I have recently been vaping some vintage Janty RY4 from 2010.
This was sent to me by our colleague KentC, along with a number of other well-aged juices from the years that predate my own vaping beginnings. Kent has been diligent in stockpiling and carefully preserving (via amber-glass bottles and freezing) many of his favorite juices from that earlier epoch. As a result, the juices he sent are all alive and well, still producing good vapor and ample flavor. Thats a testament in part to the longevity of vaping ingredients---flavorings (especially synthetics), bases, and liquid nic---and in part to Kents care in preservation.
The Janty RY4 he sent me is from the tail-end of those early years when Janty still sold a single RY4. Soon after, Janty diversified into its "Series" lines of eliquids, introducing the Elixir Series in early 2011 while simultaneously re-labeling its previous juices as Classic Series. Then came Vitaya, followed by DK, and finally Abaca. All of which I find a bit confusing, since some juices are duplicated in more than one of the five series.
Presumably, the juice Im vaping now is the same RY4 that Janty sold throughout 2009-2010.
Whats it like? Well, its obviously Classic RY4, with the characteristic tobacco neutrality and unity of overall flavor. Supposedly (at least according to Ludo) this is the same as Janty RY4 DK-series, made from the identical ingredients with the same recipe mix. And yes---judging from the particular juices Im vaping---theyre close. I can tell them apart, but I think thats partly because of the very different ages of the juices---one being about nine months old, the other being three years old.
In terms of flavor profiles, the 2010 Janty RY4 may be slightly sweeter than the DK RY4, with less contrasting sourness. Generally, though, I find the sweetness to be roughly equivalent to all the more recent Janty RY4s I have: DK, Classic (in both RY4 and RY4-X), and Elixir. The family resemblance is consistent throughout, with one important caveat: The 2010 Janty RY4 has a mystery flavor in it, very subtle, but present. Kent calls it a smoky muskiness, reminiscent of eastern pine cone pollen (which is not at all typically piney---none of that Pine-Sol weirdness that turns me off to some BWB and Halo tobaccos). Whatever it is, I taste it too, and Ive never tasted it in any other RY4. Ill hazard a gonzo guess that the reason Janty stopped using it is because the flavoring---whatever it is---became unavailable, and they strengthened the sour-sweet contrast of their RY4s to compensate. Either that, or the pine pollen flavor was contained in another flavoring ingredient that similarly become unavailable and had to be replaced with a substitute. But thats just me sitting around and letting my theories run wild. I wasnt there, and I dont really know.
Ill have more to say about the 2010 Janty RY4 in future posts.
Kent also included a bottle of Janty RY2 from 2009 and a pack of unopened, shrink-wrapped carts containing 2009-vintage RY4. These turned out to be carts for an 801 atomizer, so I removed the filler from each of the five and very carefully squeezed out all the juice from the filler. I ended up with a 3ml bottle of 2009 Janty RY4.
The 2009 Janty RY2 isnt very RY-like. Kent recalls Janty describing it as a smoke juice. Its more of a caramel tobacco blend, and theres an odd note---not so much a flavor as a tonality---thats a bit distracting. I didnt like it much. On the other hand, the 2009 Janty RY4 from the carts tastes great, and almost exactly like the 2010 Janty RY4 to my palate. The only difference (if its really there) is that the 2009 Janty is a tiny bit creamier on the tongue after exhale than the 2010 Janty. I also pick up just a smidgen of something that my brain wants to call subtly coffee-like. Anyway, odds seem pretty good that one of these juices may actually be the original Janty RY4. Maybe both.
All of which brings me to an interesting dilemma. If I were blindfolded and vaped all the top-rated Classic RY4s---Apollo RY4, Bloog RY4, Dekang RY4, Halo Tribeca, IndigoVapor Classic, the various Jantys, MrVape RY4, SI Volt RY4, Vapor..... (now Vapors Knoll) OuR-Y4, and VaporTalk Dulcis---Im not sure I could accurately identify each one. I think Id be able to pick out the Dekang, Tribeca, Indigo, and Dulcis, but I can easily imagine that the rest might be mistaken, one for another. Or maybe Im full of it and Id get them all wrong. Who knows?
I may run that very test at some point by loading all those Classic RY4s into identical cartos/clearos, then putting them into a large bowl or jar and shaking it up. I could pick out one at a time, being sure not look at the label, and vape it, then give my best shot at identifying which Classic RY4 it was. Thatll have to wait for another day, though. I think its probably safe to assume, however, that Custom RY4s are likely to be easier to differentiate and identify accurately than Classic RY4s would be, since the flavor spectrum of Custom is a great deal wider and more diverse.
Membership in the Classic RY4 club requires so much tighter conformity. Not only do you have to dress alike, but you also have to know the secret handshake.
