An expert in snus and a smaller snusproducer from north meets – Let us introduce Islay Whisky Snus, by Conny Andersson and Gajane.
The tobacco in Islay Whisky Snus is choosen after the manufacturer’s taste, that’s why some of the tobaccos are not so common in snus manufacturing. The tobaccos comes from: Jalapa, Ometepe, Estelí i Nicaragua, Lancaster PA i USA, Keta Ho i Ghana and KwaZulu-Natal i Sydafrika. The tobacco is then taken home to Sweden, Jämtland.
The thing that has been most important for the manufacturer is the flavor. Islay Whisky Snus contains 100% Lamina, which is pure tobacco – no plant fibers or other screed material. Of course, just pure tobacco is more expensive, but the manufacturer have chosen to make this snus as flavor-rich and good as possible, with a higher quality.
Islay Whisky Snus is manufactured by old methods, the tobacco sweating in a thermal suite instead of pasteurization. Pasteurization has its advantages in mass production, when it’s a faster and effective process. It’s a more time consuming method to sweat the tobacco, but the benefits is that the completed snus gets a more clear and pure tobacco character. In fact, the “sweating method” was the only way of Swedish snus making until year 1981.
The special thing about Islay Whisky Snus is that the tobacco is aged in old whisky barrels, from the Scottish island – Islay. You might have heard about that method before? Well, the same method is often used with premium cigars, which gives an “extra dimension to the tobacco”. Back to the snus, after the tobacco has been aged it gets seasoned with the manufacturer’s favorite whisky, from the same distillery as the whisky barrels.
“I have done a snus for myself, by my liking and taste. I like good tobacco and good liquor. And if nobody else likes it, I’ve got snus so I’ll be fine for a couple months.” – Conny Andersson