Old Gowrie vs Hal O The Wynd vs Brown Clunee?

[TheWhale13]

Could anyone care to explain what you find the differences between these popular blends are, and which one you prefer?

I myself prefer OG compared to HOTW, for some reason which I can't really explain, maybe the latter is a bit muted in flavor. I've never tried Brown Clunee.

 

[telescopes]

I haven’t had OG. How does it compare to Hal? I really enjoy H.

 

[TheWhale13]

I haven’t had OG. How does it compare to Hal? I really enjoy H.

It's been a while since I've had Old Gowrie, but I am smoking some HOTW right now, and think that they are quite different. Similar enough of course, but different. I remember OG as a lively, sweet and spicy Virginia with a smidgen of perique. While HOTW is a little less lively, with more bass and power. A bit darker, but muted, with some more darker burley or Kentucky presence. So all in all I prefer OG, and have a few tins aging. But it would be fun to hear what Brown Clunee is like too, if anyone here have tried it.

 

[mikestanley]

Hal O the Wynd is more stoved Virginia. I find a stoved Virginia difficult to smoke. Packing and a proper burn rate just elude me with them. Usually leaving me a rather hot, flavorless smoke. I haven't smoked either Old Gowrie or Broun Clunee fresh or even from recent productions, preferring to let my Virginias to sit for a decade or so. Both are wonderful. Very easy to smoke and to get the wonderful flavors from the smoke they produce. I guess if I had to decide. Brown Clunee is a bit milder.

Mike S.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

This has been discussed ad nauseum - you'd probably benefit from trying your search function.

There was a fairly recent thread that went on for pages.

 

[rmbittner]

I can’t really add much to the conversation, but I’ll say that I am *extremely* sensitive to perique, yet I find Hal o’ the Wynd a very enjoyable smoke IF you take it very slowly. With very slow puffing, it reveals a sweetness that I haven’t found in either Old Gowrie or Brown Clunee.

It’s been a while since I’ve smoked either OG or BC, but my notes tell me that I thought BC had a bit less nicotine and an overall darker flavor than OG. (I’m also quite sensitive to nicotine, but have no trouble smoking any of these blends.) If you enjoy Virginias, though, I feel sure you’d thoroughly enjoy all three of these blends.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I found Brown Clunee primarily Virginia flavors, okay but a bit bland. I like OG the best, I get mostly Virginia but the perique definitely comes through nicely, maybe a bit of DFK adding some body. Sweet and spicy. HOTW is good and the most complex. I find the DFK to be more of a player and kind of overwhelms the Virginia at times. I don't care much for that.

 

[pantsBoots]

HotW is higher in DFK, so spicier and I reach for it the least.
OG is a wonderful VaPer and sits in the middle of my preference.
BC is my favorite as the Perique and DFK are dialed way back, which lets the Virginias shine more.

 

[simong]

Hal O the Wynd
Marlin Flake
Brown Clunee

They’re my favourites (in that order).

 

[peteguy]

This has been discussed ad nauseum - you'd probably benefit from trying your search function.

There was a fairly recent thread that went on for pages.

Link it brother!

 

[ashdigger]

The only answer is Delicious, Delicious-er and Delicious-ness.

 

[judcole]

Although folks talk about perique in HotW and OG, it is very, very much a condiment - it's not a major player at all. I would bet no more than 1% in either. I've got tins of both that will hit 10 years next year.
I've not smoked Brown Clunee,

 

[BingBong]

Having got stuck in to a tin of HOTW, I find it very much to my taste - but no more available at present. I have a sole tin of OG, untried, but again no more to be had should I find it agreeable. So, discovering Brown Clunee in stock, I've ordered a couple of tins.

I was loath to sample more of the current Rattray's offerings after my Marlin Flake experience - did not like, took me 3 years to finish a tin. So HOTW caught me off guard. Fingers crossed BC pleases the picky old palate.

 

[TakeThisCobAndStuffIt]

The following was posted by L'italiano on the TR site. I found it to be very helpful when I was working through these blends...

Brown Clunee, Old Gowrie and Hal O’ The Wynd are three very similar blends, with the same characteristics. Not so for Marlin Flake that is completely another mixture. Here I want to speak about the differences among these three excellent blends, from the point of view of Brown Clunee. First of all, they all have the same ingredients (Virginia, Kentucky, Perique) without any casing. But there are also a lot of differences:

HOTW is the strongest of the three, less delicate than the others. OG is the sweetest, it is almost a straight Virginia or at least it has the same characteristics. Brown Clunee is the most spicy, the most peppery. HOTW has more Kentucky and less Virginia compared to OG. BC is really similar to HOTW, but it has less Kentucky and more Perique. Perique is really leading. On the contrary, in OG Virginia and also Kentucky are leading, but Perique is really a “bit player”. To sum up on the basis of the amount of the different tobaccos, we can follow this order: Virginia content: OG – BC – HOTW. Kentucky content: HOTW – OG – BC. Perique content: BC – HOTW – OG.

Finally, OG is a Virginia based mixture. Similarly HOTW is a Virginia based mixture but it could also be considered a Perique mixture and also a Virginia/Kentucky mixture (it is the most balanced). BC is certainly and without any doubt a Perique mixture, a Va/Per with just a touch of Kentucky. Three excellent blends, but in this case my favorite (the kind of the three I prefer) is Brown Clunee. For all these reasons, in my personal rating system (from 1 to 10) my score is 10 and four complete stars.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

The following was posted by L'italiano on the TR site. I found it to be very helpful when I was working through these blends...

Brown Clunee, Old Gowrie and Hal O’ The Wynd are three very similar blends, with the same characteristics. Not so for Marlin Flake that is completely another mixture. Here I want to speak about the differences among these three excellent blends, from the point of view of Brown Clunee. First of all, they all have the same ingredients (Virginia, Kentucky, Perique) without any casing. But there are also a lot of differences:

HOTW is the strongest of the three, less delicate than the others. OG is the sweetest, it is almost a straight Virginia or at least it has the same characteristics. Brown Clunee is the most spicy, the most peppery. HOTW has more Kentucky and less Virginia compared to OG. BC is really similar to HOTW, but it has less Kentucky and more Perique. Perique is really leading. On the contrary, in OG Virginia and also Kentucky are leading, but Perique is really a “bit player”. To sum up on the basis of the amount of the different tobaccos, we can follow this order: Virginia content: OG – BC – HOTW. Kentucky content: HOTW – OG – BC. Perique content: BC – HOTW – OG.

Finally, OG is a Virginia based mixture. Similarly HOTW is a Virginia based mixture but it could also be considered a Perique mixture and also a Virginia/Kentucky mixture (it is the most balanced). BC is certainly and without any doubt a Perique mixture, a Va/Per with just a touch of Kentucky. Three excellent blends, but in this case my favorite (the kind of the three I prefer) is Brown Clunee. For all these reasons, in my personal rating system (from 1 to 10) my score is 10 and four complete stars.

When they started out saying they're very similar, I stopped reading. They are not very similar at all to me. Not even close.

 

[BingBong]

When they started out saying they're very similar, I stopped reading. They are not very similar at all to me. Not even close.

Brilliant. At the moment of accord, there is none and we're back to square one. As my old prof used to say "this is a good philosophical position".

 

[Sigmund]

I fond HOtW a bit darker and a little syrupy in comparison to OG
Id take OG as a regular smoke any day.

 

[BingBong]

The Hal is done, enjoyed that - I prefer it moist and fresh for best flavours, it lost a bit as it dried in the tin. On the Brown Clunee now and it's a different beast, very enjoyable other aspects such as the perique fruitiness and virginia grassiness. I think the Hal is the more rounded and full between the two, but to each their merits.

 

[eljimmy]

Brown Clunee is definitely the milder of the 3. Aren't the 3 the same components with different ratios?

 

[BingBong]

Brown Clunee is definitely the milder of the 3. Aren't the 3 the same components with different ratios?

Yes, same tobaccos different proportions. I'm finding Old Gowrie the mildest; depends on your palate!