Man... I am so new to pipe smoking. I never had the chance to try McClelland's blends but heard about how pipe smokers were effected by it and that saddened me. I couldn't even know what I was missing out on; too late to the party. It seems, to some extent, that these issues are tales as old as time. Blends changing over the years or disappearing entirely as things move around and change hands.
This is my first time experiencing this in real time; as a pipe enjoyer. I don't have much of a cellar going and I don't necessarily have the financial means to bulk up even with a few months of notice. My cellar will have to grow organically over time. But companies and blends are literally disappearing before my eyes. I just made my biggest purchase ever a few weeks back to stock up on some Peter Stokkebye bulk flake because it is my favorite smoke so far and you never know what's going to happen; not just with blends and companies but with politics and taxes.
I can't fully understand the ramifications of this closing. I'm still getting acquainted with brands, conglomerates, who owns who, who grows what, how things are blended... But, I definitely need to take a look at some of the sales that are going on now and seriously consider adding to my small cellar.
Thank you, everyone, for this discussion. It's informative to someone new like me. More than anything, I'm sorry to those who may be losing their jobs. I hope they manage make ends meet and wish them the best.
