This is an interesting question, even if it has been posed using different words - “dessert island blend” or “go to blend” etc.
I think that the codgers of yesteryear were more loyal to a particular brand on the whole, which is somewhat of a generalisation I appreciate but hear me out.
The old blokes that I grew up around in the 80’s tended to be the ones who went through the Second World War in one way or another and, certainly for the Brits, tobacco was one dimensional blends doled out by the NAAFI, my grandad used to say there wasn’t any choice, it was either what they had or nothing.
On one occasion they came across a tobacconist in Cairo, I think he said, and bought some different stuff but he lost it all when the truck he was driving took a battering one day.
I’ve got a suspicion that even though, after the war, tobacconists were everywhere - to the point that the newsagent would also supply a good and wide range of tobacco better than most tobacconists these days - they took comfort and familiarity with one blend.
I have about £400 worth of tobacco on the go at the minute (not a huge amount when compared to others on here) and I know my grandad is looking down on me from his cloud saying “what does he need all that bloody lot for?” He would buy an ounce or two of the popular blends of his day: St Bruno, Condor etc and he wouldn’t buy anymore until that pouch was empty.
What I’m getting at is, tobacco was a staple, not a luxury for them; like tea or bread, and they would only smoke a favoured brand and weren’t interested in trying something different or new I suppose.
In answer to your question, I would definitely take Condor…or St Bruno…or Erinmore…or Benson and Hedges era Mellow Virginia…actually, I’d be happy smoking whatever got washed up next to me on the beach to be honest and then I probably wouldn’t be able to find a match to light the bloody thing!
Now where did I put that flint and steel???? ??