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PSA
Be sure to join me for the CPG 2025 Pipe of the Year Reveal
this Sunday!

BORN FROM THE SHADOWS:
ANNOUNCING THE 2025 HALLOWEEN LINE
A Conversation with Glen Whelan
by D.H. Billings

As has been thoroughly documented already in Post #423, Halloween is my favorite non-religious holiday. Not just the trick or treating – but also the costumes, the decorations, the general spookiness, the scary movies, the exploration of the night, the community, the history of the holiday itself, etc. – I absolutely love it. Considering this, a recently-developed tradition for me as a Pete Geek has been to wait for each year’s Halloween line with great anticipation. More than any of their other yearly releases, I believe that this particular line has extra room for experimentation and the ability to just play around with new ideas.

The 2025 HALLOWEEN PIPES will drop
Wednesday, October 1st, at 6pm EDT–and 10am Dublin Time!

As with most things Peterson, in order to look to the future of the Halloween line, one must first look back. The 2021 line was a series of System Standard pipes dressed up in the Dracula finish, with a black sandblasted bowl, nickel mount, and a P-Lip stem swirling in red and black. 2022 was a series of traditional shapes with black sandblasted bowls, nickel mounts, and bright orange stems. 2023 brought us my personal favorite so far, with another series of System Standard pipes – only this time dressed up in the Jekyll & Hyde finish (bowls split down the middle with the smooth side being a reddish brown and the rusticated side being jet black). Last year, we discovered that Dracula Has Risen From The Grave, but in this go around the red and black finish was on a series of tavern pipes; this particular line was the most surprising for me because I normally like short, chunky pipes with large chambers, but I found myself falling in love with my long, slender pipe with the tasting-sized chamber.

(Side note: I’m still waiting for a Halloween line inspired by a witch’s brew with a green and purple stem, but I digress),

Since the last time I interviewed Glen Whelan, there have been some significant changes in his life – including his becoming the Managing Director of Peterson and the passing of his father Tony. And at least from what I can see, he is doing a great job in his new role. Not only is he revamping old ideas in new ways (think this year’s Pipe of the Year, for example), but he is also helping put the faces of Peterson forward so that we can get to know those people who are making our pipes. Personally, I think this helps make the company feel more personal and less like a big box brand (like some of other pipe factories out there). But that also makes him busier than ever before, and I was unsure if he would even have the time to respond to this guy from Appalachia. Thankfully, though, Glen was an absolute champ and was happy to do an interview about this year’s Halloween line:

DHB: What’s the story on this year’s Halloween line (inspiration, theme, etc)?

GW: So this year I have been really fortunate to have been able to get some pipes into the market that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. Firstly, the Pipe of the Year was a shape I’d been looking to revisit for almost as long as I’ve been working in the company, and now the design concept for Halloween is something I’ve wanted to do since we re-introduced the series back in 2021. I guess it’s from living in Ireland when days are shorter and it’s getting darker much earlier but for whatever reason, Halloween night seems to be the darkest night of the year. Lots of artificial light is off or reduced as people make their homes as spooky as possible, and that was the inspiration for this release. We’re going for an all-black (almost tactical look) system. It will feature a jet-black acrylic mount with a black sandblasted bowl and black acrylic P-Lip stem.

DHB: What was the reason behind doing the acrylic mount instead of a plated metal cap like has been done with the copper on some of the previous Christmas pipes?

GW: We went with the acrylic mount over a metal is because quite simply these mounts are not just fitted on to the stummels and away we go. They need to be papered flush to the shanks and then polished. It would have been impossible for us to spin a black metal mount on to a shank without the material losing its colour. There is no “solid” black metal that we could use without something being highly engineered. If we used a powder coated material, once we buffed the metal post mounting, it would have exposed the natural colour of the metal underneath. I also just think the acrylic mount is super cool on these!

DHB: With the exception of 2022, each Halloween line has featured a pre-existing finish (namely, the Dracula and Jekyll & Hyde finishes). But even when the finishes were not new, there has still been a twist that has set each year apart – both from other Petersons and from the other Halloween lines. What sets this year’s line apart?

GW: I guess this year, what sets the release apart is the aesthetic of the pipe. We’ve never done a singular colour scheme on a pipe. Usually there is an accent like a silver band or nickel mount that would offer a striking contrast against a bold colour of a bowl or stem. I am so happy with the execution of the pipe this year. It will be a workhorse of a pipe but it also has that “dress” pipe feel to it.

DHB: Were there any particular challenges or interesting stories with this year’s line?

GW: There are always challenges in pipe making. It is by no means an exact science. Every single pipe – especially those which are sandblasted – can have micro differences in shank diameter which definitely keep the guys on their toes in production, not least when it comes to fitting this type of mount to the bowl. I spoke with Andy Wike in the “All Pipes Considered” episode about just how much engineering is needed for the mount in order for it to fit strong and snug. It really is testament to the craftsmen that we have in our factory that they are able to make the execution look so easy. It is far from it.

DHB: What shapes will be available? Also, in tandem, will there be any specific collector’s shapes (like the elusive B shapes) that people should be on the lookout for?

GW: This year will see most of the system shape catalogue offered with the exception of shape 309 which unfortunately we were not able to offer due to the briar witches casting a spell on us! But I am still confident there are enough shapes to satisfy all our fans. They are limited though, with less than 1500 made for the whole world.

DBH: To be perfectly honest, my first knee-jerk reaction was a touch of disappointment at this year’s line being another black sandblast instead of something more colorful to go with a witchy or ghoulish theme. But as I thought more about it and mentally delved into the inspiration behind this year’s line, I found myself really getting into this year’s concept and becoming increasingly excited about it. A pipe born from the shadows! And a System pipe, at that!

I also appreciate the return of the acrylic mount as it is one of the most experimental and forward-thinking developments that has come from Peterson in recent years. It is also a sign that the mount on the 2024 St. Patrick’s Day line wasn’t a one-off, but rather a longer-standing idea that will appear in new and interesting ways in the future. After all, acrylic naturally allows for more color and pattern than briar and vulcanite do.

Maybe one day I’ll get my witchy Pete, maybe I’m just dreaming. In the meantime, though, this is a pretty damn good addition to an already stellar line of pipes – and is one that I am excitedly waiting for.

The One Pager, aka Electronic Strut Card, aka Great for Making into a Poster for the Wall

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Otis Criblecoblis CPG sent in these photos from a recent canoeing trip on the North Santee River near Lake Marion, South Carolina.*  De-lousing himself one afternoon he visited the well-known local pipe shop where he was treated to a preview of the Halloween 2025 pipes and took these photos of an incredibly “Algerian”-style 307 blast.  He said he hopes to return October 1st to purchase said pipe, which he placed on reserve. He will spend the interim visiting family in nearby Stumphole Swamp, and hopes on his return to meet his long-time SPC hero Alan Britt and video star, whom he suspects to be a 4th cousin once-removed on his aunt’s side.

*Little-known fact: The Little River Wetlands is a restored property in Transylvania County, NC, but this is not the same Little River that runs through the greater Myrtle Beach area. 

Media materials courtesy Kapp & Peterson
and Laudisi Enterprises

brought to you by my good friends at
1989 Bl-LSB&P and 2020 Bl 

N.W.O.B.H.M. mean anything to anyone anymore?
No? Well, to those who remember, Metallica’s roots were in that movement.
Systemllica, a long-standing Metallica cover band of dedicate pipe smokers,
recently leaked this cover on TokTik from their forth-coming album.