[Brian Rowley is well-known among many of the Rabbit Room’s pipe smoking ilk for his incredible, hand-crafted, artisan pipes. For most of the past year he’s been working on a special project. Here he is to tell you all about it. —Pete]
A “Pipe Of The Year” is a common practice among small communities, who share both the love of the community, and the art of pipe smoking. The concept is simple, find a pipemaker who will make number of pipes, specifically crafted for the community, and stamp them each as such. The idea is to have all of the pipes made in the exact same shape and size, so that they’re easily recognized by the community. It’s a form of art, bonding and brotherhood.
During Hutchmoot 2012, it became know to some of the attendees that I was a pipemaker, and over the course of the conference, several people asked if I’d consider making a Rabbit Room edition pipe. I was thrilled at the prospect and began envisioning the project.
The first task was to determine the shape. A standard Billiard, the quintessential pipe for any sophisticated pipe connoisseur, seemed just a bit blasé. With a crowd as artistic as the Rabbit Room, it was important to find just the right shape. I wanted a shape that exuded class, but not a shape so classic that everyone would already have one. After some deliberation, I settled on the Dublin.
The Dublin family includes the traditional English Dublin shape as well as the Zulu, Yachtsman, Cutty, and Belge. The primary characteristic is a gracefully forward-tilted bowl that tapers downward from rim to heel. The Dublin I chose favors the shape of the Zulu.
In a traditional Pipe Of The Year, they are all made exactly the same. For this first run, I wanted them to be all the same, and all different; so while each pipe is the same size and shape, each is also uniquely finished, allowing each buyer to choose with personal preference in mind. It’s my hope that as long as interest exists for a Rabbit Room Pipe Of The Year, I’ll produce a unique set each year by choosing a different shape.
Lastly, each pipe has been meticulously hand crafted, to provide the best fit and finish and quality that can only be expected from a high-end pipe. Duly stamped with the official Growley logo, as well as the Rabbit Room Smoking Rabbit, these pipes will forever be known as the the first offical Rabbit Room pipe!
About the Pipes
The briar (Erica Aborea) was hand selected and imported from the finest Italian woodcutter, Romeo Briar, and each stem was hand cut from raw Ebonite or Acrylic rods imported from Germany.
Each pipe measures the following:
Length: 4.9” Height: 1.8” Width: 1.4” Chamber Bore: .75” Chamber Depth: 1.2” Weight: 1.4 oz
[This inaugural set of seven pipes will be sold at Hutchmoot 2013 on a first-come, first-served basis. They are priced at $295 each, a specially discounted price just for this event. Visit GrowleyPipes.com to see more of Brian’s work.]