For Metallica and cigar fans alike, “Life is ours; we’ll live it our way” isn’t just a lyric—it’s a personal mantra. Blackened M81 (which stands for Metallica’s founding in 1981) Blackened by Drew Estate is a collaboration from Drew Estate founder, Jonathan Drew, Metallica frontman, James Hetfield, and BLACKENED® American Whiskey Master Distiller & Blender, Rob Dietrich.
The all-Maduro Blackened M81 is “an exploration into the deepest, darkest and heaviest depths of the mystical Maduro leaf” according to BLACKENED® American Whiskey, which was named after a track off Metallica’s popular …And Justice For All album. James Hetfield co-founded the distillery with Rob Dietrich—a longtime friend of Jonathan Drew.
“This was a project that was purely born from passion …for music, for fellowship, for life, and all the in-between moments within,” said Dietrich in a press release. “James, Jonathan and I worked together to create what we feel like is the perfect cigar. The result is truly a monster of flavor—all-Maduro, designed with definitive depth for darker and bolder palates.” During the blending stage, both Hetfield and Dietrich kept journals critiquing flavor notes until Jonathan Drew landed on a blend that all three embraced.
Blackened M81 by Drew Estate comes wrapped in a Mexican San Andres Maduro wrapper, is bound by a Connecticut River Valley Broadleaf Maduro, and is hand-crafted with long filler Nicaraguan Maduro leaves entwined with Pennsylvania Broadleaf Maduro. We found M81’s flavors to be dark, bold, sweet, and teeming with rich notes of dark chocolate, espresso, leather, earth, and exotic spices.
The Corona size within the Blackened M81 blend earned a well-deserved 95 rating and garnered additional recognition by claiming the #7 spot on the 2023 Cigar of the Year list. So turn up the savings and get your box of Blackened M81 by Drew Estate at Famous Smoke Shop!