Can’t resist posting. I just received my third Sir Walter Scott snuff, Auld Alliance. My thanks to others who recommended it to me if I like Crème de Figue and for @Johnny for being it’s creator! Auld Alliance if anything I find even more remarkable with an incredibly long-lasting fragrance I just don’t find in other blends. I’m not very nicotine-tolerant so can only take small amounts at a time (and I find Auld Alliance strong and nose-runny in a satisfying way) and yet with a tiny pinch I could still smell it an *hour* afterwards! I actually left the pot open (oops) and could smell it from the other side of the room. I admire these snuffs so much because (like a good 19th century cocktail, don’t get me started on the Sazerac…) Johnny seems to manage to combine the scents to make an entirely integrated substance rather than more discrete “layered” smells I get from other snuffs. In other words what I don’t get is “oh it’s tobacco with some lemon and lavender on top” but a new experience of a scent I never imagined before. I get this from all three of SWS’s snuffs I’ve tried so far, and find myself craving Field of Junipers even though I’m not keen on toasts! Because the scent is so integrated I struggled to describe it in words unlike with other snuffs. For anyone who hasn’t tried it, the best I can do is say: it’s like a walk in the country in November with leaves under foot while nibbling a piece of Dundee cake and sipping on a glass of Armagnac. How did I do?

Never had this snuff, but…you should write reviews!

Good review! @Xander–if you like the review, wait till you try the snuff, it’s top notch.

I’m sure it is. I hear nothing but good about it. Polly’s description makes me want it even more!

Just received my order of this and this is one of the best snuffs I have had in a while. It is very coarse and moist. I find sniff it hard to do. Anyone else just have to pinch this and shove up your nose? I tried sniffing it and it just went in and then fell out as soon as I stopped inhaling. Been using too many toasts lately I guess, lol. What ever the right way to sniff this is I don’t care. This stuff is now my nightcap snuff. I can see myself getting home, grabbing a nice ale and then packing my nose full of this and watching tv and not bothering with it until my nose looks like it has diarrhea and needs to be wiped

I do prefer AA over CDF. @Grim…waste not want not. You may want to take hold of practicing with a cheaper snuff with similar grind to Auld Alliance ( although I still can’t believe AA fluffiness in the jar, how it lays upon itself so delicately ) Anyway closest grind I could say would be a South African ( but not nearly the same … Excuse me Johnny! ) like a taxi or NTSU or BABATON. I just shiver in pain when I think of all the SWS AA that you may drop and not make it into your nose. YIKES!!

All the videos I have seen of people taking Taxi and other moist snuffs just shows them sniffing much much harder. I have a deviated septum so one nostril gets it while the other just half asses it. I find the pinch and shove method works just as well. It stays in. Like I said the back of the hand method doesn’t really work well and by pinching it will clump a bit. I just never thought I would find a snuff I used that was more moist than Schmalzers

Sorry I didn’t catch up on this thread and thank you all for your kind comments on my rather odd review AA is *still* one of my favourite snuffs! To be honest @Grim I just stuff it up there and sniff (gently, I find it has strong throat drip) but repeatedly and sort of squish it around til it stays. Gosh I hope that doesn’t sound disgusting. I do use my back of hand to do this and like @lunecat find warming it helps - in my case between fingers for a minute or two. @Johnny recommends this for flavour anyway, and the scent permeates the room - amazing. @AANYCAARDS I actually love Taxi Blue, and yes it’s even harder to keep up there

@polly I have been just pinching and shove all that fluffy goodness in the nose. I only bought the 12g vial because of the price. But at the rate im using this snuff it will not last long. I really do not feel any added nicotine or anything like that. I just put pinch after pinch in the nose until it cant hold anymore and then wait for the run/drip. It is so delicious. I may just have to suck it up and buy the 50g tin.

Yes. I am thinking the same @Grim . Expensive but I use less do to the great potency of this snuff. Love the very earthy and full bodied flavour. Same as with all of the Artisan snuffs. Good value in my opinion.

Just opened mine a few months old now and is full of mould.i guess this doesn’t last long.may be I should of used this up quicker.its going in the bin.expensive waste.live and learn.

@snuffykib contact SWS, there was a known problem with a batch with mold. i think its @johnny

Thanks,I’ll contact him see what says.

I have tried well over 100 different snuffs from various brands and styles. And although there are many here with far more experience than myself, I can say that Auld Alliance, to me, is one of the very best snuffs out there–certainly in my top 3.

Are there any other snuff in SWS’s or Abraxas range, which is similar to Auld Alliance in its ground and moist? (Thank you for your answers in advance.)

^ Abraxas Premium Batch (not fin), Connoisseur Cerise SWS Creme de Figue

Cracked open a pot of this today. Scent wise I find it very subtle at first, even with pre-warming, but not in a bad way - rather reminiscent of F&T Old Paris. The grind is very coarse, and so a little escapes the nostrils on snuffing. Once in the nose the snuff awakens further, and as the nic starts to take effect the scent becomes richer. It’s got a whisky like complexity and richness, but isn’t overwhelming. Unfortunately it also has a foul drip, though thankfully not as bad as Mull of Oa. Mull of Oa became unusable after a few snuffs as the drip became unbearable even if I gave a day or two break between snuffs, and Creme de Figue followed suit after a while though the drip was less severe. This Auld Alliance is akin to CdF regarding drip strength, and whilst it can be tolerated if a strong(ish) flavoured drink is on hand, it considerably impares the enjoyment of the snuff in my opinion. I think I’m going to have to mark this one down as another fail, and it is now the third wonderfully scented snuff I’ve tried from SWS that’s rendered virtually unusable by the drip - and these are expensive snuffs to fail like this for me. Looks like I’ll be sticking to Field of Junipers from SWS, as that has no adverse effects whatsoever - an excellent snuff. And aside from that I’ll be taking my snuff enjoyment from the two Kendal mills, Sharrow Mills, and of course Toque. Just took another pinch as I started typing this post, and the drip has now taken over - not pleasant, not pleasant at all … I need a drink now … shame … EDIT: Just had a good slug of brandy … and I can still taste the drip :-&

Sorry to hear of your experience. I find a coarse grind to be good. My only problem with Toque products is the fine grind which I do not care for. Perhaps we could trade. Have some Whisky & Honey and Cheese Bacon.

That’s a real shame for you,have you tried snuffing a much smaller amount and pushing up in very front of your nose,not to far up.This should minimalize the drip.

@jpsavage I am normally a lover of the coarser grinds, and am a big fan of the SG offerings, some of the F&Ts and Toques Berwick Brown. I may try mixing a bit with another snuff to see if that helps first - but thanks for the offer. @snuffykib I got the snuff just in enough to not fall back out when breathing normally. Hopefully a mix will do something to help it. Just need to try and find something that’ll work with it/them

Auld Alliance is a masterpiece. Pure and simple.

I’m not going to knock the price and value of FoJ at all. When a snuff like that works for you, it’s more than worth the asking price. I certainly wouldn’t say it’s an all time favourite, but it is a nice snuff I can come to a couple of times a day and enjoy it as a change of pace - not one I’d take more regularly than than, but that’s purely taste preference. It only gets “expensive” when you’re paying for premium snuffs that don’t work for you, otherwise I’d have no problem with the sales prices. I find it weird how some snuffs have such a popular following on here, yet in many cases I’d rather settle down for the evening with an assortment of GH snuffs which generally gets sneered at. Just shows how different we all are. I do seem to have more of an affinity for the less popular snuffs it seems. I will also add that whilst I do semi-frequently mention the “failings” (for me) of certain snuffs, I would certainly never discourage anyone from trying and enjoying them. I do however think it’s important that these alternate viewpoints are raised as frequently as those who constantly sing their praises - helps to maintain a balance of perspective for newcomers to the forum. Sometimes it can get a little “fanboy” at times with certain makers/products, but all forums can, and it’s nice to see the diversity of tastes here

Booboy I like that No, I’m not planning on being any kind of flag bearer (pro or anti), and neither was my post a reflection on you. I only feel compelled to post an alternate view if that is indeed my honest opinion. Considering also that my recent posts on the matter clearly state these are personal findings, applauding the efforts of the producers, and encouraging others to still try them and determine for themselves, I hardly see myself as a naysayer.

Well then mark me a “fanboy” of SWS Auld Alliance. Damn near perfect snuff-- no, make that PERFECT but that’s just for my tastes… and it’s well worth a little extra from the wallet. Tasty, long lasting, and high quality. what’s not to love?

I also like it, but…doesn´t anyone find this Auld Alliance pretty similar to a fresh Pöschl Perlesreuter Schmalzler? Maybe AA is slightly moister, with a more pronounced liquory note and cigarish background. Yeah, the price make a big difference also…

I find Auld Alliance has no similarities to any schmlazler other than a coarse grind

Anyway, although I really like Perlesreuter schmalzler, I have to say that it will never be as adictive as Auld Alliance is to me. The more I try, the more I love ( Yes, I´m a little bit hooked on it) =P~

Are there any other snuff in SWS’s or Abraxas range, which is similar to Auld Alliance in its ground and moist? (Thank you for your answers in advance.)

Nothing even close in flavor but the coarse grind and the moisture are not hard to find.

When I first opened it, the snuff was so moist I questioned myself “What is this, dip?” but, figured well shit I’m already here. Good snuff. I had no trouble at all taking it. Dissolves nicely for me too which is a big plus.

I notice that there are always two or three posts for Auld Alliance and Mull of Oa for every one for Fields of Juniper. I haven’t tried the first two, but the Juniper is fantastic - perfect with a gin and tonic!

Nice snuff but i left some in a tap box for about 2 weeks. It looks like now like big dry small rocks is that still ok to take it ? Thanks.

Well for the story i ve taken a pinch from the tap box that results in a big sneeze and almost no taste. A few minutes later I took a pinch from the original Tin from the fridge: better taste and no sneezing.