English Estates: Dunhill Root Briar (36) (4) (R) (1965) Tobacco Pipe

This "36" straight Billiard from Dunhill is many things, but most importantly, I find, is that it is both a wonderful example of the English marque's timeless shaping style and a tantalizing vintage. Dating back to 1965, this Billiard is a glimpse into Dunhill's history and, considering its closeness to their current production Billiards, it would seem that both their standards and ideals have remained consistent. A proud, stolid bowl is perched atop a lengthy shank-and-stem combination, with a wide transition giving the bowl a subtle forward cant, its broad build holding a capacious chamber. The stummel is dressed in Dunhill's Root Briar finish, which reveals handsome grain across the bowl and shank alike.

The highest honor for a Dunhill pipe is to receive the prestigious Root Briar appellation. Root Briars have been coveted by pipe smokers ever since they first debuted in 1931, due to the fact that each pipe must boast briar completely free of even the most minor of blemishes. Dunhill has the strictest of standards and expectations for quality with all of their pipes, and so any block of briar that comes to bear the Root Briar stamp must indeed be superlative.