Rattray's: Brown Clunee vs Old Gowrie vs Hal O' Wynd

[MCJ]

It's interesting that the blends we smoke are experienced so differently. I've smoked all of those, and Marlin Flake, which I don't care for at all. It's the cavendish, hot air mostly, that makes it so bland.
To me, HoTW is totally superior. It's a flavor bomb, well balanced, tangy, a little sweet and with almost none of the bitterness that most va/pers develop towards the end of the bowl. The Perique is very much a condiment, noticeable more in the way that it enhances the tanginess in the virginias than in itself.
Old Gowrie is furthest away in my memory. It was good, quite similar to HoTW, but I remember a slight nutty flavor that I associate with burley and don't care much for.
Brown Clunee is one of the blends I'm smoking currently, my first tin of it, and it seems to have much more perique in it than the others, maybe except Marlin Flake, which also has it in abundance. Too much perique for me, as it overpowers the virginias with a peppery quality the goes bitter in the last third of the bowl.
It's not bad by any means, only not good enough to make me want more of it.
I'm not a blender and haven't a clue about percentages and stuff.

Yes, I think the general consensus is that Brown Clunee definitely has the most Perique. Some times I seem to be more sensitive to Perique than others. A little bit of Perique can go a long way, and you definitely CAN have too much of a good thing (but I really don't mind the high level in Brown Clunee for some reason). I generally find most straight Virginia's a little boring actually, so I like it when I can find a VA-based blend with interesting levels of Perique or Kentucky. Have been thinking of mixing some Old Dark Fired into a small bag of Brown Clunee and seeing what that does...

 

[MCJ]

Sometimes I tell myself I am going to pour out and measure exactly 10 grams of a favourite blend, and then using tweezers carefully divide the leaf into it's separate piles and remeasure for a ratio...but I will never actually get round to doing it.

Now there's an idea -- that could make an interesting project for a snowy day this winter!

 

[Architeuthis]

Funny to hear you say that regarding Marlin flake. I feel the exact same, and thought I was alone!

Same experience as others here, though I can only speak to the versions from around 2010. OG is my favorite, but HOTW is no slouch. Fortunately both were plentiful back in 2010ish and I was able to put back a good supply of each. BC is milder than both. Nothing wrong with it, just milder in all aspects. I had high hopes for MF; it looks great & smells great in the jar, but it was always flat to me.

You mention that you liked Black Mallory. I found that one to have a nice fullness and chewy mouthfeel to the smoke. Highland Targe is significantly milder. I quite like it. It has a enough latakia to assert its presence but not enough to cover up the other components. Great morning blend.

As for replicating them, I wouldn't be concerned about ratios of components, since you dont have the leaf they use. Just start tinkering. Be methodical about it and keep good notes. Most folks that dabble in home blending eyeball everything and never remember how much of what they used when they luck onto good mix.

It is worth reading the following post from Ernie- blender at Watch City Cigars.
Ernie Q on casing, pressing, and blending - https://pipesmokersdens.com/threads/ernie-q-on-casing-pressing-and-blending.4535/

Have fun and let us all know if you strike gold

 

[MCJ]

Same experience as others here, though I can only speak to the versions from around 2010. OG is my favorite, but HOTW is no slouch. Fortunately both were plentiful back in 2010ish and I was able to put back a good supply of each. BC is milder than both. Nothing wrong with it, just milder in all aspects. I had high hopes for MF; it looks great & smells great in the jar, but it was always flat to me.

You mention that you liked Black Mallory. I found that one to have a nice fullness and chewy mouthfeel to the smoke. Highland Targe is significantly milder. I quite like it. It has a enough latakia to assert its presence but not enough to cover up the other components. Great morning blend.

As for replicating them, I wouldn't be concerned about ratios of components, since you dont have the leaf they use. Just start tinkering. Be methodical about it and keep good notes. Most folks that dabble in home blending eyeball everything and never remember how much of what they used when they luck onto good mix.

It is worth reading the following post from Ernie- blender at Watch City Cigars.
Ernie Q on casing, pressing, and blending - https://pipesmokersdens.com/threads/ernie-q-on-casing-pressing-and-blending.4535/

Have fun and let us all know if you strike gold

Thanks for the detailed reply, Architeuthis -- much appreciated. I'm assuming when you (and others) say that they find BC to be the mildest of those 3 Rattray's blends you mean it has the lowest percentage of Kentucky? I ask because the contrasting similar general consensus is that BC has the most Perique and is often considered spiciest of the three. But I know everyone experiences flavor differently...

Yes, I really do like Black Mallory especially as an after-dinner/evening smoke (your description of its "fullness and chewy mouthfeel" is spot on to me). In contrast to Black Mallory as an end-of-day treat, I generally smoke BC in the afternoons (same as I do Red Rapparee). And I just picked up a can of Highland Targe, so interesting to try that one out. I was thinking it might also be more of an afternoon smoke, but noted that you find it a great morning blend. Excited to consider it for that (right now the only blend with Latakia that I smoke in the AM is Peterson's Standard Mixture, which I find quite enjoyable for that quiet time of early-mid morning). I had originally tried Peterson's Early Morning Pipe for that, but found it too "thin" for my taste.

On to "technical" issues, you have an excellent point that perhaps I shouldn't be too concerned with ratios of components since I do not have access to the exact same leaf as the blender. Hadn't really thought about that point. Guess will just have to dive in and start tinkering. And your link to that post was very informative -- Thanks Again!

 

[Architeuthis]

Thanks for the detailed reply, Architeuthis -- much appreciated. I'm assuming when you (and others) say that they find BC to be the mildest of those 3 Rattray's blends you mean it has the lowest percentage of Kentucky? I ask because the contrasting similar general consensus is that BC has the most Perique and is often considered spiciest of the three. But I know everyone experiences flavor differently...

Yes, I really do like Black Mallory especially as an after-dinner/evening smoke (your description of its "fullness and chewy mouthfeel" is spot on to me). In contrast to Black Mallory as an end-of-day treat, I generally smoke BC in the afternoons (same as I do Red Rapparee). And I just picked up a can of Highland Targe, so interesting to try that one out. I was thinking it might also be more of an afternoon smoke, but noted that you find it a great morning blend. Excited to consider it for that (right now the only blend with Latakia that I smoke in the AM is Peterson's Standard Mixture, which I find quite enjoyable for that quiet time of early-mid morning). I had originally tried Peterson's Early Morning Pipe for that, but found it too "thin" for my taste.

On to "technical" issues, you have an excellent point that perhaps I shouldn't be too concerned with ratios of components since I do not have access to the exact same leaf as the blender. Hadn't really thought about that point. Guess will just have to dive in and start tinkering. And your link to that post was very informative -- Thanks Again!

If you found Early Morning Pipe to be too light for your taste, you may find Highland Targe too light as well. I like it for a light bodied smoke with a distinct smokiness. I would not call it a full or rich blend. YMMV.

 

[FLDRD]

No worries, Gervais! Glad to hear that you enjoy HOTW and OG. Not to get off topic, but I personally have enjoyed almost every Rattray's blend I've tried (Brown Clunee, Red Rapparee, and Black Mallory all have places in my current rotation). The only Rattray's blend I didn't much care for was Marlin Flake (which most people seem to love); that one just didn't seem to have much flavor to me. Just picked up a tin of Highland Targe, so that will be my next Rattray's blend to give a try...

I enjoyed Highland Targee and am an English fan, inclusive of several of Petersons iterations of Dunhill (EMP, 965, Nightcap, etc), Presbyterian, and other usual suspects. HT has a different character that was a bit floral/tangy somehow that made it interesting to me. Hope you enjoy.

 

[MCJ]

I enjoyed Highland Targee and am an English fan, inclusive of several of Petersons iterations of Dunhill (EMP, 965, Nightcap, etc), Presbyterian, and other usual suspects. HT has a different character that was a bit floral/tangy somehow that made it interesting to me. Hope you enjoy.

Glad to hear your impressions of Highland Targe, and its character as you experienced it -- Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

[karam]

For my tastes, Marlin Flake is a nice light Virginia, and HOTW which is the only other one I've tried is sort of a Virginia with Kohlhase and Kopp's rubbery black "Kentucky". I put quotation marks because I believe it's the same leaf that's found in many other K&K blends, and it's a far cry from how I understand Dark Fired Kentucky which you find in McB's Bold Kentucky or GH Dark Birdseye which is woody, spicy, dryish and packing a big nicotine punch.

 

[MCJ]

For my tastes, Marlin Flake is a nice light Virginia, and HOTW which is the only other one I've tried is sort of a Virginia with Kohlhase and Kopp's rubbery black "Kentucky". I put quotation marks because I believe it's the same leaf that's found in many other K&K blends, and it's a far cry from how I understand Dark Fired Kentucky which you find in McB's Bold Kentucky or GH Dark Birdseye which is woody, spicy, dryish and packing a big nicotine punch.

Interesting comment on the differences between K&K's Kentucky, and that found in MacBaren's or GH's offerings. I'm thinking of mixing some MacBaren Old Dark Fired into a small bit of my Brown Clunee and see how that experiment turns out...

 

[karam]

Interesting comment on the differences between K&K's Kentucky, and that found in MacBaren's or GH's offerings. I'm thinking of mixing some MacBaren Old Dark Fired into a small bit of my Brown Clunee and see how that experiment turns out...

I’d be interested to hear! Overall my own experiments with mixing blends haven’t been very satisfying, however what did work was mixing some, say 25% of Dark Birdseye into MacBarren’s Dark Twist Roll Cake. Dark Birdseye is mostly Kentucky anyway so it hits all these notes, but synergises very well with the Roll Cake which is medium/mild in taste.