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Recently we sat down with Jeremy Reeves of Cornell & Diehl to discuss the latest entry in the Cellar Series line: Vieux Carré. Originally released back in July of 2016, it's the second English blend and the second flake tobacco in the series — though quite unlike anything else. Here's what Jeremy had to say about the blend's inspiration, overall composition, and unique flavor profile.
Why Vieux Carré?
"I felt like we needed another English tobacco in the Cellar Series line, but I wanted to figure out some way that wasn't just, 'Oh, here's another blend with Latakia.' I wanted a blend that was true to the Cellar Series' New Orleans theme, while also being distinctive from the rest of the lineup. So my original thought was the Vieux Carré cocktail, which traditionally uses rye whiskey. But for various reasons, it didn't exactly reinforce the smoky profile of Latakia, nor did it take the blend in a very different direction. Then one day I was chatting with Shane Ireland about the blend, and he suggested we use Islay whisky."
Why Islay Whisky?
"I always thought Islay was a great pairing to my English blends, drinking it while smoking Latakia. So adding Islay to an English blend just made a lot of sense to me. I started playing around with it. I wanted something that would have a lot of complexity and layers of flavor without just being a Latakia bomb. I certainly didn't want the whisky to be so smoky that it overpowered the blend either.
So I chose an Islay that I thought brought out the sweetness of the Virginias and, at the same time, accentuated the smokiness of the Latakia. The chosen whisky also worked to sort of tie all the flavors together and reinforce some of the roastier notes of the whisky as well. In order to meld it all together with the smokiness of the Latakia and the whisky, I also used some stoved red Virginias for part of the blend."
What About The Turkish Component?
"I think the Turkish leaf performs beautifully in this blend. You can really taste it, especially early on in the bowl. It brings a sort of creamy flavor to the blend, along with the leaf's inherent tang and herbal essence. In this particular tobacco, though, I think it does shine the most in its creamy factor, which is sort of fascinating. A lot of people don't think of Turkish as being particularly creamy, but in the right proportions with Latakia, it can really soften that smoky flavor — much like cream in your coffee."
Is Vieux Carré An English Crossover?
"I know there are a lot of schools of thought that suggest that anytime you put anything on tobacco, it becomes an aromatic. I don't think that's accurate. Most tobaccos on the market are not just straight tobacco. In fact, C&D and G&H kind of take that straight approach more than anybody. Everybody's adding sugar; everybody's adding some sort of casing.
In Vieux Carré, you aren't going to smell the Islay. An aromatic to me has an artificial room note. That doesn't mean it has to have a fake cherry flavoring on it to be an aromatic; for example, I used natural flavoring to make Golden Days of Yore, and it's clearly an aromatic. It's made with natural stuff, but to the tobacco, it's an artificial flavor enhancement. Vieux Carré, however, uses whisky to bring out flavors that are already there in the tobaccos.
It takes all the tobaccos, rushes through those, distills out parts of them and melds them into others, and then the whisky goes away. It pushes together, squashes, and marries the flavors of all the tobaccos and gives it cohesion, with the only thing left behind being the tannins and resins from the alcohol itself. The sweetness you experience from it is all natural to the tobacco; it's just been pointed out a little bit more by the whisky."
What About Its Aging Potential?
"Vieux Carré does have very good aging potential, partly just because of the prevalence of Virginias. There's a lot of natural sugar here. But it's also going to mature beautifully because we're adding something that's already been fermented to the blend. Adding the whisky is going to sort of deepen the direction that the fermentation of this blend takes, peaking around 10-15 years."
If you've yet to try Vieux Carré, we've got plenty of this scrumptious English blend in stock on the site. So grab a tin or two, and don't forget to leave a review and share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
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Comments
Just looking for some cold weather tobaccos! Thanks!
@SkierGirl Glad we could help!
I'm an avid Laphroigh whiskey drinker and have always matched up my Dunhill Nighcap in the evenings after a meal.
I'm looking forward to my next order which will include a few tins of Vieux Carre. Cheers PB.
@Pete Bobar That's a great pairing Pete. What are you thinking for Vieux Carre? Something a little fruitier like a Speyside?
This has become my all-time favorite blend. I tend to like a variety of tobaccos and have tried so many different blends, but favor the Virginia/perique varieties. This apparently has no perique, (which surprised me given the New Orleans reference in the name) but it’s perfect for me. I don’t understand all that goes into blending, and i dislike overly wordy reviews. I’ve nicknamed this blend “The big easy” because it packs and lights so easy! It is completely enjoyable in every possible way. I would love to have a trove of tins on hand so i never run out! I live in Baton Rouge, LA and can say that the Vieux Carre name really is spot on for this. It really captures the spirit of the French Quarter in that it has layers and layers of interesting notes and is never boring. Please don’t ever stop making this blend, Cornell & Diehl!