Help! Good substitutes for two beloved (and discontinuted) VA flakes

[cosmicfolklore]

I must just be missing something, but the new Sutliff vinegar aromatics have absolutely nothing in common to McClellands to me; not even close. My only guess is that it is like that carrot tasting gene. Some people taste sweetness in carrots and some only taste a bitterness. Or, some people taste something good in cilantro, and normal people taste putrid soap.
I cannot deny someone else's taste buds, but I am left just looking perplexedly at the tins of this stuff and wondering why I don't taste something beside catbox.

 

[woodsroad]

It was the "buttery" part that I was referring to, Michael.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Ha, I wasn't directly addressing you, (or anyone specifically) ha ha, but buttery piss would have me clambering for the urologist... vegetarian... I mean veterinarian. Even if I had just eaten asparagus. ::

 

[woodsroad]

Buttery asparagus....yum.

 

[hawky454]

Hahaha!!! Buttery cat pee... sounds disgusting. Is it old lady stale, buttery cat pee or fresh buttery cat pee?
I wouldn’t compare these to the two mentioned but Mac Baren’s Pure VA Flake and Amphora VA are some damn good VA’s and are readily available. I also think Rattray’s Dark Fragrant has similarities to the darker VA’s that came from McClelland.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I was just thinking about the discomfort of passing something similar to popcorn butter. ::

 

[cortezattic]

Re. Dunhill Flake
Sam Gawith Golden Glow (aka Medium Virginia Flake) deserves your consideration. It's currently hard to find, but it's not un-obtainium.
You can also try a tin of Solani 633 as it might scratch the same itch.

 

[ryeguy]

Wow, lot's of great comments and recommendatiosn. Thanks all.
Last time I tried it, I really disliked 507-c. That said, it wasn't aged at all. So maybe if I come back to it in another four years I'll like it.
And Union Square is definitely growing on me. I think it might just hit the carving that Dunhill Flake had previous. I do think it is more subtle than Dunhill Flake, but I'm not confident I could distinguish them in a blind test.
And I agree with JimInks--I think Capstan Gold is closer to Dunhill Flake than Capstan Blue is.
I'm gonna try to work my way through all these suggestions (it may take a while). I've got Opening Night on order, and I'm eager to try to get some C&D Carolina Red Flake.
One thing that has struck me while reading tobacco reviews (and comparing them to my own experiences), is how different our palettes are. I don't just mean that we have different preferences (we do of course), or that some of us can taste more accurately (also obviously true), but that we actually taste the same thing differently--like Cosmic suggests with cilantro. Something that one person says is dominant I can can't detect at all, and something that totally overwhelms me and kicks me in the face, other reviewers either can't find or note as only being a "hint."

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I have always eaten my carrots, but no matter how they are cooked, they taste bitter to me. Not exactly bitter, but like something that isn't ripe yet, green, back of the throat kinda sour-ish, but not really sour. And, since I was a kid, I have heard people talk about orangeish tasting carrots, sweet carrots, and savory...
Recently, at dinner with friends,. I started asking them about their carrots... and it turns out there is a gene for some folks that makes it so that carrots taste different.
I've never minded cilantro. Unless someone uses too much of it. Up until a few years ago, I had never even heard of cilantro.

 

[JimInks]

I don't think Sutliff's red Va.s match McClelland's either. Nothing does. But I do like them for their own merits.
Ryeguy: I found with a few years of age, the 507-C gets pretty good. I'm not crazy about it when it's fresh; too acidic and grassy. Those attributes calm down after a bit of time. Union Square is good right off the bat, but I like that one with some age as well.
Mac Baren Pure Virginia is a very good straight Va.
The bottom line is that nothing will replace McClelland blends. The only thing you can do is to find something else you like to smoke.

 

[mso489]

After I change the cat boxes, I wash my hands and settle down with a nice blend, for something entirely different. Amen on not trying to match McClellands. They did their magic, and now they don't.

 

[hiplainsdrifter]

I think that F&T Cut VA Plug and Aylesbury Lux Flake are both closer matches for Dunhill Flake than Gawith BBF. I like all three better than Dunhill Flake.

 

[maxx]

Buttery cat pee. Wasn’t that the secret ingredient in Royal Yacht?

 

[virginialover]

Capstan: FLAKE GOLD and Fribourg & Treyer: VINTAGE are decent replacements for Dunhill: FLAKE.

For 2010, Fribourg & Treyer: BLACKJACK could work.
Now two of my favorites are Fribourg & Treyer: CUT VIRGINIA PLUG and Dan Tobacco: SKIPPER'S FLAKE that really capture the spirit of a quality Virginia flake.

 

[ryeguy]

I'm here to report back on finding a replacement for Dunhill Flake:
First, I've changed my mind on Union Square. I can definitely distinguish it from DF blind. US is a different beast from DF, and while it's okay, I'm not, as it turns out, all that fond of it in its own right. (I was really into it for about a week, and then it just stopped seeming so great)
Second, C&D Opening night is fantastic. Certainly not the same flavor as DF, but a really excellent smoke and one I can (and do) keep going back to, bowl after bowl, day after day.
Third, OGS has grown on me a lot (I quit cigarettes about a month ago, and I think my taste is changing some--tobaccos that didn't used to do anything for me are now quite nice). Again, not a substitute, but like Opening Night, a great smoke that rarely disappoints. I am reaching for this one quite often.
Fourth, I just tried MacBaren H&H Pure Virginia. This one has a lot of promise as a replacement. Not spot on, but I think it is hitting many of the same notes. I'm still on my first bowl (and today is humid as hell, so not ideal for testing new tobaccos); once I've smoked a couple of ounces my opinion may change. But for now, this is the top contender for a substitute. (Maybe this will end up being another Union Square.)
I have tried a bunch of others, and there are some recommendations I haven't been able to get my hands on (anything by Fribourg & Treyer for example).

 

[jeff540]

I found a very close approximation to the McClelland tang recently in the form of Robert McConnell's Red Virginia. I don't mind sharing my observation since this blend is also nearly impossible to get now :?

 

[ryeguy]

Good to know, in case I ever see it in stock.

 

[hawky454]

MB Pure VA Flake is an excellent flake. I think if anything it will just keep growing on you. It has a bit of a deeper VA taste as compared to Dunhill Flake but I could see how it would be a good substitute. I also love OGS this time of year, just smokes great in the hot weather. Have you tried Erinmore Flake? Not that it’s anything like what you are trying to replace it’s another great summer smoke in my opinion.

 

[oldtoby]

C&D Opening Night is indeed good stuff.
I've been pulling from a jar that has almost ten years on it and it just keeps getting better.