RICH, DARK AND UNEXPECTED

Richmond, VA- Cigar Master Daniel Núñez is proud to introduce Macanudo® 1968, a limited edition collection made solely of proprietary tobaccos and created in celebration of the iconic brand's 40 year legacy.

This four-cigar collection of Macanudo is named to commemorate 1968, the year that General Cigar purchased the Temple Hall factory in Jamaica. It was in that same year that Cigar Master Ramon Cifuentes began developing Macanudo, which was ultimately released in the U.S. in 1971.  Since then, Macanudo has been noted for its quality and consistency, the hallmarks that have earned the brand its lofty position as America's best selling premium cigar.

According to Cigar Master Daniel Núñez, "It is with great pleasure that I present Macanudo 1968.   We developed the seeds used in each of the cigar's components and selected specific growing regions to enrich the blend and its aroma. So unique are the tobaccos used in Macanudo 1968, it tastes like no other cigar I have ever smoked."

Cooper Gardiner, General Cigar's vice president of marketing remarks, "We conceived Macanudo 1968 to pay homage to the previously-released expressions of the brand while offering an entirely new, rich smoking experience. This new line is particularly special because it also celebrates Daniel Núñez' storied career in the premium cigar business. We believe that Daniel has exceeded all expectations, having created a new cigar that is destined to enjoy the success of previously-released incarnations of Macanudo."

Macanudo 1968 is made completely of tobaccos which are either grown by General Cigar or cultivated for the company under an agreement of exclusivity.  Harvested one sun-ripened leaf at a time, aged in tercios and charcoaled wooden barrels to further enrich its flavor, the blend marries proprietary Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco to a tobacco cultivated solely for General Cigar in the remote Nicaraguan island of Ometepe. These tobaccos were developed expressly to complement the hearty Connecticut Habano binder and flawless, lustrous Honduran San Agustin wrapper. 

Macanudo 1968 is aesthetically pleasing, with the brand's characteristic round head and immaculate construction evident at the first glance. From the first draw to the last, deeply complex yet balanced flavor envelops the palate with a freshness that celebrates inherent natural sweetness from the soils that bore each tobacco.

Each of the brand's frontmarks will be housed in 20-count boxes. Macanudo 1968 Churchill (7" x 49) will be available for $10.00 per cigar or $200 per box, as Macanudo 1968 Toro (6" x 54) will carry an SRP of $9.50 per cigar, or $190.00 per box.  At 5" x 50, the aptly-named Robusto frontmark (5" x 50) will retail for $8.50 per cigar and $170.00 per box.  Rounding out the collection is Macanudo 1968 Gigante (6" x 60) which will cost $11.00 apiece, with a box price of $220.

Macanudo 1968 will be unveiled exclusively at tobacconists in mid-August. General Cigar will support the brand with the brand's largest-ever integrated marketing campaign including advertising executions to promote the brand in magazines such as Esquire, Men's Journal, Playboy, Golf Digest and Yachting, among others.