Viceroy (cigarette)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Viceroy cigarettes are made by Brown & Williamson, which was owned by British American Tobacco, and, since 2004, by Reynolds American Inc., a joint venture between the U.S. branch of British American Tobacco and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.
Viceroy originated in the U.S. in 1936 as the world's first cork-tipped filter cigarette. In 1952 it was the first brand to add a cellulose acetate filter which established a new industry standard. In 1953, Viceroy Filter Kings were introduced. In 1990, Viceroy Box Kings and Lights Box Kings were introduced on the U.S. market, followed by Viceroy Ultra Lights Kings and Ultra Lights 100's in 1992 and New Viceroy 100's box styles, and Viceroy Menthol in 2000. All Viceroy styles changed to a more contemporary packaging on packs and cartons without changes to the product blend.
After the Brown & Williamson merger, the brand has been played down, continuing to be sold on the markets where demand is strong, like Romania, the Middle East, Turkey, and Argentina.
[edit] Trivia
When Viceroy sponsored USAC auto racing in the 1970's, their performance on a circuit sponsored by rival Marlboro led to NASCAR and Winston imposing a ban on rival tobacco companies.
The Andretti family helmets are based on a Viceroy design used by Mario Andretti when he drove a Viceroy-sponsored Parnelli in the USAC series.
