Ashton: Old Church Bent Dublin (XXX) Tobacco Pipe

William "Bill" Ashton Taylor began working for Dunhill in 1959 at 15 years old, manning one of the legendary English marque's lathes after a lengthy apprenticeship. During his time at the White Spot, Bill absorbed all the secrets of the craft he could from their experienced carvers, coming into his own as a carver and marking the start of a lengthy career. After feeling the need to start his own company, Bill founded Ashton pipes in 1983, going into business for himself and holding his work to extremely strict standards of quality that have earned the Ashton name an excellent reputation. William passed away in 2009, entrusting Ashton's production to Jimmy Craig, his protege, who has maintained the stringent standards of his predecessor, creating pieces with timeless appeal and classic charm. The bent Dublin is a shape that's been rendered in myriad configurations, the timeless profile maintaining a far more understated presence here from Ashton. The shank-and-stem combination is afforded a sinuous presence out back, with the shank lifting gently out of a wide transition to meet the stem's lengthy, slender build and smart curvature through the bit. The shank and stem lend this pipe a comfortable smoking posture and do well to balance the presence of the bowl, with said bowl standing atop a rounded heel and flaring out to a broad rim while canting forward gently. As part of the Old Church series, it's dressed in a crisp tanblast that unveils some handsome grain, and it's paired to a jet-black vulcanite stem for classic appeal.