Peterson: St. Patrick's Day 2023 Rusticated (406) Fishtail Tobacco Pipe

While the "408" does display Prince-like elements, the "406" is Peterson's definitive take on the classic Prince shape. Seemingly plucked straight from a vintage English catalog, the profile displays the design's characteristically long, slightly downturned stem, informing its reputation for elegance. The bowl is squat and plump, with perhaps some extra heft to its base, per Peterson's signature shaping style, but the shank and transition are decidedly trimmer, catering more to traditional Anglo-French proportions than the robust, muscular aesthetic seen throughout the Irish marque's portfolio.

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.