I know Sutliff doesn't have the highest quality leaf and the bottom third doesn't taste as consistent as say C&D but still solid.
I'm happy that you are enjoying Carl's work.
But I have to disagree with your assessment of the quality of Sutliff's leaf. Sutliff bashing was a popular pastime played by people who were, for want of a better phrase, completely and utterly ignorant. They would blast Sutliff while extolling the qualities of other blends, not knowing that those blends were made by Sutliff for other makers, using Sutliff leaf. The chief cause of this was due, I think, to Sutliff carving out a niche for themselves by issuing a number of heavily topped "goopers" under the Sutliff name, creating the impression that that was the totality of Sutliff's output. They made blends for a number of other companies and supplied leaf to a number of companies, including the much loved and missed McClelland.
Anyone who's smoked Sutliff's 2019 and 2020 Cringle Flake knows that their stocks of matured red Virginia were absolutely first rate. And the 2021 Cringle Flake, which pissed some people off by being a Va/Per made with aged ingredients, was also a fabulous blend after a year in the tin.
People who love Watch City blends should be aware that they use Sutliff tobacco.
I've not experienced any of the Sutliff blends that I've stocked flattening out during the last 1/3 of the bowl. I've experienced that with other blends from other makers, but so far, not with Sutliff. There have been some disappointments. One of my favorite bulks was their Troost match, but the last bag I bought tasted nothing like the previous batches, and I fond it so unpalatable that I tossed it.
All that said, a lot has been changing in the tobacco biz, particularly in the last 6 or more years, with growers moving on to other crops, and sourcing/substitutions increasing and, in my experience, the quality going downhill. And I've not bought tobacco for a couple of years, though I've had the occasional sample sent to me to try. So my frame of reference is a little out of date.
I'm just glad that I have what I have and bought when I did.