Charatan Honoured as Cigar Newcomer of the Year 2025

The most prestigious gala for cigars in the UK once again played to a full house, as the Boisdale Xerjoff Cigar Smoker of the Year Awards 2025 lit up the London scene in style.

Bringing together influential cigar aficionados, industry personalities, and familiar faces from fashion, entertainment and sport, the evening delivered its signature blend of elegance, camaraderie and just the right amount of mischief.

As tradition holds, the ceremony was led by Boisdale founder Ranald Macdonald, alongside Tom Parker Bowles, the renowned food writer and broadcaster with impeccable taste and distinguished lineage.

We were honoured to receive the Newcomer of the Year award for our Charatan Claro Half Churchill. A vitola inspired by the Great British weather, by Sir Winston himself, and by that one friend we all know who insists on cutting his cigars in half. No more, mate!

A thank you message to aficionados and the UK trade.

We dedicate this recognition to the extraordinary cigar community of the UK. Traditional in many ways, but also curious and demanding for new and different experiences. This is what moves us forward.

Our deepest thanks to our trusted retailers, whose support and belief in our latest blends and vitolas, including the now award-winning Claro Half Churchill, have made this journey all the more rewarding.

The Charatan Claro Half Churchill, standing at 3½ x 46.

The Charatan Claro Half Churchill is a mild-to-medium-bodied cigar wrapped in a silky Ecuadorian Connecticut leaf, offering a smooth, nuanced experience that pairs perfectly with your morning coffee or afternoon tea rituals.

“Being named Newcomer of the Year is not only an honour but a validation of our efforts in designing new blends and vitolas that reflect the preference of British palates,” said Carlos Zúñiga, VP at Charatan London.

“The Claro Half Churchill was crafted with the modern British smoker in mind. And although we are finding great success abroad, we are absolutely thrilled to receive this recognition, especially here at home.”

An evening full of bright winners

• Aaron Sigmond, author of Cigars: A Biography and more than 30 publications, received the Cigar Communicator of the Year Award.
  

• The Limited Edition Cigar of the Year was awarded to the Davidoff Winston Churchill Limited Edition 2025, accepted by Roy Sommer.
  

• Thomas Gryson of Oliva took home the prestigious Cigar of the Year for the standout Melanio Serie V Double Robusto.
  

• Cigar Producer of the Year went to Arturo Fuente, the Dominican powerhouse, which was picked up by Carlos Arturo Fuente III.
  

• Laurence Dallaglio, Former England Rugby Union Captain, won Cigar Sportsman of the Year.
  

• The evening’s headline honour, Cigar Smoker of the Year, was awarded to Sir Winston Churchill’s great-grandson, Randolph Churchill, who accepted the title with trademark charm.
  

• Christian Eiroa of CLE Cigars was honoured with the ultimate recognition of the Lifetime Achievement Award, honouring his family legacy and the foundations he’s created for that to continue.

Founded in 2013, the Boisdale Cigar Smoker of the Year Awards, now in partnership with Xerjoff, have become a cornerstone of the UK’s cigar calendar, celebrating excellence, innovation, and heritage in the cigar world.

This year’s gala also carried a strong social purpose, raising £35,000 in support of Dallaglio’s Rugby Works, the Clan Donald Lands Charity Trust and the BREDS Treasure Beach Foundation for victims of Hurricane Melissa.

Photos: Gary Williams / Boisdale