Hi there fellow snuffers! I just bought a ‘fresh’ tin of Viking Dark. It comes in vacuum sealed tin with a date cyphered as 05 274. From what I read online on some forum xxx code means months from 1 dec 1995. I calculated that it was manufactured in 2017 (correct me if Im wrong) That means its about 2-3 years old tin… this shop sells loads of old snuff. I even got 6 years old WoS Chocolate once… it was disgusting :-S But I admit this VD is tight sealed and dont loose much moisture. For me, the aroma is somewhat pleasant but perhaps thats my nose linking all the tobbaco scents to something pleasant. Fact is, it smells gross for most of people I offered a pinch. But that wouldnt be a problem at all. My main concern is that this is actually the only snuff that occasionally give me a borderline nausea after a big pinch or two. This is my second tin from that shop and the result after pinch is quite similar. It gets me sick a bit, even tho I am experienced with high vitamin N snuffs Could it be that even tho its nicely preserved for 2 years, somebad things e.g. aflatoxins could emerge within the snuff?? Or is it just the specific coarse grind/additives that makes nicotine more heavy to the point of overdose, hence the nauseous feel? Definitely considering buying most fresh batch from MrSnuff in the future to compare
Honestly, I’d chalk it up to a combo of the nic and the grind. Viking gives me the same sort of feeling as a good dip, which is a rare thing… my nic tolerance is high enough that I can’t really overdo it, but I can see how this might lead to a uniquely queasy feeling. Coarse snuffs in general tend to be slower burners in the nic department, so once you’ve hit too much, you’ve gotta ride it out for a while. How much time have you spent with other snuffs of a similar grind and nic, for reference? Who knows though, I remember reading how levels of nitrosamines skyrocket in dip when it sits on the shelf. Something to do with moisture and fermentation I think? Perhaps a similar thing can happen with this style of snuff. Worth getting a fresh tin just to put your mind at ease, though you might find you like the pre-cellared stuff more 
Thanks for shedding light on deciphering SG mfg date, this topic is worth its own thread!
I’m fed up with stale stocks, too.
From what I know, aflatoxins shouldn’t be there in huge amounts, and those present in a pinch (or even a series of huges ones) wouldn’t cause nausea. Dark Kendal snuffs fall among the strongest snuffs produced. Their recipes call for hefty amounts of alkalizer, and although I haven’t seen any tests, I’m sure that fresh KB (and dark Vikings) contain 100% of freebased nicotine (or very cloe to that). NTSU in turn has 88% of that goodness.
There is a snuff recipe thread in Polish snuff forum with interesting info. Someone has shared old recipe of scotch snuff (if my memory serves me right, moist black one), which calls for 16% of potash. No particular manufacturer was mentioned, but the recipe makes sense. Dried out KB snuff crystallizes really bad. It never happens with snuff which contains 5-6% of alkalizer and up to 4% of salt (occasional crystal doesn’t count). I would say, KB contains at least 10% of alkali.
Back to the topic, now I regret discarding the sticker with the mfg date of my last KB Original tin, purchased this last December from snuffstore.co.uk. I didn’t know the way to decipher it, the code didn’t make any sense to me and I binned it. I suspect the tin I got was made at least two years ago. Being familiar with this snuff in its freshest state, I couldn’t help being annoyed by huge difference.
However, in terms of staleness nothing beats that vintage can of Taxi you got locally.
@insufflemus I have not much experience with such coarse stuffs, maybe NTSU (and schmalzler?) that I procurred this month. Not so great snuff regarding strenght and surely not enjoyable. The african type is overrated imo, wont buy again. Im not concerned about nitros at all since theres no evidence that they can do any harm in my nose. Maybe pancreatic cancer could be a thing since even pausterized snus use is a risk factor? But then again, how many people are at risk regarding genetic factors? In fact, its rare even among chain smokers… @volunge yea I found an article about dating Kendals smoking tobaccos and they have exactly same sticker as snuff products. I can tell youre a true snuff scientist! I know exactly whom to ask for advice when my rusticas will finally bloom this summer 
KB Original is a strange one to me when it comes to scent… yesterday a friend of mine tried it and said he enjoy it. I offered the whole tin but sadly he refused to take it… Not my cup of tea, so if you want the snuff, just say a word. I would gladly exchange it for some of your artisan homemades volunge, if you got too much laying around >:)