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FAQs FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Can I tour the McClelland factory? Can you recommend a shop in a low-tax state where I can buy McClelland pipe tobaccos? What tobacco in the McClelland lineup is most like my all-time favorite Blend X? Do you sell directly to consumers? Where did the McClelland whale come from? Can I tour the McClelland factory? Answer: No, McClelland does not offer tours.  We wish we could, but we haven't figured out how to do it. back to top ^ Can you recommend a shop in a low-tax state where I can buy McClelland pipe tobaccos? Answer: We have a long-standing commitment to serve our retailers in each state, no matter how outrageous the excise taxes may be in a given locality; therefore, we do not suggest retailers in other states.  As for suggesting shops in particular localities, we recommend that you simply call the few traditional pipe shops in your area to see what they offer.  back to top ^ What tobacco in the McClelland lineup is most like my all-time favorite Blend X? Answer: If our descriptions don't give you a clue, we think the best answers will likely come from your tobacco retailer who probably has a wide knowledge of blends from various manufacturers.  Another option is to join a pipe club or a virtual pipe club and ask other members. back to top ^ Do you sell directly to consumers? Answer: No, we sell only to licensed tobacco retailers. back to top ^ Where did the McClelland whale come from? Answer: People often ask why we have a whale in our emblem.  We are so far from the sea.  The idea came from a story Mary McNiel's father told about his passage to America.  This is how Mary, one of McClelland's founders, tells it:   "He came here in 1915, a poor Greek boy, 17 years old, from a little mountain village.  He was alone and scared.  The trip on the freighter took a long time - three months.  One day at sea, they saw whales, and somehow the sight of something so strange and beautiful calmed my father's fears and gave him the strength to look forward to his American adventure - his new life - with courage and the feeling that other strange and beautiful things must lie ahead. "I heard that story many times as I grew up, and it seemed to be a good emblem, a good omen.  So, back in 1977 we said, 'That's what we need...an emblem that will give us courage and one that will represent the beauty of what we are trying to do, one that will also be recognized for its rarity - because the leaf we use is the best and it isn't that plentiful.' "We didn't think about it then, but I've thought since that the whale is endangered and certainly in the anti-smoking, high-tax climate that we live in we feel endangered all the time." back to top ^