Jacky Berrod Passion 72 Smooth Bent Dublin Estate Briar Pipe, French Estates

Description

I’ll admit that this pipe is a bit of a mystery to me. From researching the Jacky Berrod name, I found that he oversaw the production of Butz-Choquin for a time in the second half of the 20th century, with his family’s company, Berrod-Regad, having purchased Butz-Choquin in 1951. Berrod-Regad owned a number of significant French makes at its peak, including Claude Romain and Chap. So, did Berrod-Regad also produce Jacky Berrod pipes, as a make, through the man himself? I don’t know, so if you are able to enlighten me, I would be extremely grateful.

Onto the pipe itself: it’s really very nice, and looks comparable to the high-grades offered by other French makes, such as Chacom. As Butz-Choquin (under Berrod-Regad) worked with master French pipe-makers such as Paul Lanier and Alain Albuisson to make their Maitre-Pipier series, I would wonder if one of the two had a hand in this one too. It is a large, bent-Dublin-Zulu hybrid, with a cumberland stem (hand-cut, no doubt, especially with the briar inlay) and a fumed stain that just really works. As the stamping indicates, this pipe was made in Saint-Claude, i.e., the birthplace of briar, so it’s safe to say the wood used is high-quality too.

The condition is excellent. Maybe a little residual oxidation on the cumberland stem? Have a look at the photos for yourself. I’d say this one has been preserved wonderfully.

 

Details:

Length: 6.6″ / 167.6mm

Bowl Width: 0.93 / 23.62mm

Bowl Depth: 1.92″ / 48.76mm

Weight: 2.5oz / 72g