Will The English Please Just Nationalize Dunhill Already?

[deathmetal]

From lasttango in another thread:

When I smoke Royal Yacht, I feel like I am wielding Thor's hammer while surfing on a 900 foot wave of lava. I have Chuck Norris' head in one hand. In the other hand, I have the hammer and I'm clenching a Charatan skater filled to the brim with that magical nicotine grass.

Royal Yacht is a classic like other Dunhill blends. Now that the UK has seceded from the EU, they can nationalize companies again and retain these classic English brands. Loss of Royal Yacht would be a crushing blow to culture as well as pipe smoking. Maybe it's time to step in and prevent these essentials from fading into history.

 

[condorlover1]

It is now official UK government policy that every man, women and child will now be compelled to smoke War Horse Plug!

 

[fitzy]

Someone's been smoking way too much royal yacht.
You can have mine.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"Maybe it's time to step in and prevent these essentials from fading into history."
Brett, these blends/brands have such a popular following that I find it hard to believe that they will disappear.
Some other savvy manufacturer or producer will likely pick up the torch once Dunghill let it go so fear not, Royal Yacht will still be sailing the waters of the pipesmoking world though there may be an interim period where she is temporarily laid up for a refit ::
Regards,
Jay.

 

[didache]

I may have something to report! Last Friday I went into London. I am engaged in a photographic project to photograph London's oldest shops. As it happens a few of these are in the St James area (some shops there go back to the late 1600s and early 1700s). I went into the Dunhill tobacco shop to have a browse. It is a little weird as they sell Dunhill backy, but cannot sell Dunhill pipes - that privilege belongs to the main Dunhill shop nearby. They sell, oddly, mainly Rattray pipes. I did buy a tin of Aperitif which I have never tried before - perhaps this weekend I will pop it.
Anyway, it was quite quiet so I got into conversation with the manager - I didn't get his name but he was a very friendly and knowledgeable chap.
I asked him the burning question of the hour: what is going to happen with Dunhill tobacco?
Now, he was in no position to give me any kind of a definitive answer (probably nobody is), but he obviously wanted to tell me SOMETHING. His conversation went along the lines of, "I can't believe the brand would just die .. it is too well established .. even these days the brand has value .. there are talks .. I believe discussions are happening ..".
Read into that what you will, but I took it to mean that there ARE conversations going on about salvaging the brand and the manager was trying, in a circumspect way, to let me know that hope is not yet dead!
Let's hope so!

 

[jpmcwjr]

Nice report, didache. I'd find it hard to believe that such talks are not happening. Dunhill is dead. Long live Dunhill!

 

[shutterbugg]

@didache is there still an enclave of little camera shops in Pied Bull Yard across from the British Museum?
Aperitif is a mellower/smoother less Lat-forward version of MM965. If you like the latter you'll be pleased with Aperitif.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

With such a long history of this brand I can't see it real the Dunhill pipe tobacco to disappear.

 

[Chasing Embers]

All things come and go. My favorite blends have been gone for a while now.

 

[warren]

The Dunhill blends of today have little in common with the blends of the 50s and 60s which I remember. Don't get me wrong, they are different and not necessarily better or worse, just different. A couple are in my regular rotation today.
The brand is one thing. The blends are another entirely. The Dunhill marque is strong and valuable. It is also owned by a company which, at this time, highly values the earning power of the brand. But the pipe tobacco market is obviously of no interest to the owners. And, I suspect they wouldn't want to create anymore confusion than already exists with yet another Dunhill in the market.
Dunhill sells leather goods, high end luxury items, cigarettes and cigars, etc. I assume Dunhill pipe blends are going the way of the horseless carriage as too small a market exists for profit. Some company would have to make a decent offer for the name in order to market Dunhill blends. Could they lease the marque? Maybe. I doubt such an offer would be entertained unless it involved massive amounts of cash and other considerations.
The cigarette/cigar market is alive and well around the world. This may change but, the pipe market is small and not likely to grow sufficiently to mandate a resurrection of Dunhill blends. I'm guessing here, but if every member of this community suddenly switched to Dunhill blends exclusively... we still wouldn't effect the economics which caused the demise of the brand.

 

[pipeman7]

It is now official UK government policy that every man, women and child will now be compelled to smoke War Horse Plug!

Sadists

 

[didache]

shutterbug - I know there is a shop there that sells Leicas, Mamiyas, and other pretty high end stuff. There may be other camera shops there, but it's been a while. I have a Leica digital myself, but I bought it at Red Dot Cameras which (I believe) is the full Leica dealership.

 

[deathmetal]

His conversation went along the lines of, "I can't believe the brand would just die .. it is too well established .. even these days the brand has value .. there are talks .. I believe discussions are happening .

I hope he is right. Otherwise, this is a variation on too big to fail.

This may change but, the pipe market is small and not likely to grow sufficiently to mandate a resurrection of Dunhill blends.

They were saying this about cigars not long ago.

 

[woodsroad]

Well, the tobaccos are made in Denmark, and the pipes in Italy, right? So what's left to nationalize?

 

[snagstangl]

Well, the tobaccos are made in Denmark, and the pipes in Italy, right? So what's left to nationalize?

Hell that didn't stop them from taking stummels from france the first time around and stamping made in england on them. Im sure very little of dunhill's blends actually had tobacco grown in england in them.

 

[warren]

Woods: The usual succinct and spot on observation!
Deathmetal: Can't argue with you. I never heard nor read of a possible demise in cigar sales. Cigarettes and cigars enjoy a great market in countries where one never sees a pipe smoker. I mean never! In all my time working in Russia I only met one other such smoker and he only smoked a bowl or two in the evening. In the larger cities in the west I am sure there are more, probably rich, people who might enjoy a bowl now and then. But, cigarettes are within reach for most. Cigars, good cigars, are for the powerful or people wishing wishing to project as such.
I just think, world-wide, pipes are not something most people give a thought to. Cigars denote power and money. Pipes really only seem to evoke memories of papa and grandpa. There will always be a market for blends other than OTCs but, it'll be a small one, catered to only where a profit can be made. So small producers and maybe a few, well positioned, companies, under a supporting umbrella of a specialized or very focused conglomerate, may survive.
We pipe smokers will have our needs met but, no one is going to cater to us like the 50s and 60s.

 

[deathmetal]

Cigarettes and cigars enjoy a great market in countries where one never sees a pipe smoker.

This one is baffling to me as well, except that -- perhaps -- the disposability option is appealing. A cigarette or cigar is pitched when done, and there is no need to keep around a pipe, clean it, learn about it, etc. It is easier. I love a good cigar, and have known some good cigarettes, but nothing compares to a pipe.
It is possible... perhaps probable... that this will reverse in the future. Disposable culture seems to be slowing down, and people are showing more interest in curating things, including tools for practices like smoking pipes. Let us hope for this potential future.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Tech is king with the younger generation. Vaping will be the death of pipe smoking.

 

[cally454]

I think the rise in pipe smoking albeit nominal can be traced to economics. Price per bowl vs. most stogie stick prices It's not enough to make major pipe tobacco manufacturers take notice.

Reminds me of my old sales manager "son we're in the razor blade business not the razor business " all the major golf companies got into balls etc. they all want non reusable throw aways s that drives revenue. I don't see anyone bucking the Pc world to make us happy.