Scottie Piersel XL Relief Contrast Sandblasted Pencil Shank Pot w/ Juma Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

In recent years, the sleek and slender shapes of early Anglo-French briars have seen a major revival in the artisan scene. From the cutty and “Arne” Dublin designs of Tom Eltang, to the “Bing” billiards of Merchant Service and Bruno Nuttens, it would appear that—at the risk of sounding like a marketing executive—thin is in. And none have gone quite so far in this direction as Scottie Piersel, who has made a name for herself for crafting ultra-light, high-grade briars. Interestingly, however, the inspiration for the “Scottie” style, which employs pencil-thin shanks stabilized by aluminum rods, did not come from briar pipes. Rather than the long, slim billiards popularized by Bing Crosby in the 20th century, the Scottie was inspired by clay pipes from much further back in time.

It’s funny, when this pipe first landed on my desk, I was struck by its resemblance to a very specific shape from decades past: Charatan’s 148, also known as the Outsize Pot. With its wide, squat bowl and similarly broad chamber, and its beveled rim, a good part of this Scottie is a dead ringer for a Charatan. The difference, of course, is that Piersel’s pot perches on the end of a pencil-thin shank and stem that pushes past the 7 inch mark. But what’s funny is that Reuben Charatan himself was greatly inspired by clay pipes, in much the same way as Piersel is. The famous Newmarket and Dresden shapes conceived by Reuben in the early 20th century were, after all, explicitly modeled on old clay pipe designs, with adjustments made to better suit contemporaneous tastes and briar as a medium. With this Scottie, we find something similar, though in a hybrid form far beyond even what Reuben could have conceived. Historical precedents aside, the pipe itself is classic “Scottie,” with its squat pot bowl dressed in a rich, ring grain “Relief Contrast” blast that proceeds up its narrow shank. The pipe’s ebonite stem is vibrant, as is also Piersel’s style, though in a shade that still complements that of the bowl, and whose juxtaposition is softened by an accent of pearly-white Juma.

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

Details:

Length: 7.3″ / 185.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.99 / 25.14mm

Bowl Depth: 1.24″ / 31.49mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g