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 makers, 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.

Having studied with masters from both France and Denmark, it is only natural that Bruno Nuttens’s work would feature both distinctly French and distinctly Danish designs and influences. Perhaps most interesting, however, is that Nuttens’s pipes frequently blend elements from both traditions. In this latest batch, for example, we’ve seen a traditional bent billiard with an extra dash of Gert Holbek to it, as well as one of Nuttens’s signature “Twiggy” Dublins. And we’ve also had two pipes like this one, one being an “A” grade, and the other an “AA” grade (this being the “A” grade). The design is another signature Dublin rendition in Nuttens’s portfolio, and one that recalls, in equal parts, the Dublins of Nuttens’s former teachers Pierre Morel Jr and Tom Eltang. With its wide, trumpeting bowl and lightweight stature, there’s plenty of the functionalist approach of Eltang et al. to its construction, though in dress it’s far closer to the fineries and finishing found on the pipes of Morel Jr. Interestingly, the finery itself on this pipe comes in the form of a spalted beechwood accent that, true to his locally-sourced, hands-on approach, was harvested by Nuttens from a forest close to his home.

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.77 / 19.55mm

Bowl Depth: 1.48″ / 37.59mm

Weight: 1.0oz / 30g