Originally intended for Ireland, Punch Nectares N° 50 RE Ireland is now also available in the prestigious shop in the British capital.

Rob Fox, owner of JJ Fox, welcomes attendees to the launch party

With the rain pouring down outside, the shop feels like a refuge where, once dry, guests eagerly light up a cigar and greet acquaintances around the buffet. The atmosphere is warm, the clinking of whisky glasses punctuating the hushed sounds of conversation, while the smoke rises in elegant arabesques under the soft lighting. Tweed jackets and ties mingle with evening jackets paired with bow ties, fedoras with Irish caps.

We are at 19 St. James Street, in the heart of London, at the JJ Fox shop, where this evening they are celebrating the launch of Punch Nectares No. 50, the first Irish regional edition from Habanos SA. The cigar will initially be sold exclusively in JJ Fox shops before being distributed by Hunters & Frankau, the exclusive importer of Cuban cigars in the United Kingdom. A total of 70,000 cigars were rolled.

This new Punch is a tribute to Nectares, a cigar produced exclusively for James J. Fox in Dublin and London until its discontinuation in the 1980s. Highly popular in the Irish market, these cigars remained fiercely coveted and sought after by aficionados on the Emerald Isle even after production ceased. “There is a very strong emotional connection between Nectares and our company, as it forms a bridge between us and my grandfather, who, after World War II, collected dollars from American soldiers leaving Europe and used those greenbacks to trade and establish relationships with Cuban manufacturers,” says Robert Fox, owner of JJ Fox.

 

“Re-establishing the link between Punch Nectares and Ireland”

Registered in Cuba in 1840 by a German named Stockmann, Punch is one of the oldest Cuban cigar brands still in production.

“Re-establishing the connection between Punch Nectares and Ireland was extremely important to us, and we are delighted with the reception they have received. I sincerely hope you share our enthusiasm for this cigar,” said Yiorgos Manesis, Managing Director of JJ Fox in Dublin. The cigar was served with three different Irish whiskeys—a single grain, a single malt, and a single pot still—distilled in Dundalk for JJ Fox. “May our glasses always be full, may the roof over our heads never collapse, and may we be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows we’re dead,” concluded Yiorgos Manesis in a very British toast, before handing the floor to José Antonio Cejas Diaz, Corporate Director of Hunters & Frankau.

“The cigar was rolled at La Corona, one of the most iconic factories in the world. And I am absolutely amazed by the level of quality they delivered,” he stated.

Measuring 160 mm in length with a 50 ring gauge, the Punch Nectares No. 50 ER Ireland is a medium-bodied, well-rounded, and slightly earthy cigar that takes about an hour to smoke. Its aromatic profile is achieved through a blend of filler and binder tobaccos sourced from the Vuelta Abajo area in the Pinar del Río region of Cuba.

 

Guillaume Renouard, London correspondent