Ashton: Sovereign Dublin with Silver (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 Sovereign finish is one that Ashton reserves only for those pipes that display the finest grain the workshop has to offer, making it only appropriate that this straight Dublin has been dressed with the superlative finish. Said stain, in this case, isn't actually a stain, but a smooth, waxed, natural finish that unveils dense striations of flame grain wrapping around the bowl and through the flanks of the shank. This shape is especially well suited to displaying this grain, with the bowl flaring expressively from its firm heel and taking on a slight forward cant as it grows upward, the curves of its walls promising a comfortable feel in hand. The wide transition leaves plenty of room for the draping of a digit, and the shank that pushes out from it lifts gently to meet a straight, sleek stem of brindled vulcanite in orange and black hues: it and a band of silver at the junction offering some lovely, elegant contrast to the composition.