One of Willy Herrera’s first ever blends at Drew Estate has become the latest in the company’s partnership with the Pappy Van Winkle bourbon brand.

At next week’s IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, Drew Estate will unveil the Pappy Van Winkle Tradition, a blend created by Herrera years ago.

“I was invited to Cigar Aficionado’s A Night to Remember by Jonathan Drew in 2016 and was presented with a non-banded, wooden box of cigars with white bands on it that just read ‘Exclusively for my Friend Julian by Willy Herrera Sincerely Jonathan Drew,'” said Julian Van Winkle, president of Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery, in a press release. “I loved this blend because of its balance, shortly thereafter, my family and I visited La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Nicaragua and I smoked the same blend most of the trip. By the end, I knew this would be the Pappy Van Winkle Tradition.”

As for that blend, it uses an Ecuadorian habano oscuro wrapper, an Indonesian binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

It will be offered in seven sizes, though two are not for sale items.

  • Pappy Van Winkle Tradition Coronita (4 x 46) — $14.60 (Boxes of 10, $146)
  • Pappy Van Winkle Tradition Corona (5 1/2 x 44) — Jonathan Drew/Julian Van Winkle Exclusive
  • Pappy Van Winkle Tradition Belicoso Fino (5 x 50) — $24.60 (Boxes of 10, $24.60)
  • Pappy Van Winkle Tradition Robusto Grande (5 1/2 x 54) — $21.60 (Boxes of 10, $216)
  • Pappy Van Winkle Tradition Toro (6 x 50) — $23.60 (Boxes of 10, $236)
  • Pappy Van Winkle Tradition Lonsdale (6 1/2 x 44) — Drew Diplomat Reward Event-Only
  • Pappy Van Winkle Tradition Churchill (7 x 48) — $23.60 (Boxes of 10, $236)

The Corona size is similar to the Liga Privada Único Serie A, which is only given out by Jonathan Drew.

“I remember it like yesterday. In 2010 when JD and I talked about me joining Drew Estate, we flew down to La Gran Fabrica to test my blending style in two days of non-stop creating,” said Herrera. “I ultimately produced 3 blends, one of which eventually became the Herrera Estelí. When I heard the news that Julian Van Winkle had selected one of my three original blends from my first trip to Nicaragua, I was humbled to say the least.”

The new cigars will begin shipping in October, the same time Van Winkle bourbon and rye hits the market.

Davidoff is the official sponsor of halfwheel's coverage of the 2017 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show.
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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.