I swear. I leave you guys alone for 5 minutes...!!!

[Butter Side Down]

I just picked up the pipe again recently after a 7 year hiatus.

Yesterday, I dropped by my local brick and mortar (Iwan Ries) for the first time since maybe 2015, and boy was it a shock.

They used to have multiple tins of every blend imaginable (well, except for maybe Penzance which was starting to get scarce around that point). All totalled, they probably a couple of thousand tins on hand at any given time.

Yesterday, in comparison, it seemed a lot like the shop had been sacked by pirates. Maybe 40-50 different blends. Maybe 200 total tins. Zero Germain's of any kind. Zero G&H. Almost zero Sam Gawith. Maybe three different Pease blends. Very few lat blends at all. Dunhill has apparently gotten out of the tobacco business and Peterson bought their blends/recipes?

I mean I didn't expect the pipe world to freeze in time without me. But it was a lot to take in.

So for some of you old timers, what the heck happened? Is this all down to COVID and the destruction of vital supply chains? Brexit? Is the perpetually dying art of pipe smoking actually on its last legs this time?

What gives?

 

[warren]

IRC maybe doing a couple of things. To me, I've been a customer for many years, they are rolling with the economic punches, staying viable. IRC has only been in business for a few generations (150 years plus), they know the business. If you are seriously concerned, ask Kevin.

 

[sablebrush52]

I just picked up the pipe again recently after a 7 year hiatus.

Yesterday, I dropped by my local brick and mortar (Iwan Ries) for the first time since maybe 2015, and boy was it a shock.

They used to have multiple tins of every blend imaginable (well, except for maybe Penzance which was starting to get scarce around that point). All totalled, they probably a couple of thousand tins on hand at any given time.

Yesterday, in comparison, it seemed a lot like the shop had been sacked by pirates. Maybe 40-50 different blends. Maybe 200 total tins. Zero Germain's of any kind. Zero G&H. Almost zero Sam Gawith. Maybe three different Pease blends. Very few lat blends at all. Dunhill has apparently gotten out of the tobacco business and Peterson bought their blends/recipes?

I mean I didn't expect the pipe world to freeze in time without me. But it was a lot to take in.

So for some of you old timers, what the heck happened? Is this all down to COVID and the destruction of vital supply chains? Brexit? Is the perpetually dying art of pipe smoking actually on its last legs this time?

What gives?

This was happening long before Covid.

McClelland closed up 5 years ago, citing a lack of leaf of the quality they used in their blends. STG continues to make the Dunhill blends, the only difference being that they couldn't secure the right to use the Dunhill name, so they switched to Peterson, which they own.

Germain's continues to be Germains, sporadic drops, as has been the case at least since 2006. Only back then, nobody really cared, and now Esoterica is the wet dream of many a demented hoarder and speculator.

Gawith & Hoggarth, and Sam Gawith blends have been in limited supply for many years, so nothing new there, except that Asian markets for their products have grown, and since they're an artisanal maker, there's only so much product they can output.

Shelves are devoted to products that sell, so if less shelf space is being used for pipe tobaccos, that suggests that sales are not what they once were.

 

[Butter Side Down]

I'm not concerned about Iwan Ries. The post was in no way meant to disparage them in any way. I know they know what they're doing. They'll continue to have my business as long as their doors are open.

As far as I can tell, all the major etailers (smokingpipes.com, etc
...) seems to have the same thing going on. So unless I'm mistaken, this seems to be industry wide.

 

[Butter Side Down]

This was happening long before Covid.

McClelland closed up 5 years ago, citing a lack of leaf of the quality they used in their blends. STG continues to make the Dunhill blends, the only difference being that they couldn't secure the right to use the Dunhill name, so they switched to Peterson, which they own.

Germain's continues to be Germains, sporadic drops, as has been the case at least since 2006. Only back then, nobody really cared, and now Esoterica is the wet dream of many a demented hoarder and speculator.

Gawith & Hoggarth, and Sam Gawith blends have been in limited supply for many years, so nothing new there, except that Asian markets for their products have grown, and since they're an artisanal maker, there's only so much product they can output.

Shelves are devoted to products that sell, so if less shelf space is being used for pipe tobaccos, that suggests that sales are not what they once were.

This all makes sense.

So it sounds like the days of just being able to pick up a few tins of something anytime you want to are pretty much over, and unless you're looking for a super-popular blend, the new paradigm is "If they have it, and you think you might ever want it, buy it now before it's gone."?

 

[sablebrush52]

This all makes sense.

So it sounds like the days of just being able to pick up a few tins of something anytime you want to are pretty much over, and unless you're looking for a super-popular blend, the new paradigm is "If they have it, and you think you might ever want it, buy it now before it's gone."?

Buy it when you see it, and if you like what you smoke, buy more of it because it might be substantially different the next time you see it. We're also going thrugh a period where components in blends are being subbed, like Perique being subbed out by dark fired Kentucky, farms changing, sources changing, etc. It's beginning to feel, with a few exceptions like G&H and SG, that the name on the label and the contents in the tin may ...vary a bit...

 

[Butter Side Down]

Buy it when you see it, and if you like what you smoke, buy more of it because it might be substantially different the next time you see it. We're also going thrugh a period where components in blends are being subbed, like Perique being subbed out by dark fired Kentucky, farms changing, sources changing, etc. It's beginning to feel, with a few exceptions like G&H and SG, that the name on the label and the contents in the tin may ...vary a bit...

Good to know. Thanks for the heads up. Fortunately for me, at the current rate of 1 pipe a day, I probably have enough Skiff mixture, Squadron Leader, OGS, and Revor plug to last me for the next five years so it may be a while before I have to worry too much about it.

Side note, I just noticed the part in your first reply about McClelland shuttering. Frog Morton was the very first pipe tobacco I ever smoked and it was good enough to get me hooked, which has always given them a warm place in my heart. So even though none of their blends were really my cup of tea, I'm still a little sad they won't be around anymore.

 

[vosBghos]

This was happening long before Covid.

McClelland closed up 5 years ago, citing a lack of leaf of the quality they used in their blends. STG continues to make the Dunhill blends, the only difference being that they couldn't secure the right to use the Dunhill name, so they switched to Peterson, which they own.

Germain's continues to be Germains, sporadic drops, as has been the case at least since 2006. Only back then, nobody really cared, and now Esoterica is the wet dream of many a demented hoarder and speculator.

Gawith & Hoggarth, and Sam Gawith blends have been in limited supply for many years, so nothing new there, except that Asian markets for their products have grown, and since they're an artisanal maker, there's only so much product they can output.

Shelves are devoted to products that sell, so if less shelf space is being used for pipe tobaccos, that suggests that sales are not what they once were.

Also on a side note Dunhill has eaten the blue pill in trying to distance itself from tobacco and focusing on high-end $500+ plain white T-shirts. On their official site, you will not see one pipe or lighter. The pipes are now officially called "the white spot" and they are not allowing the Dunhill name on any new production tobacco or tobacco-related accessories. Tis the way of the future, all simple pleasures that require restraint and a little risk must be crushed by our new-think oligarchs.

 

[warren]

"dunhill", lower case dee, is not affiliated with Dunhill, Hasn't been for many, many years. Dunhill (Capital dee) is directly descended from Alfred's company and markets the "White Spot. "dunhill" is under the umbrella of a company specializing in "high end" luxury products, dunhill, Mont Blanc and many others. Absolutely no connection. As the Dunhill descendants own the brand use it, when the tobacco business was sold off, many years ago, the marque "Dunhill", no longer appears on the blends manufactured and now sold as Peterson.

This has been common knowledge for eons and I can't understand how others can't distinguish between a lower "d" and an upper, "D". It befuddles me. But, then again, I suppose I'm easily befuddled.

 

[sablebrush52]

Also on a side note Dunhill has eaten the blue pill in trying to distance itself from tobacco and focusing on high-end $500+ plain white T-shirts. On their official site, you will not see one pipe or lighter. The pipes are now officially called "the white spot" and they are not allowing the Dunhill name on any new production tobacco or tobacco-related accessories. Tis the way of the future, all simple pleasures that require restraint and a little risk must be crushed by our new-think oligarchs.

That move away from tobacco related business isn't new. They were untangling themselves from it in the '90's.

 

[sablebrush52]

Good to know. Thanks for the heads up. Fortunately for me, at the current rate of 1 pipe a day, I probably have enough Skiff mixture, Squadron Leader, OGS, and Revor plug to last me for the next five years so it may be a while before I have to worry too much about it.

Side note, I just noticed the part in your first reply about McClelland shuttering. Frog Morton was the very first pipe tobacco I ever smoked and it was good enough to get me hooked, which has always given them a warm place in my heart. So even though none of their blends were really my cup of tea, I'm still a little sad they won't be around anymore.

IIRC, the very last shipment from McClelland was Frog Morton.

 

[mso489]

Thanks for the report from the field on Iwan Ries. I grew up in the Chicago area and commuted downtown to school at what is now The University of Illinois at Chicago. I'm a long time IR customer, but all online, so I am interested to hear about their store.

I think all the brick-and-mortar pipe shops are competing with the online retailers, and of course IR does both.

I go back to when IR's house pipes were U.S. made Bentons made by Edwards of oil-cured Algerian briar, and they have only improved with time and are still great smokers and look mighty fine. Today the house pipes are by Genod which made their first house pipes before I was a customer.

I like their Three Star Blue blend, and I visit their site from time to time to check in, so I appreciate the report.

 

[vosBghos]

"dunhill", lower case dee, is not affiliated with Dunhill, Hasn't been for many, many years. Dunhill (Capital dee) is directly descended from Alfred's company and markets the "White Spot. "dunhill" is under the umbrella of a company specializing in "high end" luxury products, dunhill, Mont Blanc and many others. Absolutely no connection. As the Dunhill descendants own the brand use it, when the tobacco business was sold off, many years ago, the marque "Dunhill", no longer appears on the blends manufactured and now sold as Peterson.

This has been common knowledge for eons and I can't understand how others can't distinguish between a lower "d" and an upper, "D". It befuddles me. But, then again, I suppose I'm easily befuddled.

2011 for the pipes and 2017 for the tobacco in name only but it seems to follow a blue pill trend is all I was getting at. So OP must have paused on the pipe just before the transition.

 

[anotherbob]

I just picked up the pipe again recently after a 7 year hiatus.

Yesterday, I dropped by my local brick and mortar (Iwan Ries) for the first time since maybe 2015, and boy was it a shock.

They used to have multiple tins of every blend imaginable (well, except for maybe Penzance which was starting to get scarce around that point). All totalled, they probably a couple of thousand tins on hand at any given time.

Yesterday, in comparison, it seemed a lot like the shop had been sacked by pirates. Maybe 40-50 different blends. Maybe 200 total tins. Zero Germain's of any kind. Zero G&H. Almost zero Sam Gawith. Maybe three different Pease blends. Very few lat blends at all. Dunhill has apparently gotten out of the tobacco business and Peterson bought their blends/recipes?

I mean I didn't expect the pipe world to freeze in time without me. But it was a lot to take in.

So for some of you old timers, what the heck happened? Is this all down to COVID and the destruction of vital supply chains? Brexit? Is the perpetually dying art of pipe smoking actually on its last legs this time?

What gives?

two things. Not enough pipe smokers locally and the internet being able to supply whatever we want. I.e. not worth taking a long trip to visit the not quite local to get that special blend.