Winston cigarettes are manufactured for or by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company or its newer incarnation as RJR Nabisco and/or its affiliates.
The brand was introduced in 1954, and became the best-selling brand of cigarettes in the United States. It held the Number 1 spot from 1966 to 1972, thanks to the successful marketing slogan "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should." In the last national survey in 2005, Winston ranked sixth in market value, tied with Kool. Winston is also known for its more recent claim of being "additive free" although a secondary warning label on their advertisements states that "no additives in our tobacco does NOT mean a safer cigarette" which comes out of an FTC settlement involving both Winston and Santa Fe Natural Tobacco.
During the 1980s, Winston cigarettes became the most popular brand in Puerto Rico, probably because of their marketing "Winston y Puerto Rico: No hay nada mejor" ("Winston and Puerto Rico: There is nothing better"), as well as their cultural association with the "salsa sensual" or "salsa erotica" movement.
From 1972-2003, Winston served as the title sponsor of the premier-level of NASCAR, the Winston Cup Series (now known as the Sprint Cup Series).
Since changing to the new pack style in late 2008 Winston has removed "additive free" from the text on the pack.
