Brian M.

Reviews


Cornell & Diehl - Strathspey 2oz
Winter on the farm with a flask in my pocket
It is close to midnight and early in lambing season. I walk among the flock of heavily pregnant ewes on a hill looking for signs that lambing season is starting. Snow is in the air, swirling around me. The lights on our East Tennessee farmhouse shine out a welcome glow below me. My sheep dog is by my side as I take a pull on my flask of Islay. I pause for a bit, look around, then strike a match. This is Strathspey.

Low Country - Black 2oz
Like Brackish Water on a Summer's Day
The Mermentau River on a summer afternoon, a string with a chicken neck tied to it drifts in the incoming tide. The washtub is already full of blue crabs. But I stay a little longer, net in hand. Maybe just a few more we think, not wanting to break the spell. I have a longneck Dixie clutched in one hand, beads of sweat coat the bottle. The mud on the bottom of the river, brackish, ripe, the meeting of two worlds, rises up in burbles and into my nostrils. This is Lowcountry Black, light it up and sit on the dock besides a lazy coastal river and go back home.

Books - The X Pipe and Other Mystagogic Stories for the Pipe Smoker
A Tasty Blend
A mysterious concoction. The first charring light gives you a whiff of Byatt’s Possession combined with Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose. But as you smoke your way through it you will find a heavy layering of Chesterton and well-aged Father Brown. It is all tied together beautifully with, perhaps, some Douglas Adams' H. Guide to the Galaxy? Still just halfway through the bowl, but I must say this is one imaginative and creative blend.

Gladora - Pesse Canoe Oriental Flake 50g
Outstanding
Awesome tin and art, combine that with the sweet and floral notes of Virginia and Oriental leaf, make this a favorite. Burns consistently and to the bottom of the bowl.

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Blog's Commented on

First Pipe Stories: Shane Ireland
  • ► Fantastic interview. I'm a fan of Shane's videos and have learned so much from him.
  • ► What an amazing, and sad, memory, to have experienced.
The Pipe-Smoking Community Celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the Chicago Pipe Show
  • ► What a nice overview of the show and the history. I am going to put it on my list.