Previously, The Gentleman’s Flavor profiled a piece on the famous Nat Sherman’s Townhouse, as we paid a visit to the modern day institution of tobacco’s brownstone located in Manhattan. Though Nat Sherman’s may be a present day mecca for cigar and pipe enthusiasts, it was at one time eclipsed by another famous name in tobacco, Alfred Dunhill of England.

What Nat is to New York, Dunhill was to London. 

Born in 1872, the son of a saddle maker to the aristocratic class, Alfred Dunhill was a man of his time and foresaw the car displacing the horse in everyday life. A true visionary, he started by making leather apparel and goods for motorists, chauffeurs, and cyclists. More importantly, he was also an avid pipe smoker who quite literally wrote the book on pipes. ‘The Pipe Book’ first published in 1924, has been in near constant publication ever since and is a written history of tobacco, cigars and most notably pipe smoking from around the globe.

Alfred Dunhill Sr.

Dunhill even created a “Windshield Pipe” in 1904 with an extended front lip for ease of smoking whilst driving. He was also the first to create a single-hand operating lighter, which was quite a novelty at the time and now commonplace amongst smokers. You can thank Alfred Dunhill for that.

For years, Dunhill was the definition of the luxury lifestyle in tobacco.

Duke St., Early 1900’s

Dunhill opened his first tobacconist shop on Duke Street in London in 1907 and further expanded it in 1910. After the Duke St. location was temporarily destroyed during the London air raids in 1942, his son, Alfred Dunhill Jr. continued selling tobacco products from a table outside the rubble of the storefront.  At one time, Dunhill had his successful motoring and luxury goods business operating in tandem with his tobacco business, blending tobaccos for pipes and cigarettes as well as importing countless fine cigars from Cuba. Prime Minister and famous avid cigar smoker Winston Churchill purchased and stored his cigars in Alfred Dunhill’s Duke St. humidor. Dunhill was also granted the Royal Warrant for supplying tobacco to English Royal Family. 

Stateside, Dunhill’s New York location first opened on 5th Avenue in 1924 and moved to Rockefeller Center in the 1930s. As Dunhill was a British company, they never ceased dealing with Cuba after the Revolution and continued to steadily import Cuban cigars to the UK long after the embargo. For years limited edition Dunhill Edition Specials were rolled by many of the top Cuban brands and ultimately they began production of their own line of luxury cigars in the 80’s in The Canary Islands. Unfortunately an eventual downturn within the global tobacco markets coupled with increased competition from another another famous name in cigars – Davidoff – forced the total selloff of the entire tobacco arm of Dunhill. Sadly it closed its doors in NYC 1985, creating an opening for Nat Sherman to dominate on the cigar scene within the big apple. The original famous Duke St. location has long since been vacated and redeveloped into a shopping mall, but a new flagship location exists on 1A St. James St. that boasts an exquisite cigar lounge for enthusiasts. 

1947 Dunhill Cigar Ad

Prime Minister and famous avid cigar smoker Winston Churchill purchased and stored his cigars in Alfred Dunhill’s Duke St. humidor. Dunhill was also granted the Royal Warrant for supplying tobacco to English Royal Family.”

Vintage Dunhill Aquarium Lighter

Today, Dunhill is still in global operation in the luxury goods business, and many of their boutiques do feature a humidor inside, but they have long since sold all their tobacco related trademarks to other companies. Dunhill cigarettes, today owned and produced by British American Tobacco, are available around the globe. The numerous blends of Dunhill pipe tobaccos still quite popular with pipe smokers are produced by Orlik of Denmark. Currently, the Dunhill name is owned by Richemont Holdings (UK) Limited and can be seen on luxury men’s items ranging from fragrances to suits to watches, scotch whisky, as well as major sporting events like the Alfred Dunhill European Championship, which is played at the famous home of golf, St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland.

Dunhill Signed Robusto

A name synonymous with luxury, Dunhill can still be seen emblazoned on a fine, hand-rolled cigar, most notably its Dunhill Aged, Dunhill 1907, Dunhill Signed, or the Dunhill Heritage, it’s first lineup of full-bodied Honduran cigars. Heavily embedded in cigar smoking tradition, the Dunhill logo is still a symbol of quality, luxury and refined taste amongst cigar smokers.

– Sean Douglass

Dunhill Flagship London Store & Lounge: 1A St. James St., London U.K., SWA 1EF