I certainly don't believe that anyone today can match Pease's skills when it comes to blending with latakia, but I do want to point out that McClelland's Syrian blends presumably use the exact same leaf that Greg used in Bohemian Scandal....They all bought a bunch of that same leaf at the same time, only McClellands had theirs stored in their own warehouse, hence avoiding the fire. I also think that McClelland's uses as much of the Syrian as Greg did...Their Wilderness mixture is close to 1/3 Syrian, which is a LARGE quantity given the fact that it's much stronger than its Cyprian relative. Wilderness is close to being a Syrian "lat bomb." It does have a smattering (think 5 percent or so) of Cyprian, as well, but also contains a truly remarkable mix of other orientals. It's a very "busy" smoke, in other words, and it's hard to focus in on any one component specifically.
I certainly wouldn't argue that McClellands has anything that duplicates any of Greg's Syrian mixtures, but I think that's more due to Greg's blending skills than just a function of the Syrian.
In any case, everyone will have their own opinions on this topic. Some folks consider BS to be the holy grail, while I was decidedly underwhelmed by it and feel that 3 Oaks Syrian is almost -- not quite, but almost -- as good a presentation of Syrian as BS was.
Personally, Fitzy, I can't wait to hear what YOU think of these blends. It's always great to hear a fresh perspective!