Scott Blakey, alias Shantibaba, is a world-famous cannabis breeder and the creator of several legendary strains that you have certainly heard of. If you have ever had the pleasure of trying White Widow, Super Silver Haze or Critical Mass, you have Shantibaba to thank for all of these delights.
Scott Blakey (1964) is from Melbourne, Australia. He became fascinated by cannabis while still at secondary school, and it was one of the reasons why he began studying natural sciences at the University of Melbourne. During his time at university in the first half of the 1980s, Blakey decided to travel through Asia. A true adventurer, he chose a stylish means of transport: a 1964 Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle, on which he travelled more than 60,000 kilometres.
Shantibaba travelled by motorcycle through Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and India, where he spent some time in an ashram. It was the local sadhus, holy men who lived ascetic lives and were known for their ritual use of cannabis, who gave Blakey the nickname Shantibaba (man of peace).
In the second half of the 1980s, Shantibaba also visited the South American continent – Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia. Whenever he came across interesting cannabis during his travels, he tried to obtain seeds. The varieties he collected on his journeys later became the foundation of his breeding work.
Years in Amsterdam and the founding of Green House Seed Company
After returning from his travels in 1988, Shantibaba decided to move to Amsterdam, where the atmosphere was favourable towards cannabis. In the 1990s, the most famous names in the cannabis world could be found in the Dutch capital. In local coffeeshops, you could meet legends such as Sam Skunkman or Nevil Schoenmakers, with whom Shantibaba later worked closely. But let us not get ahead of ourselves.
In 1994, Shantibaba founded Green House Seed Co. with Arjan Roskam. They quickly became one of the most sought-after seedbanks and won one Cannabis Cup after another. During this period, Shantibaba bred a number of his most highly regarded strains, including White Widow, Super Silver Haze, Mango Haze, White Rhino and El Niño.
During this time, Scott became close to Nevil Schoenmaker, who helped him launch his own projects after he left Green House Seed. Shantibaba joined forces with Howard Marks, a world-famous smuggler, with whom he founded the seedbank Mr. Nice Seedbank. Shantibaba continued to improve his varieties, and during this period he created excellent modern strains such as Shit, Devil and Spice.
CBD varieties from Shantibaba
Around 2000, Shantibaba moved to Switzerland, where he became practically the first person in the world to grow CBD cannabis on a large scale. To raise awareness and help develop new varieties, Blakey founded CBD Crew in 2009. In cooperation with Resin Seeds and Mr. Nice Seedbank, it created, among others, CBD Critical Mass, CBD Shark Shock, CBD Skunk Haze, CBD Therapy and CBD Yummy. Shantibaba also worked with the seedbank Dutch Passion on the development of CBD varieties.
At the time of writing, Shantibaba is just over 60 years old and is one of the most recognisable names among cannabis breeders. Not only does he keep his finger on the pulse of the times and continue to create excellent new varieties. He is also one of the few people to have experienced the famous decades of the cannabis scene at the end of the last millennium and can pass these experiences on to younger generations.
The most famous varieties from Shantibaba
White Widow – Probably Shantibaba’s most acclaimed strain was created by crossing a Brazilian sativa with an indica from southern India. The variety is renowned for its euphoric effects and pronounced terpene profile, which combines the sweetness of the sativa with the woody notes of the indica. The plants are rather short and mature after 8–9 weeks of indoor flowering and from the end of September to the beginning of October outdoors.
Super Silver Haze – A true classic of the 1990s, combining the most famous strains in cannabis history. Super Silver Haze was created by crossing Skunk, Northern Lights and Haze, and became the winner of the High Times Cannabis Cup in 1997, 1998 and 1999. In our conditions, this sativa variety is more suitable for indoor cultivation. The plants mature after 10–11 weeks of flowering, and the terpene profile is typical of Haze – sharp to metallic on the palate, with a pronounced incense aroma.
Great White Shark – Also known as Peacemaker or White Shark, this variety was created by Shantibaba by crossing Super Skunk #1 with a South American sativa and an indica from southern India. Great White Shark stands out with a heavy terpene profile full of sweet fruits, complemented by the characteristic Skunk aroma. This combination, reminiscent of an expensive perfume, is perfectly suited to this variety’s pronounced body high. The plants are medium in height, reaching up to 190 centimetres, and mature relatively quickly after approximately 9 weeks of indoor flowering or at the beginning of October outdoors.
White Rhino – A descendant of the famous White Widow, which was crossed with an indica imported from the USA to create a short and bushy variety. This typically indica-dominant variety has strongly relaxing effects and a sweet terpene profile full of forest fruits, underscored by aromas of wood and hashish. The plants mature quickly after 9 weeks of indoor flowering and at the beginning of October outdoors.
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