McClelland Tobacco Company, Maker of Legendary Pipe Tobaccos, Closes Down

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mcclelland tobacco closing

McClelland Tobacco, one of the most legendary names in pipe tobacco, is closing its doors after more than forty years in business. The company, which created some of the most popular pipe tobaccos in the world (Dark Star, Personal Reserve: Blackwoods Flake, Christmas Cheer, and Turkish Ribbon, to name a few), cited policy and regulatory changes as the dominant driver behind the company’s closure.

This is a huge blow to pipe lovers everywhere.

Mike and Mary McNiel,  owners of McClelland, wrote the below letter to friends and customers on February 28th, 2018:

The McClelland Tobacco Company is closing after 40 years. We want to thank all the retailers and pipe smokers for their support and efforts to spread their appreciation of our pipe tobaccos, taking us from a very modest beginning in Grandpa McClelland’s basement in the Fall of 1977 to a company with a worldwide reputation for quality.

We have made our pipe tobaccos – Virginias, Oriental Mixtures, Aromatics, etc. – from the highest grades of leaf and strip tobaccos because of their basic richness and natural sweetness. That has been the beauty of McClelland and that is now the problem. We can no longer access tobacco of the quality we need. The time-honored, labor intensive processes at the farm are disappearing. The aging of leaf over several summers to mellow in “sweats” is largely a thing of the past. We need “old school” methods at every stage before manufacturing to make it possible for McClelland to draw from the leaf the flavors that have been our hallmark. Without the supportive infrastructure our government used to provide, a small company such as ours cannot continue. We might have limped along with lesser leaf but nobody would have been happy with the resulting products and we would have been ashamed of them.

We have sold down all the inventory that we have been able to produce with the finest leaf. We want to thank you, our customers, and thank our great employees/friends who have been so capable and conscientious and thank our leaf suppliers who have made extraordinary effort to search out the finest leaf possible for us for 40 years. We will miss McClelland and our daily contacts with our friends in the pipe community. We feel privileged to have been part of this wonderful world of the pipe for so long. The finest people we know have been and are pipe and tobacco people, and we hope to keep up our contacts as we move on to the next phase of life.

We wish everybody good luck and good fortune.

Mike and Mary McNiel 

The Glenlivet 12 Review

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Glenlivet 12 Review Bottle

Glenlivet 12 is one of those scotches that is too often overlooked by scotch fans looking for the ‘next best thing.’ I’ve got news for you: Glenlivet 12 isn’t on every bar and tavern shelf because it’s pretty to look at (though it is). It’s on every shelf because it’s an affordable, approachable, and broadly speaking a damn fine whisky.

Does that make me biased going into this review? If this was my second or third glass of Glenlivet 12, maybe. In all likelihood, this is more like glass forty.

Product Specifics

  • Distiller: Glenlivet
  • Mashbill: 100% malted barley
  • Cask: Traditional and Ex-Bourbon American oak
  • Age: 12 years
  • ABV: 40% (80 proof)

Glenlivet 12 Review

Appearance

In the glass, Glenlivet 12 is copper color. The bottle itself is a beautiful Christmas-tree green, with well designed, eye catching labeling. It’s a bottle that can look at home on any shelf.

Nose

The nose is light but bright, with very little ethanol burn. The aroma off the glass is a combination of malt, apples, vanilla, and graham cracker.

Palate

To me, Glenlivet 12 is Spring in a glass. Smooth, warm, and enjoyable on entry, with flavors of malty sweetness, green apple, pears, honey and a bit of grass.  As the liquid spreads across the palate, flavors bloom to baking spices and vanilla.

Finish

The finish is moderate in length and contains most of the palate flavors: malt, honeyed sweetness, apple, and vanilla.

Conclusion

I haven’t read rave reviews of Glenlivet 12 on most review sites, which may be because experienced scotch drinkers compare this dram to more expensive, powerful scotches. But I think Glenlivet 12 deserves a spot on every scotch lovers shelf, particularly if you have friends who are unsure if they like scotch. It’s affordable and brings an easily graspable, enjoyable, and balanced flavor profile to the table.  That said, I have a hard time relating to the tasting notes on the Glenlivet 12 page on the website. In particular, I have yet to pick up tropical fruit notes.

Final Score: 90

Disclaimer: Though by no means my first ever (or second or third ever) bottle of Glenlivet, the bottle for this review was gifted by Glenlivet.

A.J. Fernandez New World Puro Especial Review

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AJ Fernandez New World Puro Especial Toro Review

There are individuals in the cigar industry who source tobacco to create a blend, others have a blend made for them and others who farm tobacco and sell to companies.  A.J. Fernandez chooses to do it all. A.J. is one of the finest blenders, farmers and cigar creators out there. His ability to oversee the entire operation has ensured the quality of each cigar from beginning to end. A.J.’s New World Puro Especial line seeks to represent a single area and the best from Estelí Nicaragua.

Blend Specifics

Cigar Reviewed: AJ Fernandez New World Puro Especial Toro

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano

Binder: Nicaraguan Habano

Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: 6 1/2 x 52 Toro

AJ Fernandez New World Puro Especial Toro Review Closeup

Appearance & Construction

The New World Nicaraguan has a beautiful band with “New World” across the top along with red and gold lines bordering it. The center picture is of Columbus and his ships giving homage to the New World explorer. Underneath are the words “Puro Especial” with a secondary band that has A.J. Fernandez on it noting the creator. The wrapper is oily, expertly rolled and has no soft spots.  Looking at this cigar you get the impression it is going to be something good.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

The New World Puro Especial begins with a lot of leather upfront followed by a blast of coffee.  Initially the finish offers a creamy component. With each puff sweet cocoa and cream come into play, creating a savory profile.  The leather continues too, along with a nuttiness giving the cigar a balanced medium to full bodied smoke.  On the retrohale a little bit of earthiness is picked up.

At midway, chocolate and clotted cream come on strong which is quite delicious. The finish is like butterscotch and keeps the palate salivating for more. The burn is razor sharp and the cigar releases a perfect amount of smoke.  At this point the leather returns along with a bit of cinnamon. The final third gives way to more coffee, chocolate and leather rounding out the cigar and adding more complexities. I smoked this cigar to the nub and only wish it lasted longer.

Conclusion

Once again A.J. Fernandez shows why his brand continues to grow.  Creating a cigar from its inception shows how the highest of standards can be maintained with a keen eye throughout the process. The New World Puro Especial Toro is a cigar that takes the already stellar Estelí to another level. If you have never had a cigar by A.J. Fernandez grab a New World Puro Especial to try. If you enjoy A.J.’s cigars then grab a box of these and you will continue to be a fan.

Moore & Bode Adelante Review

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Moore and Bode Adelante Review 2

Up for review today is another blend from Moore and Bode, a little known brand based in Florida. This brand, though, is not to be underestimated. The last Moore & Bode cigar I reviewed, the Moore & Bode Candela, earned an overall score of 91 (excellent).

In this review, we’ll look at the Moore & Bode Adelante 5 x 46, which features tobaccos from five countries.

Product Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Moore & Bode Adelante
  • Wrapper: US Grown Connecticut Shade
  • Binder: Asian
  • Filler: South America, India, Caribbean Islands
  • Size: ‘Winged’ Townie (5″ x 46)

Appearance & Construction

The Moore & Bode Adelante features a light brown Connecticut Shade Grown wrapper. The wrapper is has a slightly rough texture, with some noticeable veins. When squeezed, the cigar is fairly solid with a bit of give. Off the foot I pick up aromas of dusty wood and tea leaves.

The band leaves a bit to be desired here. I had a hard time getting a clear photo of the band. First because the band is absolutely tiny, and secondly because the printed lettering on many of the bands I’ve seen is actually blurry. Hopefully they figure that out sometime in the near future.

The draw has a bit of resistance (probably a 7 out of 10 in restrictiveness), and reveals an interesting note, similar to salami. Definitely a first for me as far as pre light aromas go.

Moore and Bode Adelante Review

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

After toasting the foot, I light up and am greeted by copious amounts of thick, toasty, mild bodied smoke. The flavors are nuanced and complex: light cedar, toasted bread, herbs, black tea (Earl Gray, I think). The retrohale is very mild, with twinges of cinnamon spice and sweetness. It may be the most delicious and distinct retrohale I’ve ever experienced.

At an inch in, the burn is a bit wavy and the light gray ash is holding strong. The flavor has inched up but is still extremely mild. The herbal / tea notes are less prominent, and lightly toasted bread, vanilla, and touches of spice here and there. This profile continues until the second third.

In the second third, the body and strength inches up just a touch. At this point, I’m comfortable classifying the smoke as what most smokers would understand to be mild in body.  The flavors though, are still clear and distinct: cinnamon (a bit stronger now), subtle white pepper, cashews, and light wood. The cigar continues to smoke well: lots of smoke, extremely smooth, and only a bit of waviness on the burn.

In the final third I run into an issue when I try to peel off the small dot of a band. Even though I tried to remove it gently, it still broke the wrapper and peeled off a piece. Not a huge issue, but one I could see being a consistent problem with this band design.

From a flavor standpoint, the final third is also where a bit of unpleasant bitterness enters in, which is a common risk with producing an extremely mild cigar. The bitterness throws the balance of considerably, muddying the flavors the palate and on the retrohale. As much as I hoped the last 10 minutes of the cigar would turn this flavor around, they don’t.

Conclusion

Despite the issue with the band and the bitterness at the end, the Moore & Bode Adelante is one of the finest mild blends I’ve ever smoked. The flavors are clear, discernible, dynamic, and for most of the cigar, perfectly in balance. This cigar is easily worth a box purchase if you can find it. My only gripe with the brand as a whole is that Moore & Bode blends are difficult to identify.

Final Score: 93

Four Roses Yellow Label Review

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Four Roses Yellow Label Review

Up for review today is Four Roses Yellow Label, the company’s entry level product. Calling anything from Four Roses “entry level” though could be a bit of a misnomer. Unlike many bourbon boom companies that churn out poorly balanced, mediocre bourbon blends, you’d be hard pressed to find any Four Roses bourbon that doesn’t reach a high level of quality.

That said, even legendary whiskey brands need to be interrogated from time to time. So let’s get on with the review.

Four Roses Yellow Label Review Label

Product Specifics

  • Whiskey Reviewed: Four Roses Yellow Label
  • Distillery: Four Roses
  • ABV: 40% (80 proof)
  • Mashbill: blend of 75% corn, 20% rye, 5% malted barley and 60% corn, 35% rye, 5% malted barley
  • Age: ~5 years

Four Roses Yellow Label Review Closeup

Appearance

Four Roses Yellow Label is contained in a classically shaped bottle. The whiskey itself is a light amber.

Nose

The nose is gentle and light, but bright, with very little ethanol. From the rim of the glass come aromas of light spice, faint pepper, pears, and caramel. Very enjoyable.

Palate

Four Roses Yellow Label is soft and gentle on entry. Flavors of corn, caramel, rye spice, and a few others that are difficult to place. This difficulty could be a limitation on my part as a reviewer, but my sense is more that the flavors simply aren’t as distinct as more skillfully complex whiskies.

Finish

Moderate in length, with a touch of burn, corn sweetness and yeast. I could do without the yeast.

Conclusion

Four Roses Yellow Label is an extremely drinkable whiskey, something that can’t be said about all $20 whiskies. The aromas as well are very enjoyable. To me though, the lack of clarity in the flavors on the palate figures in unfavorably for this whiskey (though other reviewers don’t seem to mind). Some argue that makes this a great mixer, and that’s fine. But this isn’t a cocktail review, it’s a whiskey review.

With all that said, Four Roses Yellow Label is a good whiskey, and is well deserving of a spot on your shelf.

Disclaimer: Though by no means my first ever (or second or third ever) bottle of Four Roses, this bottle was gifted for review by the Four Roses Distillery.

Final Score: 87

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