Ashton: Old Church Brandy with Silver (XX) Tobacco Pipe

Founded in 1983 by William "Bill" Ashton-Taylor, who worked as a Dunhill apprentice, the Ashton workshop is lauded for its incredibly high standards of quality and mastery of classic English design principles. Jimmy Craig currently heads the company, having taken up the mantle after Bill's passing in 2009. Since then, he has sustained the Ashton legacy by steadfastly following the founder's philosophy of equally prioritizing all parts of the pipe, and utilizing only the best materials and most pristine finishing. This sophisticated Brandy is, of course, no exception.

This Brandy showcases classic shaping: The walls of the bowl demonstrate a steady inward taper toward the rim, and the heel of the bowl is plump and round. The bowl sits with bold, upright posture on the end of a long, trim shank-and-stem arrangement. The junction is decorated with a wide accent band that showcases Jimmy Craig's exceptional silverwork and adds a cool, metallic flash to the warm, earthy hue and rugged texture of the stummel. The stummel wears Ashton's iconic Old Church finish, which renders every fine detail of the briar's grain in a crisp, stimulating texture.