Tin whistle
In recent years a number of instrument builders have started lines of "high-end," hand-made whistles, which can cost hundreds of dollars US each — expensive in comparison to cheap whistles, but nevertheless cheaper than most other instruments. These companies are typically either a single individual or a very small group of craftsmen who work closely together. The instruments are distinguished from the inexpensive whistles in that each whistle is individually manufactured and "voiced" by a skilled person rather than made in a factory.
Physics of whistles
In a whistle, the instability starts at some point in the three dimensional region and then moves along some path in that region as the local variables change. This makes the comprehensive understanding of whistle instability mechanisms very difficult.