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No more McClelland?

BlueCollarBastardBlueCollarBastard Master
in Tobacco Talk
Been reading that McClelland is about to shut down due to lack of quality Virginia tobacco. Is this true? I haven't even had the opportunity to try their stuff yet. I was about to order some Frog Morton Cellar. But I don't want to really like it and eventually it not be available anymore. Anyone know anything on this?
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  • Jayhawk422Jayhawk422 Master
    I have been seeing this on another forum , and it is a rumour. They are not going to have the red virgina due to not finding a crop that meets their standards. Mike and Mary have high standards for their products and do not want to put an inferior one out. McClelland is not shutting down, just not going to have 5100.
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  • BlueCollarBastardBlueCollarBastard Master
    @Jayhawk422 appreciate the response. I am fairly new to the pipe and want to try as much as possible. Had a discussion earlier about transitioning from aro to non and a lot of people mentioned McClelland
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  • Jayhawk422Jayhawk422 Master
    @BlueCollarBastard, no problem glad to be of help. Just like high school the internet is flush with rumors and everyone is quick to go off the deepend. With the FDA regulations, followed by Dunhill going away seems to spark things quickly. 

    I live in the KC area and Mike McNeil is a member of the pipe club, and still going strong. They have many great blends, try their Beacon blend for a good VaPer or Beacon Extra if you like more Perique .
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  • ocpunk714ocpunk714 Master
    edited February 2018
    I just heard their red Virginia blends were no longer going to be available. The Country Squire Radio did an episode about it at the beginning of this year.

    https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/country-squire-radio/id687803579?mt=2&i=1000399480546
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  • motie2motie2 Master
    edited February 2018
    http://technopow.com/2018/01/tobacco-pipe-market/

    Tobacco Pipe Market Emerging Trends and Demands 2018 to 2022   (long and detailed)

    TechnoPOW (blog)-Jan 14, 2018

    The current trends pertaining to the demand, supply, and sales of Global Tobacco Pipe market research report 2018, together with the recent ... share for each manufacturer, covering Savinelli Pipes, Peterson Pipe, Rattray's, Vauen, Cornell & Diehl, Butz Choquin, McClelland Tobacco Company, Molina.
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  • mfresamfresa Master
    Wow, that's a lotta perique!!
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  • Jayhawk422Jayhawk422 Master
    @mfresa, that was part of one room in one of the barns. There were multiple rooms filled with the stuff!
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  • mfresamfresa Master
    We just need the Virginia to go with it!
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  • Jayhawk422Jayhawk422 Master
    I met the farmers son, he chews Perique and also rolls it into cigarettes.  The picture on Mark Ryan’s Rimboche S.J. Is of a younger Dudley LeBlanc. This was made with his Perique, it is a great blend and everytime I smoke it I will never forget the hoplsptality that he showed me that day on his farm.




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  • daveinlaxdaveinlax Connoisseur
    edited February 2018
    "@motie2 thanks for sharing a great read."
    All I read was a sales pitch to buy the study for $3500.00
    That said I will say that most pipe tobacco sold is mislabeled ROY cigarette tobacco to avoid taxes. Sadly traditional pipe is a blip in he market. The brands listed in the pitch besides C&D and McC are just brand names and not manufactures 
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  • motie2motie2 Master
    "@motie2 thanks for sharing a great read."

    Dave, you must type <sarcasm> after a line this........ otherwise I don't understand.
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  • PappyJoePappyJoe Master
    @Jayhawk422 - Those photos look like they are from the Poché operation owned by Mark Ryan. When we did the New Orleans Pipe show in 2015, we made a group tour of the facility.
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  • Jayhawk422Jayhawk422 Master
    @PappyJoe that is Poche and where I got the idea. In prepping for our honeymoon last year I went through the internet rabbit hole, and was brought into contact with Mark Ryan and Dudley LeBlanc. Mark was going to be at the IPCR show that week but told his staff to let us look around. Turns out that Dudley not only gave us a tour of his farm, but became our tour guide through the whole day. Learned a lot about Perique and how their process of stripping the tobacco by hand yields a better quality aged leaf.
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  • Jayhawk422Jayhawk422 Master
    edited February 2018
    Well I just saw and confirmed a post from another forum that the rumours are true. McCelelland will be closing it’s doors. Due to the FDA regs, having to test blends coating them half a million, Mike and Mary will soon retire.

    There had been a lot of ugly rumors about Mike and Mary lately, and did not want to put something out that was not true. Their exact date isn’t set yet of when, but unfortunately it is coming.

    I have had the pleasure of knowing Mary, and for people who have met Mike the pleasure of pushing his buttons over the years. I once told him that mixing Royal Yacht with their Perique was a way to make it better, everyone else got the joke but Mike gave me a stern lecture with the words “Listen here kid”.

     They had done a lot to contribute to this wonderful hobby of ours. I am sad to see them go, but their retirement is well deserved after 40 years.
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  • RyanmclellansrRyanmclellansr Apprentice
    For what it’s worth I was traveling for work to Fort Leavenworth, KS a couple weeks back and went to a pipe shop in KC. Owner there told me that McClellands was closing. For the same reasons outline above. 
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  • motie2motie2 Master
    They have yet to make mention of the closing on the website: http://www.mcclellandtobacco.com
    But the website is for retailers only., I guess.
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  • Jayhawk422Jayhawk422 Master
    @Ryanmclellansr which pipe shop were you at?

    There has just been a lot of rumours. The reasons in my previous post have been circulating since the FDA regulations were originally announced. I was hoping the rumours were not true for the love of having great blends. Alas all good things must come to an end....I guess.
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  • jfreedyjfreedy Master
    According the CSR episode on January 10th Mike McNeal told Jon David that they were not closing shop. Now, obviously things may have changed since then, but let's hope it's still just a rumor.
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  • WoodsmanWoodsman Master
    The loss of McClellands is a serious loss for us all. Maybe something can be done to stop these Fascist  #%**!
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  • Jayhawk422Jayhawk422 Master
    The other forums have gone into a panic and starting picking clean their blends. There is a 10 tin limit on SPC.
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  • WoobieWoobie Enthusiast
    I don't think I want to smoke in a world without McClelland. They are on a whole different level, especially with their Virginias. I like a lot of different tobaccos, but when I want something special, I reach for a McClelland. 
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  • jfreedyjfreedy Master
    edited February 2018
    Okay... it’s true. McClelland is definitely shutting its doors.

    R.I.P.  Frog Morton.  :'(
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  • Jayhawk422Jayhawk422 Master
    @woobie, I agree with you.
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  • WoobieWoobie Enthusiast
    @jfreedy Where were you able to confirm this? 
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  • Jayhawk422Jayhawk422 Master
    @Woobie The Country Squire’s live show announced it tonight. I use to work in the industry at shop and retained friends in the area that used them for their house blends. I asked them today when the rumour mill started, and they told me they spoke with Mary and she confirmed it.
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  • thebadgerpiperthebadgerpiper Master
    It's definitely a sad day for the pipe community. McClelland makes some great blends, and I'm sad I won't get a chance to try blends like Pebblecut.

    With that said, I'm not going to empty my account and hoard up. My birthday is next month, and if I can pick up a few of my favorites, cool. If not, I'll enjoy what I have.
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  • Oddjob27Oddjob27 Master
    Oh man... Sad news.... With that news I just went on TobaccoPipes.com and basically all their non-aromatic McClellands are out of stock...
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  • ocpunk714ocpunk714 Master
    edited February 2018
    Just ordered a few more Frogs for the cellar and some to have around at the Royal Buck meetings for awhile. Nothing outrageous.

    Sad to hear a company with such a rich history in this industry is coming to a close.
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  • WoobieWoobie Enthusiast
    Thanks @jfreedy

    I had been noticing some of my favorite blends out of stock everywhere. I was hoping they were in between production runs.

    This is worse than losing 1,000 Dunhills.
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