Dunhill Aperitif In Memoriam: Of If Cointreau Was A Blend.

[PaulRVA]

Dunhill Aperitif

Introduced in 1951

Discontinued in 2016

Blend- English / Oriental

Tin Date - 04-2003

Tin Code - 052142

US Distributer- Lane Limited

Components- Virginia, Orientals, Latakia, Cavendish

Strength- Medium

Flavoring- None Detected

Taste- Mild-Medium

Room Note- Tolerable

Bite- None

Cut- Ribbon

Family- English

Forward-Oriental

Tin Note- Overpowering but Unmistakably Dunhill Quality Leaf with a Pungent Odor of Latakia and Vinegar

Relights-Minimal

Pipe- 1973 Dunhill Shell Briar Gr. II 33 FT

Ignition- Dunhill Rollagas/ Dunhill Butane

Individual Component Notes:

Latakia- Faded but still providing an earthy, leathery and smoky presence.

Cavendish- Vanilla Notes periodically appearing throughout the smoke.

Orientals- Not Spicy but Floral and very much a Major Player in this blend.

Virginias- Notes of Oranges and Hay and those Citrus and Grassy Highlights still add a slight tingle to the tip of the tongue.

Overall Review:

Cool, even burning without any bite and extremely well balanced with no single component overpowering the others with some floral and spicy overtones that work harmoniously and effectively to produce a flavorful velvety smoke.

Personal Reflections:

I very much Loved and remember this blend as more Oriental Forward and with a stronger dose of Latakia being noticeably present and the Tin Note suggested I was in for a serious Latakia Bomb and some Sour Orientals.

This offering however leveled out those two components as the age mellowed and melded them in to produce a unique flavor with stronger notes of Orange that in my opinion was a huge benefit.

As with any Blend from Dunhill The former Powerhouse and Statesman of many Iconic Blends this did not disappoint even with its considerable age and it was nice to shake hands again with an old friend.

Sadly this blend is no longer being produced and a Tin of this age is unlikely to be obtained again.

I was left with a smile and a once in a lifetime experience that will stay in my memory forever. This was Still A $5.00 Shake and well worth repeating.

Which I did ! ️️️

Special Thanks to @MikeN who acquired this Tin at the 2025 Columbus Pipe Show
and was kind and generous enough to make this Unicorn available and a memorable smoking experience of this magnitude possible!

Bravo Mike

 

[ofafeather]

Nice review. One of my favorites.

 

[khiddy]

This is on my unicorn list of tobaccos to try. So delighted you got such a lovely gift from @Mike N!

Have you had C&D Cordial, which they say is formulated as an homage to Aperitif?

 

[PaulRVA]

This is on my unicorn list of tobaccos to try. So delighted you got such a lovely gift from @Mike N!

Have you had C&D Cordial, which they say is formulated as an homage to Aperitif?

I have not but I will be looking it up now. I haven’t had Aperitif in probably 15 years when the last of my Dunhill Stash ran dry. I always adored this particular blend alongside Nightcap and Early Morning Pipe which were introduced about the same time as Aperitif.
My expectations were honestly pretty low with a Tin of this age but when I popped it it was still tightly sealed and gave off a nice slow swooosh! The Tobacco was still flexible and moist but the Tin Note was overpowering so I was a little apprehensive.
If you stumble across a Tin snag it as it was well worth the experience
and actually improved from my memory of it.

 

[Servant King]

Have a tin and perhaps two-thirds of a 16 oz. jar remaining. Of course, neither is from the time I was graduating high school like your tin was! Enjoy.

Certainly one of my favorites, especially as the cold weather draws near.

 

[PaulRVA]

Have a tin and perhaps two-thirds of a 16 oz. jar remaining. Of course, neither is from the time I was graduating high school like your tin was! Enjoy.

Certainly one of my favorites, especially as the cold weather draws near.

 

[Mrs. Pickles]

A beautiful review. It’s made even more lovely by you getting this tin from a friend.

Regarding Cointreau as a pipe tobacco: there is this thread.

Alas, the likelihood of getting tobacco from Brazil now seems even lower than it was when that thread was active.

 

[PaulRVA]

A beautiful review. It’s made even more lovely by you getting this tin from a friend.

Regarding Cointreau as a pipe tobacco: there is this thread.

Alas, the likelihood of getting tobacco from Brazil now seems even lower than it was when that thread was active.

Now that is something I’d love to get a supply of. I wish it was available here. I know I’d try it!

 

[filmguerilla]

C&D Cordial is in the same ballpark as Aperitif, but not quite the same. Still good, though.

 

[Mike N]

View attachment 411379Dunhill Aperitif

Introduced in 1951

Discontinued in 2016

Blend- English / Oriental

Tin Date - 04-2003

Tin Code - 052142

US Distributer- Lane Limited

Components- Virginia, Orientals, Latakia, Cavendish

Strength- Medium

Flavoring- None Detected

Taste- Mild-Medium

Room Note- Tolerable

Bite- None

Cut- Ribbon

Family- English

Forward-Oriental

Tin Note- Overpowering but Unmistakably Dunhill Quality Leaf with a Pungent Odor of Latakia and Vinegar

Relights-Minimal

Pipe- 1973 Dunhill Shell Briar Gr. II 33 FT

Ignition- Dunhill Rollagas/ Dunhill Butane

Individual Component Notes:

Latakia- Faded but still providing an earthy, leathery and smoky presence.

Cavendish- Vanilla Notes periodically appearing throughout the smoke.

Orientals- Not Spicy but Floral and very much a Major Player in this blend.

Virginias- Notes of Oranges and Hay and those Citrus and Grassy Highlights still add a slight tingle to the tip of the tongue.

Overall Review:

Cool, even burning without any bite and extremely well balanced with no single component overpowering the others with some floral and spicy overtones that work harmoniously and effectively to produce a flavorful velvety smoke.

Personal Reflections:

I very much Loved and remember this blend as more Oriental Forward and with a stronger dose of Latakia being noticeably present and the Tin Note suggested I was in for a serious Latakia Bomb and some Sour Orientals.

This offering however leveled out those two components as the age mellowed and melded them in to produce a unique flavor with stronger notes of Orange that in my opinion was a huge benefit.

As with any Blend from Dunhill The former Powerhouse and Statesman of many Iconic Blends this did not disappoint even with its considerable age and it was nice to shake hands again with an old friend.

Sadly this blend is no longer being produced and a Tin of this age is unlikely to be obtained again.

I was left with a smile and a once in a lifetime experience that will stay in my memory forever. This was Still A $5.00 Shake and well worth repeating.

Which I did ! ️️️

Special Thanks to @MikeN who acquired this Tin at the 2025 Columbus Pipe Show
and was kind and generous enough to make this Unicorn available and a memorable smoking experience of this magnitude possible!

Bravo Mike

Great review, Paul. Only fitting that you smoked that vintage Dunhill tobacco in vintage Dunhill pipe.

 

[PaulRVA]

Great review, Paul. Only fitting that you smoked that vintage Dunhill tobacco in vintage Dunhill pipe.

Thank you again Mike,
I made sure it was my Birth Year Dunhill at that and forced myself to stick to a Group 2-3 bowl dimension to really taste it but also slow down to concentrate on it.
I can’t wait to hear your reflections on it and hope that it also leaves an impression on you as well.
I hope you have a great week!
BTW mine started off pretty darn
good