Over the past couple of years, I’ve become a bit of a fanboy of City of London Cigars.

What started as one shop has now grown into four, and I’ve slowly been working my way around them. Holborn back in 2023, Spitalfields in 2024—and they really went ALL OUT there. The sampling lounge downstairs is seriously impressive, and I’ve been back many, many times since!

This year, 2025, I finally made it to Chiswick. This week’s excuse? An event celebrating Foundation Cigars, Bladnoch Whisky, and a showcase of St. Dupont accessories.

If I keep up my unofficial tradition, I’ll finally make it to Victoria in 2026 😁!

The Chiswick cigar shop

The Chiswick branch sits at 129 Chiswick High Road, London, W4 2ED, just a six-minute stroll from Turnham Green tube.

From the outside, it’s classic City of London Cigars branding: neat, bold, and posh looking.

Inside, it’s narrow but packed with good stuff.

Spirits line the left-hand side—mostly Scotch whiskies, with a healthy spread from Dalmore, Macallan, Ardbeg, Glenfiddich, and others.

They even stock Johnnie Walker Blue, Chivas Regal, and limited releases, plus rums, tequilas, cognac, and champagne. Basically, if you want something to pair with your cigar, you’re in safe hands.

Accessories are everywhere: cutters, lighters, humidors, ashtrays, travel cases. Brands include Colibri, St Dupont, Lotus, Zippo, and more. Pipes get their own section too.

At the back, behind the till sits the walk-in humidor—always my favourite part of any cigar shop visit.

There are a couple of seats to the right of the cash register (I didn’t a get chance to take a photo of that)—just two—but I don’t think they let customers sample cigars there.

Of course I had to enter the walk-in humidor…

Their range covers the full spectrum: Cubans (Cohiba, Partagás, Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta), Davidoff and New World favourites like Padron, Fuente, Oliva, Plasencia, Drew Estate, and Rocky Patel.

Ashok Thakur, the owner of City of London Cigars, started in hotel management before diving into the world of cigars. His team—being led by Raj and Nav—are wonderfully welcoming and share a genuine enthusiasm for our geeky passion. Both have recently visited the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua – and both going on their own cigar journeys too.

Unfortunately there is no sampling lounge in this shop, that said, it’s nice to take your cigar to the Packhorse and Talbot pub nearby (a couple of doors down), where we went too during a cigar and whisky sampling event.

The event with Foundation Cigars, Bladnoch Whisky & St Dupont

I arrived around 5:15 for a 5:30 start and was handed a glass of champagne straight away. The shop quickly filled with locals—regulars who had actually asked for another event after the success of the previous one.

After a group photo outside, we all headed up the road to the pub, where two long tables had been set for about 25–30 people. Name tags and seats arranged in a specific order were a nice touch; however, I ended up being separated from the people I got chatting with in the shop – waves to Gen! 👋.

Bladnoch Whisky

After we all got seated, Dia of City of London Cigars introduced and welcomed us to the event. It was here we started with a guided tasting from Mark, Bladnoch’s brand ambassador (who I’d previously met at Eight Club at the Les Deux Canards event).

Bladnoch is one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries, founded in 1817 and now known as the “Queen of the Lowlands.”

We tried four whiskies:

• Vinaya – light, approachable, a nice opener.
• Samsara – richer, more rounded.
• Alinta – smoky, unusual for a Lowland whisky.
• 16 Year Old – easily my favourite (and of course, the priciest – I seem to have expensive taste 😬).

A great lineup, and Mark’s stories made it even better.

Foundation Cigars – The Wise Man Corojo

Next up, George Frakes of 1573 Cigars (the UK’s distributor of Foundation Cigar) gave a talk on Foundation Cigars and their founder, Nick Melillo. Nick’s story is incredible—starting in a small Connecticut tobacco shop, then moving to Nicaragua in 2003 to work with Drew Estate, where he ended up blending their biggest cigars and running the factory. After Drew Estate was sold, he launched Foundation in 2015, focusing on traditional craftsmanship and rare tobaccos.

I spoke with Nick a couple of years back at an Olmec cigar event hosted by JJ Fox.

The cigar of the night that we all sampled was The Wise Man Corojo Robusto (5.1/2×50). Medium-bodied, balanced, and really enjoyable. I’d score it 6.75/10—solid, worth revisiting, and great with the whiskies.

George also went deep into tobacco history, tracing it back over 12,000 years. He tied the story of The Wise Man to Menelik I of Ethiopia, linking the cigar to ancient ritual and heritage. It made the whole experience feel like you were part of something much bigger than just a mid-week smoke.

S.T. Dupont

Finally, Jerry Dispinseri from Stone Marketing gave us a run-through of S.T. Dupont—the French luxury brand famous for its cigar lighters and accessories.

I’ve heard Jerry speak before, and he always makes Dupont’s history come alive:

• Founded in 1872 by Simon Tissot-Dupont, originally making luxury travel goods.
• The Maharaja of Patiala commissioned 100 solid gold lighters in the 1940s—birth of the Line 1 lighter.
• By the 1960s, they’d introduced the Line 2 lighter, complete with the famous “cling” when you open it.
• Over the decades, collaborations with Montecristo, Partagás, and even Chanel and Picasso followed.

He also showed off some incredible modern pieces—well above my budget, but stunning to see in person.

Overall thoughts

The evening flew by, and before I knew it, things were being wrapped up and it was time to head home. It was such a pleasant mid-week treat—if you’ve never been to a cigar and whisky tasting, this is definitely the kind of event to check out. This one sold out super quickly, which isn’t surprising considering the bargain price and the fact that most attendees were locals.

The vibe was relaxed and social. Lots of Chiswick locals, plenty of whisky drinkers, those that had only smoked cigars a couple of times (at weddings), and a few seasoned smokers who brought their mates along too. We were seated outside on the street, which at first felt a bit exposed, but it actually worked really well—passers-by didn’t seem to mind the cigar smoke at all. In winter, they’ll apparently move the tastings to the pub’s inside outdoor terrace.

Food was simple but spot on: nachos, chicken, and some plant-based options. Combined with the cigars and whiskies, it made for a really enjoyable evening. It would have been great to have a second cigar, when we first got to the event, as there was a bit of a wait before we cut and lit our cigars , but for £30 all in—cigar, whisky, food, and good company—it’s easily one of the best-value cigar nights I’ve come across in London.

Chiswick has a very different vibe compared to the other City of London Cigars shops, but that’s part of what makes each location special. Holborn is small and practical, perfect for a quick visit or a casual browse. Spitalfields feels more polished and modern, with a lively, younger crowd and a fantastic sampling lounge downstairs. Victoria (I hear) attracts tourists exploring London’s sights, giving it an energetic, cosmopolitan feel.

Chiswick, by contrast, is very much all about the locals, which gave the evening a warm, community-focused atmosphere. It’s amazing how each shop has its own personality and charm, reflecting the part of London it calls home.

For more info:

City of London Cigars, Chiswick
129 Chiswick High Road
London
W4 2ED

02030629771

Email | Website

If you enjoyed this review, take a look at my write-ups of City of London Cigars’ . Holborn and Spitalfields shops.

You can also explore my guides to other Cigar shops, sampling lounges, and terraces in London and beyond.