Dating McClelland tins with less than the full six numbers

[ajpl]

I just received an order including a tin of Syrian Star and Ringlow Syrian Reserve, and they both have odd tin codes that deviate from the standard six numbers. Anyone know how to read these codes and date the tins?

SS: 133 9
RSR: 140 13

(Both have a ~two-digit space between the first set of three and the last number or two. The 9 on SS is really just a big smudge, but I'm pretty sure it's a 9 and not a 0. Could also be an 8.)

Thanks!

 

[Brewdude]

I just received an order including a tin of Syrian Star and Ringlow Syrian Reserve, and they both have odd tin codes that deviate from the standard six numbers. Anyone know how to read these codes and date the tins?

SS: 133   9
RSR: 140   13

(Both have a ~two-digit space between the first set of three and the last number or two. The 9 on SS is really just a big smudge, but I'm pretty sure it's a 9 and not a 0. Could also be an 8.)

Thanks!

Don't know if this helps but here you go-

http://brothersofbriar.forumotion.com/t1678-dating-mcclelland-blends?highlight=Dating

Kyle also has a thread about dating tins-

http://brothersofbriar.forumotion.com/t15572-comprising-a-list-guide-to-tobacco-tin-dates

HTH


Cheers,

RR

 

[ajpl]

Yeah, I'm familiar with McClelland's standard six-digit blend/batch/year system. I'm just confused about these two since they deviate from that. Like, 133 9: is that blend 1 or blend 13, from batch 3 or 33? And does 9 mean tinned in 2009? And if so, why doesn't it say 09 like normal? Or is this something completely different?

 

[RDPipes]

Yeah, I'm familiar with McClelland's standard six-digit blend/batch/year system. I'm just confused about these two since they deviate from that. Like, 133  9: is that blend 1 or blend 13, from batch 3 or 33? And does 9 mean tinned in 2009? And if so, why doesn't it say 09 like normal? Or is this something completely different?

I tend to go with the Occam's razor idea, "The simplest answer is usually the correct one"
9= 2009
13=2013

 

[MisterE]

You could always write McClelland directly. I'll bet you a bottle of Heinz ketchup they'd happily decipher it for you. 8)

 

[ajpl]

Yeah, I'm familiar with McClelland's standard six-digit blend/batch/year system. I'm just confused about these two since they deviate from that. Like, 133  9: is that blend 1 or blend 13, from batch 3 or 33? And does 9 mean tinned in 2009? And if so, why doesn't it say 09 like normal? Or is this something completely different?

I tend to go with the Occam's razor idea, "The simplest answer is usually the correct one"  
9= 2009
13=2013

That was my first thought, but I'm finding it hard to believe that this tin sat on a shelf in the smokingpipes warehouse for six years without being sold. I guess it's possible though!

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

ajpl,

It's not that unlikely. I remember reading about a gentleman that spoke to Mike McNeal asking him about a certain club blend and Mike couldn't exactly answer his questions because it had been several years since he had blended a batch of the mixture he was inquiring about. In fact, 2 years ago I bought some McClelland tins from a major webstore that was having a sale. The British Woods tin I got was stamped 2007. And while it's unlikely that you'd get a popular blend like Blackwoods Flake or Frog Morton from a major dealer with several years on it, it's not that unlikely to find tins of less popular blends with a good number of years on them. At least that's been my experience with several of their latakias and some of their club blends like Orient 996 and Cyprian Star.