McClelland News

Ah, the regular reminder that I am still banned over at Magazonia. Thanks to the "Dark Web" for seeing me through to the article.
Thank you, M'Lady

Just stopped by my local pipe and tobacco shop
(a small store with where the shop owner basically stocked McClelland blends exclusively)

The Elderly Shop Owner was bumming BIG Time as his bulk bins draw empty and his tin selection was nearing its end too

we had a good talk for about an hour and i asked him if he intended on stocking any other blends......
 (even offered to bring in some of my stock to tide him over )

He is tired of this business
 and needless to say i only imagine that this is yet another store that will be closing its doors in the near future

It's a damn shame that our government needs to intrude into so many aspects of people's lives and livelihoods! Apparently, the FDA needs more to do than worry about who and where pipe tobacco can be blended!

Funny in that their tobaccos do age well.

I believe the OP of the top 5 thread was looking for blends that are readily available. With the run on MC tobacco, it would be kind of mean to list blends he cannot find.

It is also interesting that there are also shortages with many other popular flakes, not just those made by MC. Many of these blends are made by Kohlhase, Kopp und Co. KG. Rattray, Wessex and Astleys are just a few. Maybe they are also having trouble sourcing the right tobacco.

What a crappy situation

I've smoked a lot of their tobacco over the years.My first taste of Latakia was Frog Morton...This is Sad News Indeed

Best example I could give is having been given a 2003 best of show Aro that was so preggers I started calling it Rosemary's Baby. One of the best Aros I have had to date, maybe the best. Had a tin of 2016 that had all the beginnings of what was in the 2003, but still had the Catsup Factor. I actually mixed the two and got a very nice effect. I firmly believe the vinegar helps the age as it breaks down.  

Not a vinegar person, unless it's got some Vlasic Pickles in it.

I'm a new fairly new pipe smoker and just heard the news about McClelland closing. Unfortunately I haven't tried any of their blends yet - insane right? (I put off TAD months ago due to budget reasons.)

Because of the news I decided to break my rule and purchase the McClelland blends that I've been waiting to try. I got some Frog Morton on the Bayou & FM Cellar (100g tins), as well as some Dominican Glory Maduro which I've always been interested in - coming from cigars. I got 1 tin of each from SP.

I really wanted to try some 40th Anniversary too but it seems it is sold out across a few different sites. Will continue to keep a look out.

Anyway, it's sad to hear that McClelland might be calling it quits. From lurking here for a while and other pipe forums, I gather that McClelland is a very much loved company and their tobaccos have brought a lot of joy to people for a long time. Happy that I was at least able to snag a few of their tobaccos that I've been waiting a while to try. Holding out hope that somehow they will find a way to push forward, and if not then I wish them a wonderful retirement. Here's to them!

Correct.  Sorry guys, but the McNeils stated that the FDA situation did not figure into their decision.  I've known about McClelland closing for some time.  A number of factors brought this around.  Mike McNeil had major back surgery, a consequence of decades of hard physical labor.  He could not continue to maintain the facility and did not trust anyone else to do it.  Problems with sourcing the kind of leaf that they wanted also played a part.  They refused to sell the company or let anyone else run it.  So the eventual closure of McClelland was a given.  And the case can be made that a lack of governmental interference could be a factor as well, since subsidies to tobacco farmers and price supports have ceased.  As a result, farmers are turning to more profitable crops.

They gave you 40 years of great product.  Now they get to relax and enjoy life.  Buy what you can while it's still available.

I would have said the same thing if a different political party controlled the levers of power at the same time, the fact of the matter, it was rammed through by one political party...and a half million dollars per blend to get approved, and half million to test is a hell of a lot more than a straw breaking a camels back....it pretty much seals the deal that a manufacturer would say to hell with it and shutter the business.


Market forces drove most of the former reasons, draconian legislative overreach greased the skids to where we are now headed.

Hyperbole or not, TPTB are constantly chiseling away at our rights and dictating what is "good" for us.

If the concern is truly about our health, why are cigarettes even available still? Liquor? Sugar and fast food?

Just follow the money and it's easy to see that our health and happiness are NOT the driving factors.

As someone with 25 years in healthcare, I can easily say there is no money to be had from healthy people.

They had a fantastic run. Hopefully they can enjoy their retirement! I do feel for their employees who have also spent the 40 or so years building this brand / reputation. It is a shame in the 40 years they never found someone they were comfortable enough with, could trust enough, or felt were good enough to carry on their name/business. I will miss several of their blends.

There was plenty of coverage about the FDA rules when it thudded into view in early 2916.  Pipe tobaccos are collateral damage in a move by Big Tobacco to fund the passage of legislation that gives them a virtual monopoly on the vaping market, one that they seem to be increasingly intent on developing.  Ultimately it will free them from dependence on real tobacco production, which continues to diminish with the loss of Governmental intrusion in the form price supports and subsidies.  The costs of deeming are pocket change to BT.

We have a one party government now, and they have done zilch to change the situation.  Nothing is likely to be done beyond possibly moving the predicate date up to 8/8/16, and even that seems to be dead.

And this still had zip to do with McClelland going tits up. The NcNeils decided it was time to retire.  May they live long and happily.