Welcome to another special episode of All Pipes Considered, where myself, Josh Burgess, and Glen Whelan are here to discuss Peterson's St. Patrick's Day pipes for 2025, now available on-site. The longest-running limited-edition series from Peterson, it's a very important release for the Irish marque to uphold the tradition of celebrating the Irish holiday each year with classic shapes and the innovations that make Peterson distinct in the pipe-making world, and also help in celebrating the 160th anniversary of Kapp & Peterson pipes.

[Andy Wike]: Peterson's St. Patrick's Day pipes are important to the marque for a number of reasons. St. Patrick's Day is probably the most iconic Irish holiday that there is. It's known around the world as a very Irish holiday and for many decades now, Peterson has released a limited-edition series celebrating that and this year's is particularly special because it marks the 160th anniversary of Kapp & Peterson pipes.

This isn't the anniversary pipe, so to speak, but it is the anniversary edition of the St. Patrick's Day line. To speak more to that, we've got Glen Whelan, who's gladly agreed to answer some questions for us. Josh and I aren't Irish, as much as we might want to be, so we're going to kick it over to Glen.

A Celebration of Peterson and Ireland

[Glen Whelan]: The St. Patrick's Day series, for me, is one that gives us an opportunity each year to celebrate Ireland and its heritage. We've celebrated this many ways in the past, be it a green-stained System, a tri-colored ring accent, and even an emerald green stem. This is not just a celebration of Peterson, but a celebration of Ireland.

This year is an incredible moment in Peterson's history. 160 years is an incredible achievement for any industry, but for that industry to be pipe making is truly extraordinary. This is a testament to the craftsmen who've gone before us and helped build the legacy that we are privileged to help continue.

The St. Patrick's Day series this year is as traditional as it can get: Peterson Lip, vulcanite stems, and sterling silver bands.

[AW]: This year's series is far more traditional than we've seen in some of the previous years where we've been experimenting with color palettes and different things.

The St. Patrick's Day pipes from 2024 had the green acrylic military mount, which was super cool. But this year celebrating the 160 years of Peterson, we have gone for a more traditional presentation.

[Josh Burgess]: As Glen said, thinking about the importance of this series for the factory and the fact that it has been 160 years meant that this one was particularly special to us. We really wanted to celebrate all of the things that make a Peterson pipe, a Peterson pipe. You're naturally thinking about the Peterson Lip which is featured on the series this year. You're thinking about vulcanite. This year's pipe features a vulcanite P-Lip stem and we also showcased Peterson silverwork and did a variety of finishes that I think showcase the best of classic Peterson.

We have a rusticated finish in the black-and-red that is kind of two-tone, the smooth finish, which is the Terracotta clay-colored stain, the Heritage, and then the black sandblast. There are four finishes this year, all featuring that classic silverwork and the black vulcanite stem.

[AW]: Awesome. How did you all come up with the presentation this year? I believe it's going to inspire a lot of folks who are classic Peterson fans. Glen, if you could tell us a little bit about how we come up with new series and particularly what the R and D was like for this year's St. Patrick's Day pipes.

Planning 2025's St. Patrick's Day Pipes

[GW]: We normally start planning for a series about a year out. I've said this before in the past, but usually, the trigger for us is to start thinking about a release when the previous year's version is out to the customers. We're already thinking about next year's release.

That idea for a release usually stems from a table of Josh, Sykes, and myself in Dublin, or wherever we may be at the time, where we have a much more formal meeting with ideas for the series. Once we have the concept, we bring it to Jonathan and Giacomo, and this year in particular we discussed it with Jason because of the silverwork that's involved. If they don't think there are any issues, then we get a test batch into production.

Sterling Silver & Stamp

[AW]: On the sterling silver itself, I believe it's only the second St. Patrick's Day edition to actually feature silver. Not only is Jason's work evident here and the actual silver bands are quite nice, but this year actually features a brand new stamp on the silver. It has a shamrock that's rendered in Celtic knotwork, which I think is really cool.

Peterson's done shamrocks in the past and shamrocks are very much associated with Ireland and St. Patrick's Day in particular, but I think adding the Celtic spin, the Celtic knotwork, is a really cool touch.

[JB]: It's an elevated take on the shamrock.

[AW]: Yes, exactly. I imagine that wasn't without its challenges. Glen, what was the biggest challenge of this year's edition? Was it the knotwork? Was it the shaping itself?

[GW]: I think one of the main challenges we faced was very early on in the production of these pipes, and that was coming up with a design for a shamrock for the band that looks unique. We wanted to take the shamrock to the next level, so the design guys came up with a truly outstanding design that incorporates Celtic knots within a shamrock. More broadly speaking, pipe making is not easy. It presents many challenges along the way. But we have many skilled craftsmen working with us who are able to navigate through these problems with consummate ease.

Classic Finishes & A Range of Shapes

[AW]: Yeah, I mean looking at these pipes, there's a lot of things that catch my eye. There are a lot of things that resonate with me, personally, as a Pete geek, as Mark Irwin says. I think the classic variety of finishes is excellent. It's the entire Classic line, essentially with various shapes to choose from. I love that we're using vulcanite and P-Lip stems. What is your personal favorite aspect of this year's edition, Josh?

[JB]: I think it probably would come back to that range of shapes that are available this year. The 999 was one of those shapes as a new pipe smoker many years ago that jumped out at me and drew me in. Really classic Peterson shaping options. I'm also quite a fan of the 701 that is here. I think it's just a perfect pocket pipe, and it's a great companion pipe.

I think my favorite thing about the series this year is the variety of shapes and I think there'll be something here for every Peterson pipe smoker.

[AW]: I think that's spot on. If you're a Peterson collector, you're going to find your favorite shape in this year's edition. I'm also interested to see what Glen's favorite part of this release was. Glen, can you tell us what your favorite aspect of this year's edition is?

[GW]: I think my favorite part of this release is just how traditional the pipe is. It's what Peterson is all about for me. The traditional aesthetic. I think the other key piece, for me, that makes this even more special is the variety of shapes and finishes it's available in. Peterson is the everyday pipe and I think we have something in here that fits the bill for every day for the pipe smoker.

[AW]: Thank you, Josh, for being here and talking about this array of new pipes for St. Patrick's Day. I'm very much excited to see how these do.

I think a lot of folks out there who are avid Peterson fans, even folks who really appreciate the Classic series and want something a little more elevated, will love these. More than anything else, these pipes are timeless. I think that's a really nice homage to 160 years of Kapp & Peterson. So yeah, thank you so much for joining us and for speaking about these pipes for a little bit.

Thank you to Glen over in Ireland for helping us out with some of the backstories. We hope you all enjoy these pipes. Drop us a line in the comments section to let us know which one is your favorite from this year's edition. And we'll catch you again next time on All Pipes Considered.