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| Product type | Cigarette |
|---|---|
| Owner | British American Tobacco |
| Produced by | British American Tobacco |
| Introduced | 1919 |
| Discontinued | 2011 |
| Markets | Ireland, Germany [1] [2] [3] |
| Previous owners | P.J. Carroll & Co. |
| Carcinogenicity: IARC group 1 | |
Sweet Afton was an Irish brand of short, unfiltered cigarettes made with Virginia tobacco and produced by P.J. Carroll & Co., Dundalk, Ireland, now a subsidiary of British American Tobacco. [4]
The Sweet Afton brand was launched by Carroll's in 1919 to celebrate the link between Dundalk and the national poet of Scotland, Robert Burns. Burns' eldest sister, Agnes, lived in Dundalk from 1817 until her death in 1834 and was buried in the cemetery of St. Nicholas's Church in the town. Carroll's thought that the brand would only be successful in Scotland if the carton simply had an image of Burns, or Scottish name on the packet, so the people of Dundalk were canvassed and the name Sweet Afton was chosen. [5] The name is taken from Burns' poem "Sweet Afton", which itself takes its title from the poem's first stanza:
Flow gently, sweet Afton, amang thy green braes
Flow gently, I’ll sing thee a song in thy praise
My Mary’s asleep by they murmuring stream
Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream
A larger version of the cigarette was also marketed under the brand name Afton Major. [6] This name served as inspiration for Carroll's later Major brand of tipped cigarettes. [7]
As of Autumn 2011, British American Tobacco no longer manufactures Sweet Afton cigarettes. The text "Thank you for your loyalty, unfortunately Sweet Afton will not be available in the future. However Major, our other Irish brand with similar tobacco will still be widely available for purchase" was written on a sticker that was put on the last line of packs, before it went out of production. [8] [9]
The brand proved particularly popular with post World War II Rive Gauche Paris. It was reputed to be Jean-Paul Sartre's preferred cigarette, and also featured prominently in Louis Malle's film Le Feu Follet , as well as a number of other Nouvelle Vague films. [10] Margot Tenenbaum (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) from Wes Anderson's 2001 film The Royal Tenenbaums also smokes Sweet Aftons. Thomas Shelby, in Peaky Blinders , smokes Sweet Aftons. They are also the favoured brand of Gerhard Selb, the eponymous private investigator in the trilogy by Bernhard Schlink. The cigarette is also referenced in the 2021 Beatles documentary Get Back in episode 3 during the rooftop concert when Debbie, the Apple receptionist, offers one to Jimmy, the doorman. The brand is also stated to have inspired Tony Iommi when writing the Black Sabbath song "Sweet Leaf". [11]
Benson & Hedges is a British brand of cigarettes owned by American conglomerate Altria. Cigarettes under the Benson & Hedges name are manufactured worldwide by different companies such as Rothmans, Benson & Hedges, Philip Morris USA, British American Tobacco, or Japan Tobacco, depending on the region. In the UK, they are registered in Old Bond Street in London, and were manufactured in Lisnafillan, Ballymena, Northern Ireland, before production was moved to Eastern Europe in 2017.
Richmond is a British brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Imperial Tobacco.
Superkings is a British brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Imperial Tobacco.
Gitanes is a French brand of cigarettes, owned and manufactured by Imperial Tobacco following their acquisition of Altadis in January 2008, having been owned by SEITA before that.
Du Maurier is a Canadian brand of cigarette, produced by Imperial Tobacco Canada, a subsidiary of conglomerate British American Tobacco. The brand is named after Sir Gerald du Maurier, the noted British actor. The brand is also produced under license by the West Indian Tobacco Company in Trinidad and Tobago.
Romeo y Julieta cigarettes is a Cuban brand of cigarettes, currently owned by the Franco-Spanish company Altadis, a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco and manufactured by Habanos SA and BrasCuba. The brand is named after the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet.
Gauloises is a brand of cigarette of French origin. It is produced by the company Imperial Tobacco following its acquisition of Altadis in January 2008 in most countries, but produced and sold by Reemtsma in Germany. Until 2017 the cigarette was manufactured at a plant in Riom, Puy-de-Dôme, in France, but they are now manufactured in Poland.
Kensitas Club, is a Scottish brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Gallaher Group, a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco. Before May 2017, Club cigarettes in UK came in a distinct blue packet with the CLUB name and a lion's head.
Export is a Canadian brand of cigarettes and rolling tobacco, currently owned and manufactured by JTI Macdonald, a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco International.
Mayfair is an English brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Gallaher Group, a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco.
Sakura was a Japanese brand of cigarettes that was owned and manufactured by Japan Tobacco.
P. J. Carroll & Company Limited, often called Carroll's, is an Irish manufacturing company of tobacco. Having been established in 1824, P.J. Carroll is the oldest tobacco manufacturer in the country, and currently a subsidiary of British American Tobacco.
Atika was a German cigarette brand which was owned and manufactured by Reemtsma, a subsidiary of Imperial Tobacco. Production of cigarettes under the "Atika" brand was discontinued in 2016.
Cabinet is a German brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Reemtsma, a subsidiary of Imperial Brands. It is mainly sold and found in the New states of Germany.
Roxy was a Dutch cigarette brand that was manufactured by Royal Theodorus Niemeyer in Groningen, now owned by British American Tobacco.
Kingsway is a cigarette brand that gained ground January of 1959, and is currently owned by conglomerate British American Tobacco, and manufactured by its subsidiary American Express of London/Ardath Tobacco Company. In Ireland, the brand was manufactured by W.D. & H.O. Wills, and in Malaysia, the brand is manufactured by Rothmans International.
Teddy was a Norwegian brand of cigarettes, owned by the multinational company British American Tobacco. Cigarettes were manufactured by the Norwegian subsidiary of BAT.
Ritz is a Brazilian brand of cigarettes, owned by multinational British American Tobacco. Ritz cigarettes are manufactured by Tabaqueira and Souza Cruz).
Main is a brand of cigarettes, currently owned by British American Tobacco and manufactured by its Danish subsidiary, House of Prince.
Newmore is a brand of cigarette manufactured by House of Prince, a subsidiary of British American Tobacco.
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