Aromatic Tobacco » Peterson Sweet Killarney Tobacco Reviews

Gets A Bad Rap

I think this blend just gets a bad rap. I've seen many reviews on other sites bashing it, and myself I enjoy it. It has a wonderful caramel casing that carries over just enough to the smoke and it's blended with wonderful virginia burley, maryland and black cavendish. For me it's another great combination of leaf and casing by Peterson.  Smokes smoothly and fairly cool and even. Well worth a try if you're looking for an aromatic with a caramel casing.

Sweet Killarney

Brand: Peterson
Blend: Sweet Killarney
Blender: Kohlhase, Kopp & Co.
Type: Aromatic
Country: IE
Cut: Ribbon
Cure: Air cured
Tobaccos: Burley, Black Cavendish, Maryland, Virginia
Strength: Mild to Medium
Room Note: Medium, pleasant
Tin Size: 50g
Tin Age: Less than 6 months
Tin Description: A unique mixture of selected tobaccos including Virginia Burley and Maryland leaf with some Black Cavendish and topped with a cream Caramel flavor. To make this wonderful tobacco even more attractive, it is blended with hand-rubbed Virginia flake which results in a fantastic aroma.

Flavored with whisky, brandy and caramel, this confectionary from Peterson, although good, is not one of their finest.

Tin: A very sweet fermented brandy smell exhales from the mostly golden and cinnamon colored ribbons, streaked with strings of dark chocolate. After being decanted the caramel character dominates, though with too much breathing will fade entirely.

Char: A pleasant fruity sweetness accompanies a somewhat astringent nasal burn on the light, perhaps a sign that the Virginias in the blend are more than just a pinch.

Top: The sweetness is very upfront in this blend, the caramel dominating a fresher bowl while a cordial liqueur dominates gassed-out portions. A bit of a smoky nose will hinder if smoked too aggressively. A fresh tin borders on cloying.

Mid: The casing on this blend is perhaps a bit heavy-handed, as it tends to dominate the underlying tobacco flavors rather than accentuate them. The caramel and brandy notes are really all that is there, and although flavorful, they become rather uneventful. After some age out of the tin, burley and Cavendish are the prevailing background notes in the sweetness of the casing.

Finish: Smoked slowly and sparingly, it leaves the palate slightly sweetened with butterscotch notes; smoked without due caution it can leave quite a bite. It unfortunately does not lend itself to consecutive bowls, as nothing is to be gained from repeated tasting.

Room Note: The sweetness of the room note is mild to medium, with a sweetness that hints of caramel.

Overall: While not a bad blend, it misses the mark on a lot of points. Confined to an occasional or after-meal smoke it does quite well; paired with a sweet acidic coffee or tea it does even better. It does score points for the thoroughness of the caramel flavor.

RATING: 3

While pleasant tasting and decent smoking, it is not as focused as other Peterson blends, and becomes one-dimensional. When their aromatics shine, they shine.

Best reserved for occasional smokes at this price, and beware the tongue bite.

WORTH A TRY