Casa Carrillo Honors Veterans With Battleborn
Veteran’s Day is still a couple months away but the latest release from Ernesto Perez-Carrillo and his company Casa Carrillo is made in tribute to those who proudly served in our nation’s military. Called Battleborn, the limited-edition cigar is expected to begin shipping to retailers in mid-October.
The project was inspired by Lionel H. McKoy, a two-decade Navy veteran (Petty Officer, Second Class) who served on aircraft carriers the USS Midway, Forrestal and Dwight D. Eisenhower during the Gulf War and Operation Desert Storm. McKoy has worked as Casa Carrillo’s shipping manager since 2017.
“Lionel is part of our family,” says Perez-Carrillo. “He served our country for 20 years, carried responsibilities most of us will never know and then came here to work alongside us. I’ll never forget my first conversation with him about his time in service. At one point, he got emotional and a tear ran down his face. In that moment, I knew I was in the presence of a true hero—and Battleborn was conceived right then.”
Battleborn is made in the Dominican Republic at the company’s Casa Carrillo factory and comes in one thick size, a toro called Warrior measuring 6 inches by 56 ring gauge. Intended to be a full-bodied blend, Battleborn consists of a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, two binder leaves (one Mexican, one Nicaraguan) and Nicaraguan fillers. It has a suggested retail price of $22 each.
Production is limited to 2,500 dark-green, 20-count boxes topped with a camouflage lid. Each set comes with a collectible Battleborn-branded dog tag. A band on the cigar’s foot features the motto of the 5th Special Forces Group, “Forged in strength, built for honor, designed to perform.”
Prior to its official release, Casa Carrillo will be hosting a series of events across the country, with proceeds being donated to organizations benefiting veterans and first responders. The first takes place September 20 at Finck’s Lone Star Cigar Bash in San Antonio, Texas, and will benefit Fisher House Foundation.
“Serving on carriers like the Eisenhower, Midway and Forrestal during Desert Storm and the Gulf War shaped who I am. To see a cigar created in honor of that journey—and to know it will help other veterans—means more than I can put into words,” McKoy says.
