All Things Must Pass....But Why THEM?

[smoker13]

I just finished my hour's bowl of after-breakfast tobacco. I chose one I haven't smoked in awhile, relatively obscure, to stuff into one of my blasted Eltang pokers; McClelland's Auroroa. God, NOBODY does Virginias like McClelland, I don't care what anyone may say, they are/were the masters of the Virginia leaf.

Is this what some of us will be telling young pipers in the future in the hushed, reverent tones of fables and mythology? Were that it not so............

 

[Richard Burley]

I agree. There was something clean and pure about their blends--which doesn't exactly make sense, but I have always had that subconscious impression lodged in the recesses of my skull. I too regret their passing very much. To rub it in, I have exactly one can of aged Blackwoods left. Life will go on, I suppose, McClelland-less.

 

[Lakebound]

I have three tins of McClelland that I may not open now for another twenty years provided that I live that long. All three are blends that I have never even tried.

The founders at McClelland deserve to retire. That's how life goes. I wish them well and look forward to finding some gems in the future just like I do with certain Esoterica offerings.

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

Some of their blends are unparalled in today's market and just can't be replaced. Sadly Mary & Mike had no succession plan for the company and decided some time ago that they would close the business rather than sell it.

It's sad to see trail blazers like them ride into the sunset, but I agree with Navy Flake, even the best deserve retirement.

 

[smoker13]

True, they certainly deserve to retire, it just seems a real pity that they never took on apprentices or the like to pass on all that hard-earned knowledge so that their legacy could live on.

 

[Brewdude]

True, they certainly deserve to retire, it just seems a real pity that they never took on apprentices or the like to pass on all that hard-earned knowledge so that their legacy could live on.

Yes, although it's really down to them not being able to source the same kinds of leaf they had been using. They just aren't being grown or processed in the same way these days.

I'll certainly miss being able to pick them up, but kudos for them to have stuck to their principles and integrity. They are going out on top of their game and have never compromised the quality.


Cheers,

RR

 

[Fight'n Hampsters]

True, they certainly deserve to retire, it just seems a real pity that they never took on apprentices or the like to pass on all that hard-earned knowledge so that their legacy could live on.

Yes, although it's really down to them not being able to source the same kinds of leaf they had been using. They just aren't being grown or processed in the same way these days.

I'll certainly miss being able to pick them up, but kudos for them to have stuck to their principles and integrity. They are going out on top of their game and have never compromised the quality.


Cheers,

RR

Found this helpful from the smokingpies.com article by Chuck Stanion:

'Four decades is a long run. It was time to close McClelland's doors for several reasons, including the fact that the McNiels are well into retirement age, new regulations of unknown specific character in the near future, Mike's issues with his back ("I gotta start taking better care of myself") and the changes in availability of the tobacco leaf required by McClelland's proprietary, old world processes.

"We depended on the old ways," says Mike. "But those ways are gone." When subsidies to tobacco farmers stopped, so did the smaller farmers who harvested tobacco by hand, going through the fields several times and picking only those leaves at perfect ripeness. Now harvesting machines do that work. Tobacco auctions stopped in 2000, after the Master Tobacco Settlement made them obsolete. Tobacco became more standardized, with the subtle differences once available no longer taken into full account, differences that McClelland required for maintaining the smoking characteristics that built its reputation.

The McNiels decided to disband the company rather than sell it, primarily because no one else could do things the way they do in a normal business environment. Even should they spend six months training new owners, McClelland could never be the same, and for them, the reputation of the McClelland name is more important than money.'

https://www.smokingpipes.com/smokingpipesblog/single.cfm/post/farewell-mcclelland

 

[Fazby]

Having recently retired myself, I cannot blame them. More power to them!

I have a motley collection of about a dozen tins left. I never super-stocked, as I never expected the brand to disappear. (Lesson learned.) I just bought a few tins when I saw a sale. Oh well...

At least there are some other brands I also enjoy. Hopefully there won't be a run on them. I won't jinx myself by mentioning them.

 

[Fight'n Hampsters]

A concern I now have is with other brands that, at least to me, give the appearance of being very selective about the quality of tobacco that goes into their blends. GL Pease in particular comes to mind. I could see him choosing to limit production based on availability of quality tobaccos.

Now I am sure that other manufacturers are concerned about quality as well but I can see it being a bigger issue when it comes to smaller boutique companies.

 

[Brewdude]

A concern I now have is with other brands that, at least to me, give the appearance of being very selective about the quality of tobacco that goes into their blends. GL Pease in particular comes to mind.  I could see him choosing to limit production based on availability of quality tobaccos.

Now I am sure that other manufacturers are concerned about quality as well but I can see it being a bigger issue when it comes to smaller boutique companies.

Right. This is an on-going concern for all the remaining small blending outfits that source US grown leaf as the main components.

So far the other blending houses such as C&D and Sutliff are not in the same situation. Or maybe they are and the fallout has not happened.....yet. Or perhaps they use more imported leaf which may still be generally available. Time will tell.

In the meantime it's not a dumb idea to stock up now while you can. 'baccy will never be this inexpensive again in the future.

Preaching to the choir, I know!



Cheers,

RR

 

[Fight'n Hampsters]

A concern I now have is with other brands that, at least to me, give the appearance of being very selective about the quality of tobacco that goes into their blends. GL Pease in particular comes to mind.  I could see him choosing to limit production based on availability of quality tobaccos.

Now I am sure that other manufacturers are concerned about quality as well but I can see it being a bigger issue when it comes to smaller boutique companies.

Right. This is an on-going concern for all the remaining small blending outfits that source US grown leaf as the main components.

So far the other blending houses such as C&D and Sutliff are not in the same situation. Or maybe they are and the fallout has not happened.....yet. Or perhaps they use more imported leaf which may still be generally available. Time will tell.

In the meantime it's not a dumb idea to stock up now while you can. 'baccy will never be this inexpensive again in the future.

Preaching to the choir, I know!



Cheers,

RR

I didn't even think about sourcing internationally.  I can see that being a life saver.  That being said, you are right that buying now is the best option.  

Worst case scenario is that in 10 years your cellared blend is still in production and your tastes have changed to where you don't like it anymore.  However you can still sell it to others for virtually guaranteed what you paid for it if not a reasonable amount more because of aging.

I have been putting every last available farthing into tobacco even though there are some nice pipes I would LOVE to get. I have not bought a pipe in about 2 years but have bought a ton of leaf.

 

[Brewdude]

A concern I now have is with other brands that, at least to me, give the appearance of being very selective about the quality of tobacco that goes into their blends. GL Pease in particular comes to mind.  I could see him choosing to limit production based on availability of quality tobaccos.

Now I am sure that other manufacturers are concerned about quality as well but I can see it being a bigger issue when it comes to smaller boutique companies.

Right. This is an on-going concern for all the remaining small blending outfits that source US grown leaf as the main components.

So far the other blending houses such as C&D and Sutliff are not in the same situation. Or maybe they are and the fallout has not happened.....yet. Or perhaps they use more imported leaf which may still be generally available. Time will tell.

In the meantime it's not a dumb idea to stock up now while you can. 'baccy will never be this inexpensive again in the future.

Preaching to the choir, I know!



Cheers,

RR

I didn't even think about sourcing internationally.  I can see that being a life saver.  That being said, you are right that buying now is the best option.  

Worst case scenario is that in 10 years your cellared blend is still in production and your tastes have changed to where you don't like it anymore.  However you can still sell it to others for virtually guaranteed what you paid for it if not a reasonable amount more because of aging.

I have been putting every last available farthing into tobacco even though there are some nice pipes I would LOVE to get.  I have not bought a pipe in about 2 years but have bought a ton of leaf.

There's a lot of truth in that!

:!:


Cheers,

RR

 

[monbla256]

Fighting Hamsters,
Thanks for the link to the article about McC. Explained allot but one thing I don't understand is whey they don't take down their website ?
workihttp://www.mcclellandtobacco.com/ng.
It's still up and has all the contact links etc. If they are out of business then be out of business TOTALY !! :twisted: :twisted:

 

[Fight'n Hampsters]

Fighting Hamsters,
Thanks for the link to the article about McC. Explained allot but one thing I don't understand is whey they don't take down their website ?
workihttp://www.mcclellandtobacco.com/ng.
It's still up and has all the contact links etc.  If they are out of business then be out of business TOTALY !! :twisted: :twisted:

No problem.

I have wondered that about their website as well. Maybe leaving it up for historic/ archival purposes??

 

[Corncobcon]

Do you think that maybe someday someone will make a "'match" to any of the McC's blends?

 

[Brewdude]

Do you think that maybe someday someone will make a "'match" to any of the McC's blends?

Yes, probably. Maybe Russ O. will give this a shot. He's pretty good at doing clone blends.


Cheers,

RR

 

[monbla256]

Do you think that maybe someday someone will make a "'match" to any of the McC's blends?

I'm sure someone will try but considering how they were I don't think that will be possible ! Mcc was McC period. :twisted: :twisted:

 

[smoker13]

AMEN

 

[Ozark Wizard]

:roll:

 

[Walkman]

:roll:

Ditto.  :lol!: