I just got a half pound of both the Sherry and the Toast and they are a superb couple of snuffs. The usual very useful plastic screw top cannisters that last forever and keep snuff in perfect condition.

Sherry

Terrific, a modern classic from WoS. Medium across all aspects of the body, there is a berry rich rush of flavour, what I can only describe as a ‘tang’. Not tart, not in any way cloying, just a gorgeous, balanced oloroso sweetness. But it is emphatically not a dessert snuff, like some types built on this sort of chasis are. It is something you could take all day. It’s hard to think of a time when it wouldn’t be welcome on your palate: enough zest to wake you up, some comfort through the working day and then with a cold beer or glass of chablis at the end of the day. 100% excellent.

Irish D High Toast 

Really odd. If I have tried this - with my lousy memory I might have even reviewed it - it made no impression on me to speak of. It’s the least like a toast of a toast I have ever tried. Really good snuff but closer in flavour and body to something like Tom Buck. I think of toasts as fine, dry, light, penetrating snuffs, probably based on taking a lot of Smith’s Irish High Toast when I was younger. This is too damp, and not very toasty. But a very good snuff indeed; I just wonder about dear old WoS’s categories and labels sometimes. But it is an excellent snuff whatever it is. It’s hard to get too grumpy with the grand old man of snuff, just for giving one of their wonderful snuffs an odd name. I think it’s even down as an SP on one bit of their site.

All their toasts are in the SP section of their site! But I agree, the No. 20 is much more of an SP than a toast and none the worse for that.

Yes, but its definately toasted. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it “high” toast, but its got a toasty texture.

What makes it toasted? It neither looks or tastes like it is. If they had called it SP NO 23 or something I would never have taken issue with it. Just tastes like Tom Buck, just maybe with a slight sour note.

The sherry sure keeps the sinuses moist that’s for sure. I don’t usually go along with snuff as medicine, but I’ve just got over an infection and my sinuses are very dry after the antibiotics, this is genuinely making me feel more comfortable.

The sherry is just getting better and better throughout the day, I’ve done nearly two snuffboxes of it. It also mixes quite well with the Irish. Whenever I get a WoS supply delivered the first thing I do is make a blend, some work, some don’t but this is just awesome. I’m not hearing of anyone using this snuff - if you like a nice, piquant snuff this is for you. 

I doubt there is any higher nicotine content here, but it is certainly satisfying, they both are.

I love WoS#20.  Ill get back to it some day.

@Snuffster “What makes it toasted?” Well, toasting it of course, you know this. When I first was exploring this snuff, I thought for sure it was misnamed, then I realized that just becuase it wasn’t cut as fine as most toasts, did not make it so. Also its not cooked as long as the high toasts, so it doesn;t have as much of that smoked flavor. What tipped me off was when someone turned up those vintage tins of Gallaher’s Wit and Wisdom a few years ago. Although they were lacking their original scent, they still were nice and dry and toasty, but the grind and texture more closely resembled WoS #20 than #22. I then learned clearly there is a difference between a toast and a high toast. Later when comparing to WoS #21, one can see a more transitional toast between the two. Its not as fine and dry as #22, but its more so than #20. Basically I think what Wilsons has done, is taken some Tom Buck and toasted it llightly for this blend, rather than cut it any finer or cook it very long.

I get the bit about toasts being toasted, Xander. What I meant was ‘in what way is this a toast?’ i.e I find no similarity to the toasted type.

really good snuffs both. Sherry and #20 toast are available locally, like WoS Whiskey, and I regularly purchase a tin of each. ‘Toastiness’ of #20 is rather mild but it is a great sp anyway.

Just cracked my first 5g of the Sherry, I agree, very nice! Dark, moist, somewhat clumpy, a good flavor not over the top, soothing-like old paris somewhat, allthough I get more of an initial burn than with a F&T. Worth it.

Been groovn’ on the IDHT 20 for quite a while as I love the WoS SP’s, and those people who like the latter should try at least a small tin imo…

No comment on this review which is not in the review section but I would like to comment on reviews that are in the review section but are closed… I’m just saying…

They don’t have to be in the review section, reviews can be posted as discussions and comments welcome.

Having comments on the review section ones would just end up in a second forum in effect, with a lot of going off at tangents - it’s unavoidable, and then something that has to be moderated. Everyone was unhappy that the review site went, well you can more or less reproduce that here. There is nothing at all to stop you posting reviews that comment on others. That is what I made it for but its largely under used.

After reading the description it is really unfortunate that my tin contained Kendall Brown instead of the Sherry.  While I love the KB, I was really hoping for something more along the lines of Snuffster’s excellent review.  Twice now from Wilson’s I have received snuff other than what was listed on the container.

Thats a real pain. My experiences are similar; I usually don’t get the toast I ordered, at least not the correct one. It seems I am only allowed the 22 - whatever I order it is always the 22 that comes in the post, the notable exception being this time, where I was so over joyed I wrote this post:)

Get some Sherry somehow BigSnoot. I have used WoS products for all of my snuff career, but they have always been a kind of bread and butter staple, nothing ever really got me going or excited - they were always part of the rotation in the same way you always have tea/coffee and toast in the morning - you don’t rave about that, it’s just part of life. With the Sherry it was a case of discovering something wonderful, which I was pretty surprised at. Without being mean spirited at all, I didn’t think they produced any of what you might call fine snuffs - some great snuffs - but nothing so delicately balanced between flavour and utiltiy. If I ever make anything this good I will immediately retire and go out on top:)

@Snuffster Nigel, have you sampled the few new alcohol Wilson’s snuffs that came out a few months before Sherry? Whisky, Brandy, Rum & Raisin. I was pretty thrilled with them at first, but after a little while the flavors faded a lot and they all pretty much smelled the same. They all had the same texture, seemingly a newer moister, clumpier texture than most Wilsons snuffs. I’ve been leery of the Sherry for this reason. Just wondering if you have compared it to the other three above.

I tried Rum and Raisin and thought it was incredibly unpleasant with a sour taste not unlike parmesan (although it was a tin bought from a small store on holiday so probably a bit stale), but that’s all really. I tend to only try new snuffs when they are sent to me for one reason or another because my tastes are really quite mundane and I have bulk stocks of the half dozen that I use every day, so I am not really up on the new flavours. Compared to most members I have very limited tastes I think. Ordering the sherry was a whim really - and to be honest it piqued my curiosity because I love to use liquor in the snuffs I make (although the next one will be ‘dry’). I would expect you to be 100% right that if I tried them all side by side that they would be very similar; that is WoS all over. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was only a minimal difference in the recipes and certainly the flour would be the same for all of them. I have been using the sherry all day since last week though and I really do love it. Sometimes the chemistry of a recipe just does it for you and I would put the sherry in my top ten favourites.

(Did the M and W arrive?)

@snuffster

Yes, the M&W is here, I thought I mentioned it in one of the emails I sent when I was unable to access the site. Thank you.  I’ll write this publicly since it may be of interest to others: This Particular is notably different from the vintage jar you sent me a few years ago.  That one was more coarse and clearly unscented.  The current one is certainly one of WoS’s SPs relabeld.  Not sure which one, but one of the milder scented ones lke SS or SP 2.  I haven’t compared the Roses yet.

On the Sherry, yes, I understand.  However, the “newer” flavors seem to be using a different flour.  It seems to work well for these particular scents since it can hold the nuance of the alcohol scents (also the new Sandalwood), yet it seems to fade very fast, and its actually less pleasant than their standard flour once dried a bit. Anyway, I was just wondering if you had done a comparison.  My overall take on the new Wilsons snuffs are: Very good, but must be used very quickly, otherwise mediocre.  Indivdually, the Rum& Raisin I was also least impressed with.  I thought the Whisky and Brandy were much better.  Sandalwood: good, but you have to be in the right mood for it.  Sherry…?