In 2016, Drew Estate made an impressive doubleheader of an announcement: first, they’d be the sponsor of a new cigar lounge at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., home of the NHL’s Florida Panthers; second, that they were creating a new lounge-exclusive cigar just for that space, the Liga Privada Único Serie Year of the Rat.

Today, the company announced that the Liga Privada Único Serie Year of the Rat is coming back in celebration of the lunar new year.

Like the original, the cigar is a 5 1/2 x 46 corona with a blend of a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, Brazilian binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Honduras. This updated version gets new packaging, coming dressed in a gold foil sleeve and packed in an blue embossed Liga Privada Unico box.

It is also a bit more expensive than the original, priced at $159.97 for a box of 10 cigars, up from the original’s $140 per box. Distribution will be much wider though, however, as beginning in April, Drew Diplomat Retail Program members will be hosting in-store events where Drew Diplomat members will be able to purchase up to four boxes.

“This one is for all you Dirty Rats out there,” said Jonathan Drew, founder and president of Drew Estate via a press release. “You hunters, hoarders and enjoyers of everything Liga Privada. For the last few years, the only way to snag this stick was during one of my personal DE events. Now, however, I feel is the right time to broaden the distribution of Year of the Rat and make it a bit easier for you Dirtys to get at it,” he added.

The company has not yet announced production numbers for the cigar.

Images courtesy of Drew Estate.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.