Ashton Claret XX Sandblasted Dublin w/ Silver Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Ashton is an English pipe brand, one originally created by William Ashton Taylor. Taylor worked at Dunhill from an early age, becoming one of the company’s most accomplished pipe makers. But Taylor was also one of a number of craftsmen and women who who left Dunhill in the 1970s and 1980s, hoping to create something of their own. After experimenting with a couple of different projects, Taylor ultimately founded Ashton, a workshop for high-end, handmade pipes staffed by himself and other industry veterans like Frank Lincoln and Sid Cooper. Later, Taylor’s team were joined by another Dunhill alumnus, Jimmy Craig, who would take over the running of the workshop after Taylor’s sudden passing in 2009. Along with other workshops, such as Ferndown and James Upshall, Ashton would play a decisive role in the emergence of a new English high-grades scene in the late 20th century and beyond.

As I’ve mentioned before, Ashton finishes tend to be subtle nods to those of Dunhill, where Bill Taylor and his successor Jimmy Craig first started their pipe making careers. The Pebble Grain, for example, evoked the mid-century Shell Briar, just as the Old Church did the Tanshell and the Sovereign did the Root Briar, and so on. Taylor even went so far as to patent his own method for oil curing Ashton stummels, further strengthening this Dunhill connection. But what of the Claret? While the Claret was introduced in Bill Taylor’s final years, it was originally a smooth finish reminiscent of the early Dunhill Bruyere, before shifting to the brighter, sandblast finish seen here. I’d wager the modern Claret is still an homage to an old Dunhill design, albeit one less widely known: the Red Bark. The latter was only produced for about 15 years, likely due to a combination of economic factors and a few mis-steps by Dunhill’s management. But, as time went on, it ended up being a cult classic and collectors’ favorite, being resurrected by Dunhill themselves in the form of the Ruby Bark. Yet it is the Ashton finish that would, oddly enough, be most faithful to the original Red Bark, retaining its titular hues rather than the slightly more pink stain Dunhill chose.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. It comes with its original leather sleeve.

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.76 / 19.30mm

Bowl Depth: 1.32″ / 33.52mm

Weight: 0.9oz / 28g