Just Released Today @ The Country Squire - Whale Song
- Thread starter Sun Bear John
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More details please? I've only been smoking a couple years and missed McClelland.
Being a faithful listener to The Country Squire, that's not what I got out of that episode. JD is one of the most straightforward people I know. His sidekick, Beau is annoying and his loud on air laughs make me want to set myself on fire sometimes but the quality of their podcasts are quite good.
JD may want to reign him in. A lot of members of other forums were quite put off by those comments especially those of us that call Mike and Mary friends.
I listened to a handful of episodes back when they had about 20 available. It's hard to dislike JD based solely on the podcast but the other guy - my gäd - the other guy. That's the reason I never listened to more.
I definitely did NOT like like what was said/implied about the McNiels. Felt like sour ass grapes to me.
@Chasing Embers you are answering others but not me on asking for details based on your previous statement. Please?
Mike and Mary ran the company for 40 years and retired. Upon doing so they said they would never sell the company or trade secrets so that the quality of their brand and name wouldn't be bastardized by cuts in quality.
Yes, this was common belief. However, The Country Squire clearly obtained some of their leftover tobaccos. How is TCS bastardizing Mike and Mary by using leftover leaves in a new blend?
Possibly
Attempting to capitalize on a brand name that clearly is not what they've created. Other companies used McClelland tobacco and though it was widely known, they didn't rely on the name to sell the product. The ingredients aren't McClelland. The processes and blending were. All they have is raw material.
My friend texted me today after he discovered it was sold out to see if I'd gotten any. I wasn't aware of its release until he asked about it. It sounds interesting. I wish I'd gotten some.
If I'm not crazy about it I'll sell you some at cost if you'd like.
Thank you! I'll take you up on that if it comes to pass.
Unless what they put in this blend was something McClelland had already processed, 5100, etc. Definitely agree with you regarding the blending though.
I don’t see it quite the same though. What they are doing is no worse than what pipestud or anyone else is doing. Making more cash because of the name McClelland. At least TCS doesn’t want $25/oz for it, and have done a little blending to make it somewhat their own. They probably could have just sold whatever straight McClelland they had at a much higher price if they had wanted to. And they made it pretty clear that this is a blend they made with McClelland leaf, not a MClelland product.
On the other hand you may have a point about how the McNiel’s would feel about it. Having the name associated with a blend that isn’t their own is what they wanted to avoid. IDK. I see both sides I guess.
I love TCS and McClelland products and will continue to listen/smoke their products.
I listened to those episodes multiple times and I came away with a very different perspective.
What I got from it was that JD has the utmost respect for the McNeils and their product. So much so that TCS used their blending tobaccos for a lot of their house blends, which they made no attempt to conceal. In fact, there were many B&Ms that used McClelland products as the base of their own blends.
I think one of JD's main criticisms was that when he would call to order the blending products in the final weeks, he would be told that they were currently OOS, but to not worry and they would be able to fulfill the orders on his next request. But it soon became apparent that this was not going to happen, and so that left him and other tobacconists in the lurch trying to find components to create their blends.
That puts a B&M tobacconist at a big loss since they depend on their house blends for a good portion of their sales, and without the unique flavors that the McClelland products offer, then those blends that they rely on are forever gone.
The other criticism that was brought up was that in the release letter that the McNeils sent out there was the connotation that because the leaf that they used was getting scarcer and scarcer, then they could no longer put out a quality product. Thus insinuating that any blend using any other types of leaves were inferior. This is highly subjective, of course, and one could argue that JD and others could be inserting their own disappointment at the loss of key components into the interpretation of the letter.
The last thing that was mentioned was that the McNeils were above reproach and were treated as tobacco gods and any criticism directed their way was cause for scorn and dismissal. I think any person/company that is putting out a product can be up for criticism. It's not a indictment of the people themselves, but just a statement about the products or the way they conduct business.
So what I heard was...
"We respect the McNeils for the people that they are and the product they produced. We wish they would have given us a head's up so we could make other arrangements or reformulate our blends so as not to completely lose a signature flavor. Other blenders can make great products with different leaves, but they will just be different. We don't feel that these topics are off-limits simply because the McNeils are great people and highly respected in the pipe community."
Just my perspective. YMMV.
I listened to those episodes multiple times and I came away with a very different perspective.
What I got from it was that JD has the utmost respect for the McNeils and their product. So much so that TCS used their blending tobaccos for a lot of their house blends, which they made no attempt to conceal. In fact, there were many B&Ms that used McClelland products as the base of their own blends.
I think one of JD's main criticisms was that when he would call to order the blending products in the final weeks, he would be told that they were currently OOS, but to not worry and they would be able to fulfill the orders on his next request. But it soon became apparent that this was not going to happen, and so that left him and other tobacconists in the lurch trying to find components to create their blends.
That puts a B&M tobacconist at a big loss since they depend on their house blends for a good portion of their sales, and without the unique flavors that the McClelland products offer, then those blends that they rely on are forever gone.
The other criticism that was brought up was that in the release letter that the McNeils sent out there was the connotation that because the leaf that they used was getting scarcer and scarcer, then they could no longer put out a quality product. Thus insinuating that any blend using any other types of leaves were inferior. This is highly subjective, of course, and one could argue that JD and others could be inserting their own disappointment at the loss of key components into the interpretation of the letter.
The last thing that was mentioned was that the McNeils were above reproach and were treated as tobacco gods and any criticism directed their way was cause for scorn and dismissal. I think any person/company that is putting out a product can be up for criticism. It's not a indictment of the people themselves, but just a statement about the products or the way they conduct business.
So what I heard was...
"We respect the McNeils for the people that they are and the product they produced. We wish they would have given us a head's up so we could make other arrangements or reformulate our blends so as not to completely lose a signature flavor. Other blenders can make great products with different leaves, but they will just be different. We don't feel that these topics are off-limits simply because the McNeils are great people and highly respected in the pipe community."
Just my perspective. YMMV.
Word on the Street is it contains a "healthy dose" of McClelland VA. That is totally unverified hearsay, no idea which one.
Huh, You and I must have listened to the same thing because this is EXACTLY what I got out of it too
. 
