The recently-announced Partagás Aliados will go on sale in Italy this week.

It carries a secondary band that designates that it is an exclusive release to stores that are either part of the La Casa del Habano program or the Habanos Specialist program. As for the cigar, the Aliados measures 6 7/12 (167mm) x 45, a new Cuban cigar vitola known as Delirios.

Per Diadema S.p.a., the distributor of Cuban cigars in Italy, the Aliados will be priced at €38 ($41.48) per cigar or €760 ($829.52) per box of 20 cigars.

While the Aliados will go on sale in Italy this week, it is not an Italian exclusive. It will be sold worldwide except in the U.S.

As of last month, there were 157 La Casa del Habano franchises worldwide. The stores are independently-owned but licensed franchises from Habanos S.A. In order to gain an LCDH license, stores must meet certain qualifications including requirements for the type of humidor and lounge features a store has. LCDHs have access to specific LCDH-exclusive products like this and oftentimes get priority for the first shipments of new cigars.

Habanos Specialists is another designation given by Habanos S.A., one not as stringent as the LCDH franchise. These stores—there are 1,264 locations as of this month—are expected to promote the culture and prestige, but they are not required to carry as many Cuban cigars, nor are they required to meet other stipulations like aging rooms and lounges.

Featured image via Diadema S.p.a.

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Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.