Spain Marks Montecristo’s 85th Anniversary With Aged Cigars – Cigar Aficionado
The Montecristo brand turns 85 this year, and Spain is celebrating with a limited, exclusive release of Cuban Montecristo No. 3 cigars that regional distributor Tabacalera S.L.U. says are at least 10 years old.
Astute observers will notice that the cigars are adorned with the older Montecristo bands that were discontinued in 2013 and updated when Habanos S.A. punched up the design with gold highlights and a glossier finish. A new secondary band denotes the brand’s anniversary.
Like standard Montecristo No. 3 cigars, the smokes measure 5 5/8 inches by 42 ring gauge, but these limited-edition coronas are packed in 15-count boxes, which is unusual for Cuban cigars. Only 2,000 boxes (each of them numbered) have been released, and they retail for 199.50 euros (about $221) per box, which comes out to about $14.75 per cigar.
While the 85 Aniversario No. 3 cigars are exclusive to the Spanish market, Habanos commemorated the brand’s 80th birthday with the global release of the Montecristo 80 Aniversario five years ago.
At the Habanos Festival in February, Habanos officials named Spain as its largest market for handmade cigars in terms of volume. Spain was the first country to get an advanced allotment of the Cohiba Novedosos and has recently received other Spanish market exclusives such as the Montecristo decorative ceramic jars and the Regional Edition La Flor de Canos.