Just Released Today @ The Country Squire - Whale Song

[tfdickson]

It’s an excellent VaPer and I’m glad I bought the limit. It reminds me of McCranie’s Stirling Bridge, I’ll have to do a side by side.

 

[verporchting]

Well, my three boxes arrived and I immediately loaded up a pipe.

The boxed presentation is impeccable and really what you’d expect from a real tobacconist I must say. Nicely imprinted box tied shut with a ribbon, an insert with a poem and information about the blend, pairing notes, etc. Very classy.

First Impressions: spicy, peppery rough cut blend with a complex flavor of figs, molasses and sweet VA. Definitely reminds me of that McClellands quality but I didn’t think it was a knockoff or anything of the sort, more of a tribute as I believe it was meant. It stands on its own merits in my opinion.

Quite enjoyable and I’m certainly glad I had the opportunity to enjoy some.

On a side note I’m glad I got an email notification that it had been delivered to my front door because when I opened the door there were three young bucks milling about eating last years potted plants and eyeing my box of tobacco. They are voracious nibblers and I wouldn’t have put it past them to paw open or chew on the box. That would have annoyed me to no end. Flowers, okay I guess, but I draw the line at eating my damn tobacco.

 

[PipeIT]

Ahhh I missed it!

 

[krizzose]

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.

My recollection of JD’s complaint was (1) that he wasn’t happy that McClelland didn’t give him (and possibly other) wholesale customers who use McClelland components in their own blends much of any warning that the supply was about to be cut off, and (2) then Mike McNeil [supposedly] made some comments that suggested that there was no quality red Va available anymore, thus undercutting and indirectly criticizing other blenders who were continuing to make blends. I do not remember JD complaining that the McNeils wouldn’t sell their recipes, but I think Beau may have made that complaint.

For the record, that’s from the top of my head. I could be remembering the podcast incorrectly, and in any event I have no way to know if any of that is true.

 

[krizzose]

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.

This was a better summary than what I just posted.

 

[greeneyes]

My recollection of JD’s complaint was (1) that he wasn’t happy that McClelland didn’t give him (and possibly other) wholesale customers who use McClelland components in their own blends much of any warning that the supply was about to be cut off, and (2) then Mike McNeil [supposedly] made some comments that suggested that there was no quality red Va available anymore, thus undercutting and indirectly criticizing other blenders who were continuing to make blends. I do not remember JD complaining that the McNeils wouldn’t sell their recipes, but I think Beau may have made that complaint.

For the record, that’s from the top of my head. I could be remembering the podcast incorrectly, and in any event I have no way to know if any of that is true.

I listened to the podcast. Jon David called McNeil a jerk and made several passive-aggressive comments, over and over and over again, to the point that it became uncomfortable to listen to. The tone wasn't respectful or reverential in the slightest, rather he seemed to be trying to exculpate himself for his repeated assaults and criticisms against McClelland, repeatedly casting himself as the victim and recounting how "hurtful" the entire affair was. I found the whole thing fairly embarrassing and shameful on his part, frankly.

 

[pipingfool]

I listened to the podcast. Jon David called McNeil a jerk and made several passive-aggressive comments, over and over and over again, to the point that it became uncomfortable to listen to. The tone wasn't respectful or reverential in the slightest, rather he seemed to be trying to exculpate himself for his repeated assaults and criticisms against McClelland, repeatedly casting himself as the victim and recounting how "hurtful" the entire affair was. I found the whole thing fairly embarrassing and shameful on his part, frankly.

We obviously listened to two separate episodes, because Jon David had a lot of praise for Mike and Mary. He repeatedly commented on their talent and their blends and how gifted Mike is. His "tone" was in no way disrespectful or irreverent at all to my ears. He actually says that he hopes the listeners understand the reverence that he has for Mike and McClelland.

He did make the "he's kind of a jerk" comment, but I felt it was more of a tongue-in-cheek response to Russ Hick's comments about Mike being "raw" and "pulls no punches". I've listened to Mike several times on the pipesmagazine podcast, and yes, he can come across pretty rough sometimes. I don't know him personally, so I can't say what he's like off mic, but I can see where someone might think that about him. Some people might say the same thing about me. It's all about perspective.

He mentioned being disappointed about how it ended because it put him and other B&M tobacconists in a difficult spot when it came to their house blends. But, I would not consider that as a "repeated assault".

Yes, he mentions that the whole situation was "hurtful" because it came out that the McNeils knew that they were going to close shop a long time before they actually did but that he was told that everything would be okay, and then all of a sudden there was no more bulk product left for him to use. Again, I don't consider that as an assault.

He was upset at the comment in the letter saying the McNeils would have been "ashamed" of the product they would have had to make with the leaf that was currently available. I can see where Jon David and other blenders would take offense to that.

It's all moot at this point. McClelland is never coming back and Jon David Cole will still move along with his own stuff. I'll still smoke both while I can.

 

[mingc]

We obviously listened to two separate episodes, because Jon David had a lot of praise for Mike and Mary. He repeatedly commented on their talent and their blends and how gifted Mike is. His "tone" was in no way disrespectful or irreverent at all to my ears. He actually says that he hopes the listeners understand the reverence that he has for Mike and McClelland.

He did make the "he's kind of a jerk" comment, but I felt it was more of a tongue-in-cheek response to Russ Hick's comments about Mike being "raw" and "pulls no punches". I've listened to Mike several times on the pipesmagazine podcast, and yes, he can come across pretty rough sometimes. I don't know him personally, so I can't say what he's like off mic, but I can see where someone might think that about him. Some people might say the same thing about me. It's all about perspective.

He mentioned being disappointed about how it ended because it put him and other B&M tobacconists in a difficult spot when it came to their house blends. But, I would not consider that as a "repeated assault".

Yes, he mentions that the whole situation was "hurtful" because it came out that the McNeils knew that they were going to close shop a long time before they actually did but that he was told that everything would be okay, and then all of a sudden there was no more bulk product left for him to use. Again, I don't consider that as an assault.

He was upset at the comment in the letter saying the McNeils would have been "ashamed" of the product they would have had to make with the leaf that was currently available. I can see where Jon David and other blenders would take offense to that.

It's all moot at this point. McClelland is never coming back and Jon David Cole will still move along with his own stuff. I'll still smoke both while I can.

The McNiels have become religious icons or sacred cows (pick your favorite simile). You can only discuss them in reverential tones or you'll invite offense. Like any religious topic, It's probably best to avoid talking about them altogether. And as you say, it's all moot anyway.

 

[hawky454]

I knew there were gonna be some people offended by those McClelland discussions on the Country Squire podcast, I give John David mad props for approaching such a sensitive subject. By no means did he trash talk the McNeils, period. If you listen to the shows you’ll come to see that JD thinks the McNeils are genius blenders, infact, I believe he said they were the best the world has ever seen, he puts them on a pedestal, talks very highly of them, always has but in this particular episode he got real and articulated how he felt and I personally think he did it with the upmost respect and I can see both sides of the story (I side with no one). I’m glad he went through with it and he obviously had some things to say, it’s a shame that some people took this so personally, I seriously doubt it offended the McNeils the way it’s appears to have affected some of you.

I didn’t get any of the Whale Song but I think it was a nice ode to McClelland and as was stated above, the presentation was first rate.