English Estates: Dunhill Root Briar (425) (1975) Tobacco Pipe

Dunhill's Lovat is an archetypal example of the shape, the English marque crafting some of the most proportionally balanced renditions of the classic profile. Essentially a Billiard with an extended shank and a trim saddle stem, this shape is deceptively difficult to craft well, as all of the lines must be clean and the proportions spot on. The White Spot achieves this seemingly with ease, the bowl sitting pert atop a rounded heel and balanced at the end of its lengthy shank with poised grace. This particular piece, however, has a touch of flare to its bowl that's evocative of the Dublin, making it a wonderfully unique piece that bridges the gap between those two classic forms, and its Root Briar designation only enhances this.

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.