Drew Estate Unveils Pappy Van Winkle Cigar

After more than two years of hinting about the a collaboration, Drew Estate has finally announced its partnership with Pappy & Company, the merchandise division of the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery, makers of the incredibly popular Pappy Van Winkle bourbon.

The Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve is a traditional long-filler cigar that uses an Ecuadorian habano wrapper and Nicaraguan fillers, described as medium-plus. It is offered in two sizes: Robusto (5 1/4 x 52, $13) and Toro (6 x 54, $15). Both cigars will be offered for pre-order today on the Pappy & Company website, they are sold in packs of 10.

While Drew Estate has flirted with the idea of using spent bourbon barrels to age either cigars or tobacco, a spokesperson for the company told halfwheel no part of the cigar or tobacco was aged in the barrels. Instead, the Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve cigar, made at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate in Estelí, Nicaragua, is designed to be paired with the company’s spirit brands: Old Rip Van Winkle and Pappy Van Winkle.

“We’re extremely happy to be working with Drew Estate on this project, as both of our companies are known for their high quality, handmade products,” said Carrie Van Winkle, great granddaughter of Pappy Van Winkle, in a press release. “When we approached Drew Estate with the idea of working together on a premium cigar, we knew we’d made the right choice. The finished cigar is the perfect pairing for our family’s whiskeys, and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.”

The company’s bourbon is made at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Ky. Due to demand and the limited nature of the bourbon, it is only released once per year with states reporting 2014 bottles as of late October.

“Drew Estate is known for passion and innovation, and making premium cigars is our ‘raison d’être’ [reason to be],” said Jonathan Drew, co-founder of Drew Estate. “The ‘Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve’ premium cigar is truly a showcase of our passion for cigar-making.”

This is the first new project Drew Estate has unveiled since it was announced the company would be acquired by Swisher International. 

Update: Cigars are up for pre-order on the Pappy & Company website with a note that they might take up to 60 days to ship.

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.