Sutliff 515 RC-1 Matured Red Virginia

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Spinkle

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 16, 2019
892
5,950
42
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I will preface this review by stating that I’ve never tried any McClelland blend, so this is not a comparison. At the same time, it was reading posts lamenting the demise of 5100, and that 515 RC-1 was the closest substitute that made me pull the trigger. I think the fact that even several years after its demise that McClelland still casts a long shadow over the pipe tobacco “zeitgeist” proves that they were a unique and quality operation. But this post is about the new kid on the block.

One of the things that always piqued my interest about the McClelland Virginia blends was references to a “ketchup” tin-note. I am a certified ketchup addict, and in fact as I grew up and started paying attention to my eating habits I realized that this more of a love of vinegar. Salt and Vinegar has always been my favourite flavour of chips, and I love pickled foods of all types.

I had been on the lookout for a Virginia “all-day smoke” that came in bulk to save some cash and cellar in large amounts relatively cheaply. So when I read some reviews saying that 515 RC-1 was a good replacement for 5100 and that it had a “vinegar” tin-note, I knew I needed to try it. I pulled the trigger on 8 ounces to start.

As soon as I opened the bag upon arrival, I was immediately struck by a very powerful vinegar scent. This is not a “ketchupy” tin note, rather, it is very reminiscent of white vinegar. This is right up my alley, but if you are not a fan of vinegar you may find the sheer strength offputting. The tobacco itself is a very nice even ribbon cut, very similar to the STG/Dunhill/Peterson mixtures. I have never found any stray sticks and stems, it seems to be all leaf. The ribbons themselves are a light khaki to deep maroon, and its clear by looking that this is not a single leaf blend.

When you light this tobacco up, you immediately get a vinegary tang that blasts your senses but quickly settles down. The tang remains throughout the bowl, and for those like me, this is a welcome background. There is a sweetness to this blend that also creeps behind the tang as you smoke it, and that flavour builds throughout the bowl. I am not one that really subscribes to the hay vs. grass vs. bread debate with Virginias because I generally don’t get those types of flavours. That having been said, this blend does have an almost oaty/toasty tinge to it that variously fades in and out as you make your way down. There is a bit of zesty citrus that also tends to fade in and out for me, all supported by a base of tangy, earthy true tobacco taste.

Although this is a straight Virginia tobacco, in my opinion it is not a simple blend; the flavours that come and go while the sweetness develops reminds me in a way of Mac Baren Mixture: Scottish Blend. Not that they taste at all similar, but in that the various flavours tend to wax and wane as you smoke, and no two bowls have quite the same progress. This is in my opinion as complex as a straight Virginia can get, and as a former cigarette smoker I can say that the nicotine is adequate unlike many of the other Virginia blends I’ve smoked.

All told, this has become one of my all-time favourite blends, and I’ve just recently purchased another pound during the 20% off sale at SP.com. I intend to order a pound or two whenever it goes on sale to make sure that I never run out. I have also put aside some to age to see what happens – I relish the vinegar tang so if it tones down from aging I may just forget the aging part.

I am also well aware that Sutliff gets some backlash for what is perceived as producing cheap product. They may sell a lot of goopy PG laden aromatics, but as a few who are far wiser than me have pointed out on occasion on this site, the buyers of these blends are what keep our hobby alive. Even if they are not as outspoken as the rest of us, they are speaking with their dollars. I would encourage anyone who thinks this sounds like it could be a blend for you to ignore the Sutliff biases – this is a delicious tobacco that is clearly as high in quality as any other that can be purchased. The fact that its bulk makes it even more of a gem in my opinion.

McClelland may be gone forever, but for pipe smokers like me who never had the opportunity, nothing has truly been lost. Ignorance is bliss as they say. For me, I am not going to spend time trying to hunt down these ever scarcer blends, though I’m sure that I would have loved them. I’ll stick with 515 RC-1. As one of my favourite authors Terry Pratchett would say, “it could have been a lot worse”.
 

Tommy Boy

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 28, 2020
810
1,235
Michigan
Nice review of the tobacco. I also have never tryed any of the unobtainium blends and would almost hate to because what if i loved it. I would have to pay crazy prices for an old tin just to have a few bowls a year. Then spend the rest of my time comparing other blends to them. Although it still might happen to us with blends we have found and do love so buy up now i guess.
 

Jwebb90

Lifer
Feb 17, 2020
1,968
32,694
Ruse, Bulgaria
I have worked through a small sample of this recently in hopes that I would find another bulk option to stock up on. I love the McClelland "ketchup" smell but was turned off by the straight-up vinegar smell in this one. The smoke itself was fine. As you mentioned, it is not overly simplistic and has enough nuance to keep you interested. I have had a couple of really good smokes but the majority have been just okay for me. I like this blend but not enough to reorder more.

However, I am glad you found a keeper! Your response to stock up on this one is similar to my recent response to Sutliff's Match Victorian. That stuff is the bee's knees.
 

tkcolo

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 30, 2018
240
328
51
Granby, CO
No offense intended here. I hated the overwhelming ketchup in RC-1 so much, that it made me dislike the ketchup note in mcclelland's I used to love so much. That vinegar taste sticks with me for at least a day, much like the chemical 'lime" in a bud light lime. Gross.
 

brooklynpiper

Part of the Furniture Now
May 8, 2018
633
1,362
Normally to prevent mold in bulk tobacco, I decant the tobacco into a jar and whip out my member and dribble a little piss into the jar on the tobacco so no nastiness grows. It's just a slosh and stopping always burns - it's kind of troublesome but I do love the ritual.

Thankfully, for RC-1, Sutliff already did this for me.
 

Spinkle

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 16, 2019
892
5,950
42
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I have worked through a small sample of this recently in hopes that I would find another bulk option to stock up on. I love the McClelland "ketchup" smell but was turned off by the straight-up vinegar smell in this one. The smoke itself was fine. As you mentioned, it is not overly simplistic and has enough nuance to keep you interested. I have had a couple of really good smokes but the majority have been just okay for me. I like this blend but not enough to reorder more.

However, I am glad you found a keeper! Your response to stock up on this one is similar to my recent response to Sutliff's Match Victorian. That stuff is the bee's knees.
Yeah, I totally get how the vinegar could turn someone off the blend - like I said I love it myself so its a bonus.

I actually have a pound of Match Victorian on the way with my pound of 515 RC-1. I have never tried it but the sales price of approx. $22 a pound made me figure why the heck not. It gets a lot of good press around here so I suspect that I will like it.
 

rushx9

Lifer
Jul 10, 2019
2,299
17,244
42
Shelby, NC
I'm a big fan of 515-RC1! The vinegar is pretty intense at first but with some age and airing I pick up much more red wine and dark fruit notes. I recently got to smoke some McC 5100 and noticed it was much sweeter and had a much more distinct ketchup or Heinz 57 note that I didn't like as much as the straight acetic note in 515. Also the 5100 smoked more like Prince Albert or the recent wetter batches of Elizabethan Match(Victoria). Don't take me the wrong way, 5100 is special and I understand why some love it so much, the fruit notes, sweetness, and lack of bite are unique to that blend alone, it just also seems very basic and even a little boring to me. I look at 515 like the other Match blends by Sutliff. None are identical and some folks prefer the matches for various reasons. I've found I prefer Sutliff's Red VAs to C&D's, the 515 is a great bulk value and the tinned offerings like Crumble Kake or Kringle Kake are stellar. The highly regarded KBV and Watch City blends use Sutliff Red VAs, so those guys must feel pretty good about the stuff as well.
 
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Spinkle

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 16, 2019
892
5,950
42
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I'm a big fan of 515-RC1! The vinegar is pretty intense at first but with some age and airing I pick up much more red wine and dark fruit notes. I recently got to smoke some McC 5100 and noticed it was much sweeter and had a much more distinct ketchup or Heinz 57 note that I didn't like as much as the straight acetic note in 515. Also the 5100 smoked more like Prince Albert or the recent wetter batches of Elizabethan Match(Victoria). Don't take me the wrong way, 5100 is special and I understand why some love it so much, the fruit notes, sweetness, and lack of bite are unique to that blend alone, it just also seems very basic and even a little boring to me. I look at 515 like the other Match blends by Sutliff. None are identical and some folks prefer the matches for various reasons. I've found I prefer Sutliff's Red VAs to C&D's, the 515 is a great bulk value and the tinned offerings like Crumble Kake or Kringle Kake are stellar. The highly regarded KBV and Watch City blends use Sutliff Red VAs, so those guys must feel pretty good about the stuff as well.
I have been meaning to try the Krumble Kake Red Virginia given how much I liked 515. I think I will add it to my next order now.
 

ray47

Lifer
Jul 10, 2015
2,451
5,610
Dalzell, South Carolina
I've had a pound jarred up since Oct' 2018. When I opened the jar it was still pretty moist so I layed out the contents of the half pint jar for 6 hrs to dry and just lit up a bowl a few moments ago. I've smoked it fresh and didn't care for it back in 2018, but I never give up on a blend. Back in 2018 it had a strong vinegar taste and I could detect alot of PG. Now after drying it, the vinegar taste is pretty much gone and I can't detect the PG any longer. It's just not the same blend with some age and drying it to almost crispy. I still don't believe it's the same as 5100 Red Cake, but now it's as close as you can get with the aging and drying it real good. Highly recommended now, just make sure you dry it for about 6 to 8 hrs.
 

Pipewizard420

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 28, 2020
241
506
Great review! I agree that Sutliff Matured Virginia is unique in that the Vinigar scent is not seen often when it comes to currently available pipe tobacco. Got a 1oz sample at first and loved it so picked up a pound to cellar, wonder what some years will do to a blend like this. Wish there were a few other options for this type of Tobacco but would imagine this would work great for some home blending.
 
Jan 28, 2018
12,952
134,605
66
Sarasota, FL
Back in the day, I would order 5 lb bags of 5100. Pretty much all I smoked. Yeah, I know, rather crazy. The Sutliff version has a somewhat similar tin note and flavor profile. It’s not as full bodied or complex as 5100. If you have a red Virginia itch, it should scratch it.

I happen to think F&T Black Jack is more similar and tastes better. Old Gowrie has an extra ingredient but the tin note is remarkably similar and great flavor. WCC Simply Red is more similar to 5100 IMHO.
 

logs

Lifer
Apr 28, 2019
1,873
5,069
I tried to get into RC-1 but was disappointed. The only thing it did was demonstrate how much better the real thing actually is. Even the infamous McClelland ketchup aroma has a complexity that the white vinegar stench of RC-1 doesn't come close to approximating. For $70 you can have a couple of pounds of mediocre Sutliff or single tin of the best McClelland. I know which I'd pick.
 
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