Opinions on "Barrel-Aged" Tobacco

[crashthegrey]

I hear that Sutliff is coming out with a Classic Car Series. First will be an English blend. They pack a Morris Minor with a leaking rag top full of Latakia, Virginia, Oriental and a pair of Margaret Thatcher’s undies and let it ferment for a month. Each tin has a little swatch of Maggies Drawers floating on top.

You may be joking, but as a fan of such nonsense as Warhorse Bar and Lakeland panties, I kind of wish this were true.

 

[proteus]

I think of a lot of this is clever marketing. Or meant to mask bad leaf. The key is this...if you enjoy it, smoke it. Perique is barrel aged too. Not everyone likes it.

 

[crashthegrey]

I think of a lot of this is clever marketing. Or meant to mask bad leaf. The key is this...if you enjoy it, smoke it. Perique is barrel aged too. Not everyone likes it.

Interesting opinion. The SPC blends are some of the best selling in the world. Not sure how it would be masking bad leaf. Perique is not barrel aged. The barrels are used for fermentation of the leaf, they are not formerly used for liquor and are not used to impart that flavor. In fact, the barrel is usually lined with plastic to make perique.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

I hear that Sutliff is coming out with a Classic Car Series. First will be an English blend. They pack a Morris Minor with a leaking rag top full of Latakia, Virginia, Oriental and a pair of Margaret Thatcher’s undies and let it ferment for a month. Each tin has a little swatch of Maggies Drawers floating on top.

I'm waiting for the Triumph blend, it's VaPer packed in old Bonneville gas tanks for aging and cased with crank trap sludge. Each tin comes with a burnt out Zener Diode and a broken whitworth screw in it. It'll only stay lit for few minutes after which you have leave it sitting for 20 min to light it again.

 

[karam]

Perhaps gimmicky is a bit harsh of a criticism. I might more aptly have said for the amount of flavor it adds which I believe to be anything between light and negligible, paired with a premium cost and in some cases limited availability it’s not really a selling point for me personally

I think that's the definition of "gimmicky".

People seem confused. The tobacco is not oaked like alcohol. Rather, they select a used barrel and the tobacco absorbs the liquid and gases of the alcohol that was oaked. It picks up flavors of the liquor. I can see many have commented without trying one. McClelland Cellar is the big one...

Not confused, just doubting the mechanics of how that would work. Unless they very loosely add ribbon tobacco to a barrel previously used for some spirit, and regularly stir it (therefore interrupting any aging/picking up of flavours), while also creating a logistics problem for themselves by not using their barrel to its full capacity, I simply can't see how the tobacco would get anything from the barrel - other than any tobacco sitting really close to the walls. McClelland adding a piece of a used barrel in a loosely packed tin of ribbon tobacco makes more sense. I can believe it would impart a taste without having ever smoked it due to the fact it is loosely packed, small container, so any interesting gasses from the stave can permeate the tobacco.

 

[crashthegrey]

I think that's the definition of "gimmicky".


Not confused, just doubting the mechanics of how that would work. Unless they very loosely add ribbon tobacco to a barrel previously used for some spirit, and regularly stir it (therefore interrupting any aging/picking up of flavours), while also creating a logistics problem for themselves by not using their barrel to its full capacity, I simply can't see how the tobacco would get anything from the barrel - other than any tobacco sitting really close to the walls. McClelland adding a piece of a used barrel in a loosely packed tin of ribbon tobacco makes more sense. I can believe it would impart a taste without having ever smoked it due to the fact it is loosely packed, small container, so any interesting gasses from the stave can permeate the tobacco.

My suggestion is to try one. For starters, the barrel comes in so wet there is often an inch of liquor still in the bottom. These are used barrels, thus the rum, whiskey, brandy, and other labels on the tobacco. The tobacco is then left for a month so that liquor distributes all through the tobacco. This tobacco is then mixed and tinned, also with a stave like McClelland in some instances. I think you may be surprised by how much these tobaccos pick up.

 

[David D. Davidson]

I think that's the definition of "gimmicky".


Not confused, just doubting the mechanics of how that would work. Unless they very loosely add ribbon tobacco to a barrel previously used for some spirit, and regularly stir it (therefore interrupting any aging/picking up of flavours), while also creating a logistics problem for themselves by not using their barrel to its full capacity, I simply can't see how the tobacco would get anything from the barrel - other than any tobacco sitting really close to the walls. McClelland adding a piece of a used barrel in a loosely packed tin of ribbon tobacco makes more sense. I can believe it would impart a taste without having ever smoked it due to the fact it is loosely packed, small container, so any interesting gasses from the stave can permeate the tobacco.

Anecdotally, I’m Canadian and none of our tins come with a stave (I imagine due to some legislation somewhere banning everything fun), and I’ve never noticed a difference between those tins and the tins I purchase stateside, which do come with a stave, in terms of flavour or aroma. YMMV of course but that’s been pretty consistent for me personally

 

[Egg Shen]

I think that's the definition of "gimmicky".


Not confused, just doubting the mechanics of how that would work. Unless they very loosely add ribbon tobacco to a barrel previously used for some spirit, and regularly stir it (therefore interrupting any aging/picking up of flavours), while also creating a logistics problem for themselves by not using their barrel to its full capacity, I simply can't see how the tobacco would get anything from the barrel - other than any tobacco sitting really close to the walls. McClelland adding a piece of a used barrel in a loosely packed tin of ribbon tobacco makes more sense. I can believe it would impart a taste without having ever smoked it due to the fact it is loosely packed, small container, so any interesting gasses from the stave can permeate the tobacco.

I second that we understood the notion, I don’t doubt that there wouldn’t be flavors expressed/outgassed from the barrel as temperatures and barometric pressure fluctuate either…it’s just probably not creating massive change. Which is not to say no change. To me gimmicks are utterly useless trickery. So this might fall short of the gimmick label, but as always YMMV.

 

[crashthegrey]

Anecdotally, I’m Canadian and none of our tins come with a stave (I imagine due to some legislation somewhere banning everything fun), and I’ve never noticed a difference between those tins and the tins I purchase stateside, which do come with a stave, in terms of flavour or aroma. YMMV of course but that’s been pretty consistent for me personally

While the stave is cool, the reality is that that part is more gimmick than the rest. The stave just keeps a strong scent in the tin so that each time you open it, you get a fresh whif. The tobacco is fundamentally altered during the stay in the barrel. In proper Canadian etiquette, allow me to apologize for the fact that your tobacco is stripped of the fun. On the flip side, I love your olive drab tins and use them for travel tins.

 

[proteus]

Interesting opinion. The SPC blends are some of the best selling in the world. Not sure how it would be masking bad leaf. Perique is not barrel aged. The barrels are used for fermentation of the leaf, they are not formerly used for liquor and are not used to impart that flavor. In fact, the barrel is usually lined with plastic to make perique.

I'm not saying all tobacco product manufacturers or retailers who sell them are using or masking bad leaf, But some manufacturers may do that. I don't think anyone can 100% guarantee that no manufacturers mask bad leaf.

As far as Perique goes I mentioned it because its a great tobacco that is made in barrels that not everyone likes. Not to signify poor quality Perique. That wasn't clear from my words. I said it was barrel aged. I didn't say it was aged in any specific type of barrel or that the barrel itself was even part of the flavor equation. But barrels are used nonetheless. If all that was needed was a plastic bag and tobacco under pressure then any strong container would do. The manufacturers are using barrels for a reason. The barrels must have some property that makes Perique what it is. Perhaps its the cost, the size, the durability.

 

[Jmckenna0810]

As the President of Sutliff, I can assure you that no other topping is added to the tobacco. Everything you pick up is coming naturally from the barrel. We source only "fresh dumped" barrels, meaning within the last 2 weeks and will them immediately upon receiving them. There are times that there is remnant alcohol left, and almost every time you open one, if you are standing straight over it, the alcohol fumes will take your breath away. So, if you compare ethe two or find that there are differences, then it is coming from the barrel. I will not tell you that you will see a difference in them, that is for you to experience.

Before we went through the hassle of cutting up each barrel after use into small chunk and putting them into the package, we tested them to see if there was a difference in the tin note, especially upon opening, with and without the stave and there was. It is a pain in the ass to make them and we wouldn't bother if it didn't help.

I always offer whenever possible I will open up the factory for the nah sayers to come see us open and load a barrel to see "behind the curtain" that we don't add anything else. Enjoy!

 

[Egg Shen]

I didn’t know we had anyone from Sutliff here. That’s pretty cool. I love your Blend No. 5. Thanks for shedding some light on the topic.

A two-week old barrel is still pretty juicy, so it’s likely adding a bit more than I was theorizing before.

 

[Jmckenna0810]

I have never posted before and rarely get on here, I am somewhat active on Facebook groups, however thought I would chime in.

We just cracked 2 Cherry Brandy barrels this Am for a project, and you can't stand over them to smell, you will gag, and you will start crying like a baby. We then pack them full and reseal them and let them rest for at least 30 days.

Glad to hear that you like Blend No. 5, great English for sure.

I am always happy to answer questions where I can or get them for you.

 

[RookieGuy80]

Thank you very much for that explanation, @Jmckenna0810. And your generous offer to be a transparent as you can. I didn't realize you used barrel that fresh, or rather, that barrels that fresh are available to you. For some reason I thought the barrels were cleaned out before being sent off to you and wherever else they go.

 

[VirginiaMan]

I can certaintly tast a difference in SPC plum Pudding and the bourbon barrel aged variation. The bourbon barrel aged is substantially better to my pallet. Thats about as far as my experience goes though.

 

[K.E. Powell]

Apologies for being AWOL; life has been rather busy for me as of late!

I was able to get some tobacco smoking in, however. I still haven't had a chance to compare the the regular SPC Plum Pudding vs. its barrel aged variant. But I was able to compare Mississippi River and its barrel aged version. Thanks again to Fireground for kindly donating some to me!

Now, just to be clear: my palette is not as keen on nuance to the degree of some of our more seasoned smokers. I'm also fairly sensitive to latakia, so initially, that really overwhelmed me since both blends have some. But I acclimated and was able to definitely detect a difference between both. For me at least, the barrel aged variant was sweeter on the front-end and left a slightly woody aftertaste distinct from the latakia or orientals. That difference in aftertaste is slight, but it is noticeable.

So, there is a noticable difference! To me at least, and Lord knows I am not well-suited to this task, especially given my sensitivity for latakia. But even with that, I noticed a difference, and I imagine someone not as sensitive as me would likely discern more of a difference. The best way I can describe it is, well, you know how if you ghost a pipe really good and it leaves a taste on a completely different tobacco, but in a good way? That's what these barrel aged tobaccos feel like to me. It feels like the tobacco has been "ghosted" with spirits and oak. It can be an enjoyable difference.

I think the people who would get the most out of these kinds of blends are those who already enjoy the base blend, but want a twist to keep it feeling fresh. And people who like boozy and woodsy flavors in their tobaccos (which I do). Now, is that difference in taste enough to justify a significant markup in price? Not really, but a modest markup? I'd bite at that. I'll see how the barrel Plum Pudding tastes once work/life eases up a little.

 

[sardonicus87]

For what it's worth, I have the Sutliff Crumble Kake Barrel Aged No. 5 - Rustica, and it definitely tastes pretty clearly like it was aged in a bourbon barrel. It has that alcohol sweetness to it without the charcoal taste you get with bourbon (I actually hate bourbon as a drink because of that char taste, but things flavored with it can be good because they usually pick up the sweet alcohol notes without picking up the char).

And it's not subtle—not overpowering either, but definitely no question that the flavor is there. Whether this is the case from other manufacturers, I can't say.