At first brush it sounded a little odd to me, to be so far afield from the pipe world as to not have noticed certain significant changes like the closure of McClelland...
....but on further reflection I find that the same thing has happened (from my perspective) to the cigar world. Several of the old brands that I once enjoyed have disappeared. Others have resurfaced as mere shadows of their former glory. Portfolios have exploded into a dizzying array of (apparent) diversity. Plenty of branding initiatives seems to have been simplified to the same level of sophistication as a political-slogan-on-the-bumper-sticker. Three cigar bands covering the length of the cigar are not uncommon, with designs so barroque it gives you vertigo to stare at them.
Lament not the past! There are blending houses that yet carry the mantle aloft!
....but on further reflection I find that the same thing has happened (from my perspective) to the cigar world. Several of the old brands that I once enjoyed have disappeared. Others have resurfaced as mere shadows of their former glory. Portfolios have exploded into a dizzying array of (apparent) diversity. Plenty of branding initiatives seems to have been simplified to the same level of sophistication as a political-slogan-on-the-bumper-sticker. Three cigar bands covering the length of the cigar are not uncommon, with designs so barroque it gives you vertigo to stare at them.
Lament not the past! There are blending houses that yet carry the mantle aloft!
