McCranie's -- Red Ribbon (2000)

Brand: McCranie's
Blend: Red Ribbon (2000)
Style: Virginia
Pipe Used: Amalfi #313
Price: $8.95/1.76oz.

Appearance: 9
Taste: 9
Room Note: 8
Value: 8
Overall: 8

McCranie's Red Ribbon is a straight Red Virginia blend sourced from a single vintage of prime North Carolina leaf, harvested in this particular case in 2000. The tin opens to reveal a ribbon-cut blend of well-aged and fermented red tobacco leaf that covers the color spectrum from very dark brown through medium red and into bright yellow. The tin aroma is magnificent with a rich sweetness backed by a hint of citrus and dried cherries.

My tin appeared to be at the perfect moisture level so I loaded up one of my dedicated Virginia pipes and gave it a light. The tobacco took a few relights to really get going as it was a bit wetter than I at first thought.

The Red Ribbon started off with a subtle sweet taste before hints of tangy lemon and cherry liqueur began to appear. There was also that great nuttiness I usually find with Red Virginias and the tobacco finished with a bit of a spicy kick.

The room aroma was fairly nice but did get acrid when the pipe was smoked too hastily.

I never have issues with tongue burn so I can't report on that front but the blend did require regular relights and left behind a bit of damp dottle. Guess it wasn't nearly as ready to smoke as I at first thought.

McCranie's Red Ribbon (2000) is a wonderful blend and its single source origin makes it possible to compare and contrast it to previous iterations if you're lucky enough to have some of the '83 and '96 crop on hand. Full of flavor, this is a Virginia that is sure to benefit from further aging.

Now comes the big question, how does Red Ribbon compare to its kissing cousin McClelland's 5100 Red Cake? While the McCranie's version is a vintage tin, McClelland's similar offering is available only in bulk. At first glance the Red Ribbon is darker than the 5100 due to the comparative age of the tobaccos but the cut, aroma, and smoking characteristics are all very similar.

So how about the taste? Here we find the biggest difference as the Red Ribbon offers up a deeper, more nuanced flavor than the much brighter and spicier 5100 and at no point would I ever confuse the two. Red Ribbon is the single-malt or prime vintage to 5100's blended nature. Both are excellent but they are not one and the same. For my money I actually prefer the zestier 5100.

And while the 5100 Red Cake can indeed be had at cheaper bulk rates, the price per tin of the Red Ribbon is on par with similar offerings and not at all excessive for such a premium product.