Tom’s Private Reserve 2008
- Thread starter Mury
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I spoke with the McCranies guy at their table and was told that it’s 2008 Red Ribbon with a different label.
was that the store owner? I recently heard from other folks who tried it next to the regular McCranies 2008 crop and they noticed significant differences.
My buddy was at the show and was awesome to grab me a tin, can’t wait to review it
I can only repeat what I’ve been told.
The thing about smoker’s perceptions about differences is that they are often imagined and not based on anything factual. Or they don’t take into account the effects of time, or the effect of a different environment. Besides, there are flavor differences between different batches of the same release.
STG’s reboot of the Dunhill line of tobaccos engendered a lot of speculation about changes when nothing had actually changed. The tobaccos were the same, the manufacturing process was the same, but people were sure they could identify differences.
It’s a part of human nature.
And sablebrush52 scores!
that makes sense! I’m going to buy a tin of the regular 2008 crop mccranies and do a side by side and come to the bottom of this.
I’m curious who this person was that provided the info. Was he someone behind the blending process that knows the true differences or a cashier who simply rung you up.
Considering that Mike McNeil, McClelland’s master of processing, was behind the blending process for McCranie I can tell you that it wasn’t him.
The story is that not all of the 2008 Red River was tinned by McClelland. The remaining untinned bulk, was discovered and that got tinned under a different label.
that’s super interesting. I didn’t even know it was called Red River, Well I hope I didn’t over spend on a tin of Tom’s Private Reserve if it’s the same as 2008 McCranies. I had just heard that it was significantly better - packs more punch. I guess the price I paid at the Vegas show was the cheapest I had seen and if you break it down it comes out to the same price as 2 tins of McCranies 2008.
I was having a hallucinatory moment, it’s Red Ribbon.
There are a number of “irregularities” with McClelland tinning and labeling, not many, but they do pop up from time to time, like the unlabeled tins of 1996, or maybe it was 1997, Christmas Cheer, that didn’t get labeled because they didn’t print enough labels, and that’s not the only unlabeled McClelland stuff floating around.
And there are people who are sure that all the McCranie’s Red Ribbon and Red Flake are just repackaged 5100.
People think all kinds of stuff and they’re generally wrong.
As for the price, it’s in line with what others are paying for McClelland products with McClelland labels.
Bottom line, if after you’ve smoked the blend, and really enjoyed it, you’ll decide if the price was worth it.
Great way of putting it! I totally agree and have heard of others say the same about 5100, I have heard others say it’s just re-badged products.
But you never really know unless you’re the McNeils. I wish I was quick enough to get more than 1 tin of the Toms, the prices you see online are double and triple!
I passed without regret. I paid normal retail, and the blends are worth that to me. That said, I could buy at normal retail, which is no longer an option.
Yep. It’s a terrific blend and a good year. I already have plenty of McClelland blends and don’t need more.
And if I run out of McClelland blends (unlikely) I have plenty of other blends that I like.
And that holds true for a great many other classic blends that I’ve enjoyed in years past. There’s not a blend that’s ever been made that I would pay 10x the original price.
But that’s just me.