Tin Description

Fully matured Virginias, Ready Rubbed Burleys, Latakia and a touch of Fire-cured Cavendish is the recipe. We added one of the world's finest 30 year old Scotch whiskies, Glenfarclas. The natural flavors from the tobacco and the delightful taste of the Scotch marry perfectly, so when smoked you experience the mellow taste and subtle smoky note of the tobaccos combined with the overtone of a fine scotch.

This has a very interesting taste at first light. It is a very familiar almost caramel candy-like flavor that I believe forms from the combination of the tobaccos and Scotch whisky, certainly not any aromatic component. Aside from the whisky this is straightforward tobacco. Once the ember is going this unique taste slides behind the expected flavors of the tobacco.

Be careful to take your time lighting this one. This is not a blend you want to burn hot. I have to really watch my smoking cadence with Mac Baren blends else I wind up bitten. With Highland Blend’s inviting but reserved character I can easily get carried away puffing a little too greedily, chasing more of the flavors.

My guess is this blend will appeal more to those who generally steer clear of the heavier Latakia-laden blends. While an English or Balkan lover may like this in his rotation as a change of pace, it bares little resemblance to the typical English blend in character and body.

The taste from the component tobaccos throughout the bowl is very dry, crisp, and almost sharp. While I detect the sweetness from the Virginias I cannot think of this as a sweet blend.

The Latakia is also always present but applied very delicately. Highland Blend is a textbook example of the blender using Latakia as a condiment rather than a component. The way the Latakia coaxes the sweetness of the Virginias out from behind their tang and zest is artful. It plays well with the whisky too.

The Burley and Cavendish has a welcome but fairly nondescript role in the Highland Blend, especially early in the bowl. Maybe the Burley is what brings the crispness to the blend’s character. As the bowl passes the halfway point the Burley begins to stand out more and contributes an increasing amount of body and depth. Very nice.

Mac Baren is a must-try if you are comfortable with the disciplined and observant smoking. For me, the strength of the blend is in the complexities. I cannot fully enjoy it as an all-day smoke. It needs too much attention. Anyone willing to give this tobacco enough attention will be rewarded an incredibly interesting experience.

Video Review of Mac Baren Highland Blend

HH Vintage Syrian by MacBaren

Review submitted by Steve Laug

Just smoked a third bowl of this tobacco. MacBarens says this about it on the package write up:

A little under half of the volume is a smooth, and yet powerful Latakia from Syria. This tobacco gives the blend the overall "smoky" taste. To add a spicy note to the blend, Turkish Oriental has been added. Different Virginia tobaccos from three continents add a sweet natural taste. To complete the taste with depth and body we added some Dark Fired Kentucky from the USA.

The pouch aroma is complex - I can smell the Latakias, the pungent Oriental, and the sweet Virginia. I cannot smell any of the "usual MacBarens topping". That is good! The blend is the right moisture content and packs very easily. It lights with one burn- no charring light necessary.

The flavour from the beginning is a nice mouthful of flavours that all come out through out the taste. The smoke in the room note is not too bad (maybe a Latakia that I can smoke in the house with the women in my life).

The flavour is complex and enjoyable. It shifts and changes as the bowl progresses. One minute the Latakia is dominant, then I feel the dry tang of the Oriental come through at the edges of the tongue. The sweet Virginia tang is underneath and the Kentucky burley adds a nuttiness and body to the taste. This is a good smoke.

The last half of the bowl is equally good. The flavours shift back and forth just as they did in the first half of the bowl. I like this one. I think it is one I will go back to again and again. I am primarily a Virginia and Va/Per smoker so this is a great transition blend to me. Pungent yet sweet! I like this far better than the HH Vintage Virgina which I found monochromatic in flavour.