Peterson: St. Patrick's Day 2023 Rusticated (68) Fishtail Tobacco Pipe

One of Peterson's more classically English shapes, the "68" bent Brandy serves as a curvaceous sibling to the "69" bent Billiard. The "68" features less of the Irish marque's signature style of stout shanks and hearty transitions, instead placing more emphasis on the bowl, with the rounded base and slight taper toward the rim softening the profile. The added briar at the base makes for a substantial in hand feel, and the tapering rim, stretching transition, and comparatively slender shank conform well to wrapped fingers. Fitted on the end of a lithe bend, it's a piece that's comfortable no matter how you choose to hold it, catering well to all smoking postures.

Peterson's longest-standing annual release, the St. Patrick Day series has been a perennial favorite since 1998, and 2023's edition marks the iconic line's 25th anniversary. Fittingly, the Irish marque returned to that first St. Patrick's Day release for 2023's limited-edition offering: Each St. Patrick's Day 2023 pipe bears a tricolor accent of green, white, and orange to honor the Irish flag's recognizable pattern, and it's the same accent that embellished the first St. Patrick's Day pipes in 1998. The 2023 edition, however, is available in three distinctive finishes — Peterson's signature, hand-tooled rustication; a dark sandblast; or a smooth chestnut version — with the smooth and sandblasted examples bearing vulcanite stems inlaid with Peterson's metal "P" logo, while the rusticated pieces are paired to acrylic stems. Moreover, the smooth and sandblasted St. Patrick's Day 2023 pipes are serialized out of the total 1,200 examples crafted in those finishes and are completed by Peterson-branded bags fashioned from tweed woven by Kerry Woolen Mills — a manufacturer of fabrics and garments in the southwest of Ireland whose history dates to the 17th century. Such a diverse array makes the 2023 edition among the most expansive and memorable, the perfect way to celebrate half a century of Peterson's St. Patrick's Day series.