Tonni Nielsen Viking Grade (17) Smooth Brandy Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

A living legend in Danish pipe-making, Tonni Nielsen first began his career at the age of 16, at the historic W.O. Larsen workshop. Here he apprenticed under Hans ‘Former’ Nielsen and Teddy Knudsen, and within a few years, he was already carving Larsen’s high-grade Straight Grain pipes. After going solo and continuing his successes, Nielsen emigrated to Kentucky, in the United States, where he currently resides.

Among Tonni Nielsen’s pipes, there is a class that stands out above all others, and is graded accordingly. Not unlike Teddy Knudsen and his Eagle grade, or the late Hiroyuki Tokutomi and his Hiro grade, the pinnacle of Nielsen’s output is marked by the outline of a Drakkar, the signature longship of the Vikings. In the English speaking world, these pipes are typically simply referred to as “Viking grade.” Whether one calls them Drakkar or Viking, there’s no denying that they are remarkable pipes. Not unlike Nielsen’s Straight Grain pipes made for W.O. Larsen, this Viking grade Danish brandy is simple in composition, being comprised solely of briar and ebonite; subtle in design, with a canal-shaped shank and half-saddle stem; and, unsurprisingly, stunning in execution, with tight, consistent vertical striations lining its bowl and a great pool of bird’s-eye at its base.

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

 

Details:

Length: 5″ / 127.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.76 / 19.30mm

Bowl Depth: 1.53″ / 38.86mm

Weight: 1.8oz / 52g