The Henry Clay War Hawk is getting a new size, as Altadis U.S.A. announced that it has begun shipping a new 7 x 56 vitola that it is calling the Henry Clay War Hawk Churchill, despite being significantly thicker than the 47 ring gauge traditionally associated with the Churchill vitola.

The company made the announcement via Cigar Aficionado, which is reporting that the cigar will retail for $9 and be offered in 25-count boxes. Like the other sizes in the line, it will use an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Connecticut broadleaf binder, and Honduran fillers, and is produced at the Flor de Copan factory in Honduras.

The Henry Clay War Hawk line was introduced in 2019, getting its name from one of the nicknames for Henry Clay, a 19th century American politician who served as both the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and Secretary of State. During his time in the U.S. Senate in the early 1800s, Clay earned a reputation for pushing the country to expand, oftentimes through battle, thus earning him the description of being a “war hawk.”

The line debuted in three sizes, a corona, robusto and toro, then added a lonsdale in June 2021 as an exclusive release for STOGIES World Class Cigars in Houston.

  • Henry Clay War Hawk Corona (5 1/2 x 44) — 2019 — Regular Production
  • Henry Clay War Hawk Robusto (5 x 54) — 2019 — Regular Production
  • Henry Clay War Hawk Toro (6 x 50) — 2019 — Regular Production
  • Henry Clay War Hawk Lonsdale (6 3/4 x 42) — 2021 — 180 Boxes of 25 Cigars (4,500 Total Cigars)
  • Henry Clay War Hawk Churchill (7 x 56) — 2022 — Regular Production

In June 2020, the company added the War Hawk Rebellious Limited Edition, a Nicaraguan puro with a habano seed wrapper that was made by Abdel Fernández at his Tabacalera AJ Fernandez Cigars de Nicaragua S.A. factory in Estelí, Nicaragua. Production of that cigar was limited to 1,200 boxes of 20 cigars.

Update (Dec. 13, 2022) — A representative of Altadis U.S.A. confirmed the accuracy of the report by Cigar Aficionado, but declined to provide images or a press release about the new cigar, saying those were expected to be released on Wednesday.

Update (Dec. 14, 2022) — The company sent a press release and images, which have been added to the story. The company also clarified that the Churchill will be a regular production size.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.