Typically, at least for as long as I have been working in this industry, we have classified Scottish blends as English blends containing enough Cavendish to qualify it as a light aromatic', to 'Dark with Latakia and Black Virginias, deeply seasoned with Orientals, this is the classic full Scottish smoke.'
This last one is the tin description of McClelland's Oriental No. 14, which has lately become one of my favorite go-to blends. If McClelland's definition is correct then I'm definitely a fan of Scottish blends.
But is McClelland's definition correct? Certainly they think so.
Given all these divergent definitions I can't help but think it's one of those rorschach words where it can mean whatever the blender wishes it to mean.
The reason I ask is because if McClelland's Oriental No. 14 is an example of a Scottish Blend -- which to me tastes like a Balkan where the oriental is pushed even more to the front and center, sweetened with Virginia, the latakia playing a minor role as a condiment giving it just enough body and creaminess -- I want to find more like it.
-Moliere
