The Malthouse Founder's Reserve

[pistol]

Warning: I'm still hopped up on prescription painkillers, so take it easy on me!!

I had my first bowl in several days this morning and decided to do a little review on it. The manufacturer (Dan) describes this blend as "An outstanding blend of sweet Virginia that is infused with Scottish Single Malt Whisky." Being a lover of Scotch and Virginias, this description intrigues me. This was actually one of the first blends that I purchased as a pipe newb, and I've become quite fond of it. Let me start off by saying this isn't your typical heavily cased "whisky blend." In fact, the whisky casing is complimentary and very much takes a back seat to the Virginias. As we all know, this is not always the case with infused pipe tobaccos!

Anyhow, the tin aroma is very pleasant; the signature tangy smell from the Virginias is dominant with a slight hint of Scotch in the background- I really like the aroma. Before packing, the broken flakes can be further rubbed out, but I usually just pack them as is. My aromatics pipe is a Big Ben 3/4 bent with a pretty good sized bowl, and I find that this blend smokes well in it. When smoking this blend, please do it slowly as it will bite if taken too aggressively.

The Virginias in this blend aren't exceedingly punchy, the sweetness is a little muted, which would be a problem in a straight Virginia blend. However, they work well here because this blend is so lightly cased. Here, particularly dominant Virginias would overpower the casing, and the whole goal of this blend would be lost. When smoked slowly, the hints of whisky really tease my tastebuds and provide an excellent side to the Virginia main course. All in all, I don't smoke this blend as much as most in my cellar, but when I do I always say to myself, "man this stuff is pretty good, I should smoke it more often!" In closing, I can't emphasize the importance of slow smoking with this blend. Not only will a fast pace punish your tongue, but worse you will miss the faint hints of Scotch in this smoke. If you miss the whisky nuances, all you will have here is a mediocre Virginia. For those of you that are concerned about goopy pipe or gurgly pipe, it is no more a problem with this blend than it is with your standard Virginia blend. Thanks for reading!

PS- Here's what other's think of it... http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend_...LPHA=F&TID=412

[Professor Mike]

Pistol:
Pretty good review for someone operating a keyboard under the influence. G&D has several blends I'm wanting to try including this one.
I'm wanting to try Nutty Irishman. I will post a review. Here's hoping you have a speedy recovery.

Mike