Ireland Gets Its First Habanos Regional Edition Cigar
Cuba has made Regional Edition cigars for 20 years, special, limited-edition smokes meant to be sold in only one country or geographic area. But yesterday a new Cuban Regional was released, and for the first time ever it’s a cigar made for Ireland.
The Punch Néctares No. 50 Exclusivo Irlanda made its public debut yesterday in Dublin, presented by Hunters & Frankau, the British cigar importer, and Ampersand, the Irish cigar import company. The Néctares No. 50 is 6 1/4 inches long by 50 ring, packed in cabinets of 50. The cigars have a suggested retail price of 65 euros ($75) apiece, and they come in numbered cabinets. Production is being capped at 1,400 boxes, or 70,000 cigars.
The cigar might be brand new, but Néctares is an old name, a subset of the Punch brand that was made exclusively for James J. Fox cigar merchants in Dublin and London. The original Punch line was discontinued in the 1980s.
“Of all the projects that I have been involved in, this is one I am most proud of, as we have been able to bring back Néctares, and to launch Ireland’s first Regional Edition at the same time,” Rob Fox, managing director of Ampersand and chairman of retailer James J. Fox told Cigar Aficionado.
“Finally bringing Ireland its first Habanos Regional Edition is a moment of immense pride,” Fox adds. “The Punch Néctares No. 50 is a phenomenal cigar and, in reuniting the Punch brand with its legacy Néctares line, it represents our enduring commitment to cigar culture in Ireland.”
