Macanudos Made With Barrel-Aged Binders
General Cigar Co. and Flint Knoll winery have once again teamed up to produce the Macanudo Estate Reserve Flint Knoll No. 2. This limited-edition blend, the second collaboration between the two companies, is made with a binder leaf aged in wine barrels aimed at creating synergy between the cigar and Flint Knoll’s California Cabernet.
The new Macanudo consists of a Connecticut-seed wrapper from Ecuador and a filler combination of Brazilian Mata Fina, Nicaraguan tobacco from Jalapa and two Dominican varietals—Piloto Cubano and Olor. Holding it together is a barrel-aged Connecticut broadleaf binder. The oak casks used to age the binder previously housed Flint Knoll’s 2019 Royal Appointment, a wine that brand owner Aaron Michaelis calls a “valley floor” Cabernet on account of the relatively low-elevation districts where the grapes are grown, namely Calistoga and Stag’s Leap.
Although the blend of this second release is the same as the first, the differences come with the barrels. Last year, the binder was aged in barrels that held Flint Knoll’s 2018 Royal Appointment. This time, it’s a different vintage.
“By aging the binder leaf in our French oak barrels, the complexity and spice of our 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon comes to life in a distinctive new smoking experience that’s spicier than the original release,” Michaelis explains.
The Macanudo Estate Reserve Flint Knoll No. 2 comes in two sizes, a Toro, measuring 6 inches by 54 ring gauge, and a 7-by-52 Churchill. They have suggested retail prices of $19.99 and $21.99, respectively, and come in 10-count boxes. Both the boxes and the bands are designed with the same scrolling, ornate filigree found on Flint Knoll’s wine labels.
“It was a time- and labor-intensive process,” says Justin Andrews, new business development manager for General’s parent company Scandinavian Tobacco Group, “one that had us test binder varietals and aging durations.”
The new cigars are scheduled to start shipping next week on October 2.
