Bruno Nuttens Heritage H1 Partially Sandblasted “Holbek” Acorn Briar Pipe, New

Description

Starting out as a pipe restorer, Belgian artisan Bruno Nuttens moved onto producing his own pipes under the careful guidance of France’s most esteemed master pipe maker, Pierre Morel Jr. Nuttens’ first pipes creating relatively traditional pipes—often using carefully selected, decades-seasoned stummels from France’s historic Saint-Claude factories—but he would soon begin developing entirely handmade pipes in styles that seamlessly blended the old with the new. In the case of the latter, Nuttens was no doubt aided by time spent in the workshop of Danish legend Tom Eltang, where he further developed the skills and techniques behind his craft. Nuttens made such an impact in Denmark, in fact, that he’s been commissioned three times to develop the Stokkebye Pipe of the Year, a number rivaled only by Eltang himself. Today, Nuttens continues to craft high-grade pipes in a variety of styles, including his signature “Bing” and “Twiggy” shapes, all while mentoring students of his own, including the English-born artisan Chris Herriot.

Good briar is by no means inexpensive, and even briar sourced from the finest cutters in the world may well end up with sandpits and fissures that render it completely unusable as far as pipe making goes. Not unlike Trever Talbert before him Bruno Nuttens’s Heritage series takes pre-turned stummels from the historic warehouses of Saint-Claude and finishes them himself, adding hand cut mouthpieces in the process. You could think of these pipes as something of a collaboration across time. The stummels were once turned in the pipe making powerhouses of 19th and 20th century France, before the companies responsible for them shuttered, or were absorbed into other companies. Now, in the 21st century, Nuttens uses his contacts in Saint-Claude to acquire the best of these preserved, well-seasoned stummels, turning them into the pipes they were always meant to be—or, indeed, something even better.

One of the newest Heritage series shapes, and one debuted by Nuttens at the Chicago Pipe Show this year, is this rather interesting design. Turned from what I imagine will have once been a traditional acorn of sorts, Nuttens instead opted to make the pipe into an homage to one of his favorite pipe makers from the Danish artisan scene, Gert Holbek. There’s a little of Holbek’s “Francis” shapes to it, as well as a general nod to the Pibe-Dan Shape Reformed series that Holbek famously contributed to (including in the pipe’s decidedly narrow chamber). Given that many of Holbek’s own designs played on those of earlier French briars, it’s a fitting tribute in more ways than one.

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.66 / 16.76mm

Bowl Depth: 1.64″ / 41.65mm

Weight: 1.0oz / 30g