cigarsThe grandson of Winston Churchill, the former prime minister and arguably the world’s most recognisable smoker, has launched a range of quality cigars bearing his grandfather’s name.

The 67-year-old former journalist and Conservative MP, also called Winston Churchill, has spent the past eight years and gaining exclusive worldwide patents for the range of exclusive quality cigars.

Manufactured by Davidoff, the luxury goods firm, they bear the names of places that played a significant role in the former prime minister’s life, including No 10, Chequers, Blenheim and Marrakesh, the Moroccan resort that was his favourite holiday destination.

The Blenheim, named after his birthplace, is the most expensive brand, retailing at $550  for a box of 25.

The quality cigars are already being sold in the US and are expected to be available in the UK later this year at Davidoff and selected retailers, including Harrods, provided the trademark is approved by the UK Intellectual Property Office.

Churchill’s grandson said he expects to receive a royalty payment from Davidoff, but that it will be several years before he recoups his investment.

The non-smoker is sensitive to suggestions that he is cashing-in on his grandfather’s legacy, but claimed he was given no option when he learnt that a firm of cigar manufacturers in Los Angeles was attempting to patent the Churchill name.
 
Although the name Churchill has been used in the tobacco industry for decades to describe the size of a cigar, this is the first time a product will bear the name of the former MP for Dundee.
Winston Churchill was first introduced to quality cigars in 1895 when, as a 20-year-old cavalry officer, he obtained leave of absence to observe the Cuban revolutionary war against Spain.
 
Although Winston Churchill favoured Cuban cigars made by Romeo y Julieta and La Aroma de Cuba, his own brand is being manufactured in the Dominican Republic because of the US import ban on Cuban cigars.
His grandson signed a deal with Davidoff last year and the products have been made from Cuban seed at its factory in the Dominican Republic. The deal grants the cigar specialist rights to use Winston Churchill’s signature, the family coat of arms, all quotations by Churchill and reproductions of his paintings by arrangement.

His grandson said he insisted they should be of the “highest quality” and he has been encouraged by the reaction to them in America.