Rattray's Brown Clunee

[mattia76]

Any fans of this blend out there.

A buddy of mine had a 7-year old tin and it was good. Great, VaPer taste and extremely smooth. Then I got my hands on a 12 year old tin and it was absolute heaven. Everything I love about Christmas Cheer, plus perique, minus the ketchup smell.
Highly recommended.

 

[ohin3]

I find that most of the Rattray Virginias are great fresh out of the tin, but damn near euphoric when aged for at least 3 years. 5 years and older just gets better and better. Brown Clunee, to me, is ok to bland fresh out of the tin, but a wonderful smoking experience with a few years under its belt.

 

[johnny]

Never tried this one but have a six year old tin in the box o tins, I have too much open now to crack another tin but should take note that I should open it next to see if I should get more

 

[sparroa]

I have not had any Rattray's to date but I just received my first Marlin Flake. I'm going to stock up on that and Hal o' The Wynd for some longer term aging - I'm just going to roll the dice and hope I like it in a few years!
Where does Brown Clunee stand in the Rattray's stable? I've read all the reviews but they blend together on me...

 

[cortezattic]

Where does Brown Clunee stand in the Rattray's stable?

Non-aromatic, non-Latakia.

Primarily a Virginia with touches of Kentucky for backbone and Perique for enhanced depth.

Not too sharp or zesty, not too tart or citrous. The Va is sweet and grassy, but smooth.

The Perique starts out slow and develops a prune-like character as the smoke progresses.

The smoke takes on a woody character that grows with time. Works best for me in smaller bowls.

If you like Old Gowrie, HoTW, and Marlin Flake, then Brown Clunee will fit right into your rotation.

 

[sparroa]

Thanks for the detailed description. It seems I can "picture" HoTW and MF but Brown Clunee and Old Gowrie still evade me somewhat. When I am just reading the descriptions a lot of them sound very similar since the constituent tobaccos seem to be the same...
Cortez, do you agree with this statement culled from one GSTQ on tobaccoreviews? "Brown Clunee is the all-day Hal O' the Wynd. Old Gowrie lacks the grassy and bakery flavours of HOTW, but Brown Clunee has them, albeit much more lightly." While the picture you paint above is of a desirable smoke in and of itself, I'm just curious if this quote is accurate in your mind with relation to the whole Rattray family? If Brown Clunee is close to a milder HoTW it may jump a few pegs on my list...

 

[cortezattic]

I think the quote is pretty accurate. It's probably my favorite of the family, and I went through a 100g tin in no time at all.

I have since purchased several more tins and squirreled them away for aging.

 

[sparroa]

Duly noted - I appreciate the clarification... Another one to purchase!

 

[ohin3]

Marlin flake is epic at the 5 year mark and keeps getting better. Hal O' The Wynd with 5 years or more on it is also a Jedi Master level smoke.

 

[mattia76]

The Clunee just keeps giving and giving. I am really loving this tin.

It is the milder version of Gowrie, made for folks who still have taste buds left and can appreciate the subtlety.

 

[sparroa]

Mine feel like they are burnt off this evening...
ohin, I am going to get MF/HoTW in a sizable quantity and maybe a Brown Clunee to try in the here and now. I trust that the MF/HoTW will be good enough when I get around to them that I'm not even going to bother opening a fresh tin just yet...

 

[jpmcwjr]

Reviving this oldie due to a new inquiry in another thread.

 

[woodsroad]

Simenon, how did your Brown Clunee turn out?

 

[sasquatch]

Can't answer for Simenon but I went through a bunch of Rattray's in the spring and summer.
Clunee was probably my favorite. It's gently sweet, it's a mild tobacco, really. Very enjoyable if you are not looking for major spice or a big nic hit. The room note is incredible - I lit a bowl and another piper who was just loading up snapped his head up and said something to the tune of "Holy shit, that smells incredible"
Old Gowrie is spicier, fuller and bigger - there's perique here and I'd guess the virginia is fuller, a big sweet red va. If Brown Clunee seems distant or a little "breakfasty" then Old Gowrie is a step up.
Hal-o-the-Wynd is sharply spicy, sweet and piquant, it kind of reminds me of McClelland 27 but maybe mixed with some red va and some perique. It would wake the dead. Tasty for sure, but it's a small-dose thing for me where I could smoke big gobs of Brown Clunee thoughtlessly.

 

[woodsroad]

Thank you, Sasquatch!

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Good Info, so far I was only familiar with OG, Hal o The Wynd and Marlin,my favorite is Ole Gowrie but the Hal o The Wynd wasn't bad either,bolder than OG yet a little sweeter and spicy.