 A pack of Sobranie Cocktail cigarettes, with awarning message at the bottom | |
| Product type | Cigarette |
|---|---|
| Owner | Japan Tobacco |
| Produced by | Gallaher Group |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Introduced | 1879; 146 years ago (1879) |
| Markets | See§ Markets |
| Carcinogenicity:IARC group 1 | |
Sobranie[a] is a brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured byGallaher Group, a subsidiary ofJapan Tobacco.[1]
The Balkan Sobranie tobacco business was established inLondon in 1879 by Albert Weinberg (born inRomania in 1849), whose naturalization papers dated in 1886[2] confirm his nationality and show that he had emigrated toEngland in the 1870s at a time when hand-made cigarettes in the Eastern European and Russian tradition were becoming fashionable in Europe.[3] It is one of the oldest cigarette brands in the world.[4] Albert's young cousin Isaiah Redstone (1884–1963) joined him in the business and registered the "Balkan Sobranie" trademark, later shortened to Sobranie.[5] By 1910, Albert was manufacturing at 34 Glasshouse Street, London.[6] After Albert's death, Isaiah Redstone and his sons Charles Coleman Redstone (1911–1994) and Dr. Isidore Redstone (1925–2022) continued to own and manage the business. In the early 1980s, the Sobranie trademarks were sold toGallaher Group, which continued production with a modified formula at various locations in Europe. Gallaher was subsequently purchased byJapan Tobacco in 2007.
Throughout its existence, Sobranie was marketed as the definition of luxury in thetobacco industry, being adopted as the official provider of many European royal houses and elites around the world including theImperial Court of Russia and theroyal courts of theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Spain, Romania, and Greece.[7]
Premium brands include the multi-coloured Sobranie Cocktail and the black and gold Sobranie Black Russian, which are produced in Ukraine. Sobranie Cocktail, Black Russian and White Russian variants are emblazoned with the Russian imperialdouble-headed eagle.
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Sobranie was a sponsor of theJordan Grand Prix team in2004 and2005. The logos were displayed on the front, side and rear wing of the cars.[8][9][10] In countries where tobacco sponsorship wasforbidden, the logos were removed or replaced. Sobranie was primarily a replacement for Jordan's primary tobacco sponsor,Benson & Hedges (a Gallaher-owned brand in the United Kingdom), in theUnited States Grand Prix, to circumvent theTobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), as a clause in the settlement meantPhilip Morris USA (who holds the Benson & Hedges trademark in the United States) was only permitted to sponsorTeam Penske in American open-wheel racing with theirMarlboro brand.[11]
Sobranie cigarettes were mainly sold in theUnited Kingdom until the introduction ofplain packaging, but also were or still are sold inArmenia,Austria,Azerbaijan,Belarus,Bosnia and Herzegovina,Bulgaria,China,Croatia,France,Georgia,Greece,India,Japan,Kazakhstan,Kosovo,Malaysia,Montenegro,North Macedonia,Poland,Romania,Moldova,Russia,Serbia,Singapore,Switzerland,Taiwan andUkraine as well as manyduty free shops in airports.[12][13][14]
