Islay Whisky Snus (White Portion) - Review. 26 May 2023.

It feels like it’s been quite a while since I’ve had this one!  Back in 2020, in the early days of the COVID-era, this product vanished.  A few weeks ago, it randomly popped up on SnusMe.com and it appears that GN Tobacco has put it back into production!  If you’re not familiar, the Islay Whisky line was originally conceived by Conny Andersson in 2012.  The original portion version launched in 2014, followed by white portion and loose in 2016.  Conny left GNT around 2015, so I’m not sure if anything changed with this line after he left but I’ll share some info from back when the product originally launched.  This snus contains 100% lamina, meaning all tobacco left, no filler.  The tobaccos sourced for this one come from Nicaragua, Pennsylvania, South Africa and Ghana.  It is a barrel aged snus, using the same whisky casks from the distillery the whisky is sourced from!

This one also has slightly different production methods.  This is how GN described it when it launched:  "We use the ancient traditions, we sweat the tobacco in the fire room instead to pasteurize it. Pasteurization is an effective and quick process and has advantages in mass production. The time consuming perspiration was the way that all Swedish snuff was produced until 1981. When one sweats tobacco and does not stress it you get a cleaner and clearer tobacco flavor in the finished snus."  I’ve had folks ask about the risk with this one over normal pasteurized snus, but the TSNA levels are virtually on par with other snus products that are purely pasteurized, so it isn't an issue.  Keep in mind, this info is all from when it was originally produced, so I’m not sure what has changed, if anything.  But, to me, the important thing is the flavor, and that hasn’t changed!

The flavor description for this one says "A flavor of pure tobacco with whisky from the Scottish island of Islay".  Each can weighs in at 20 grams and has 20 portions, for 1 gram each.  The nicotine content is 12mg/g (1.2%), which breaks down to 12mg/portion.

So, what everyone wants to know is has anything changed since it's been gone?  Well, thankfully, no, it's just as good as I remember from last time I had it!  Opening the can I pick up a smooth aroma of tobacco and whisky.  There's a slight touch of smoke, and some hints of oak.  The pouch is semi-dry, with firm tobacco in the pouch.  I suggest fluffing it to loosen up the tobacco.  Once you get it under the lip you'll find it to be pretty comfortable!  In the flavor, I notice some smokiness, along with some hints of oak and an earthy tobacco base.  The whisky isn't super present, but I do notice it in the background.  For me, that's okay, because I don't use this one for the whisky taste.  I use it for the tobacco flavor profile.  In the nicotine strength, it feels to deliver at the strong level.  It's not too much, and has a steady delivery to it.  The flavor lasts about an hour, on average!

Rating and Final Thoughts

I didn't get to rate this one last time I had it, as I wasn't doing a rating system back then.  This one comes in right at 4.17/5 for me.  I much prefer the original portion version myself, but both of these are quite good.  The loose version is also great!  Whether you like whisky or don't like whisky, this is a pretty great snus.  The flavor is top notch, the can is gorgeous, and it's something you can use all the time and never tire of it!  If you've never had it before, grab some!  It's tasty stuff.

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