Poul Winslow B Grade Smooth Brandy w/ Silver Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

As is often the case with the greats of Danish pipe making, the story of Poul Winsløw begins as one of a master and an apprentice. That master was none other than Preben Holm; the apprentice was a young Winsløw. Holm held Winsløw in especial regard, with the latter ending up as the former’s head assistant in the Preben Holm workshop. After Holm’s untimely passing, Winsløw went solo, and after surviving the slump in the Danish pipes market in the 1980s and early 1990s, he emerged as one of Denmark’s—and the world’s—premier freehand pipe makers.

While Poul Winsløw’s Crown series showcases the artisan’s prodigious talents using only briar and acrylic, his letter-graded pipes represent the pinnacle of his output, incorporating other design elements, such as accents, to drive home how special these pipes are. Winsløw’s system for such begins at his “E” grade pipes and moves up the alphabet as regards quality. In other words, “D” grades are higher than “E,” “C” grades are higher than “D,” and so on. This continues right the way up to “A” grade Winsløw pipes, after which the only higher possible grade are his very rare “Private Collection” pieces, whose name is a nod to the highest-grade pipes of his former teacher, Preben Holm. A “B” grade is thus the third-highest a Winsløw pipe can attain, and it takes quite a lot to receive such an accolade. This slightly squat brandy, for instance, showcases the perfect graining one should expect from a protégé of Preben Holm, with the briar having been cut in a way that allows flame grain to run the entirety of the bowl’s sides (and indeed, right the way up its shank), and pure bird’s-eye to pool at its base. As it is a letter grade, the pipe has further been adorned with a sterling silver collar.

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

Details:

Length: 6.1″ / 154.9mm

Bowl Width: 0.83″ / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 1.34″ / 34.03mm

Weight: 2.5oz / 72g