Liga Privada

Liga Privada represents Drew Estate's ultra-premium cigar line, showcasing the pinnacle of traditional cigar craftsmanship and complexity. Within each Liga Privada blend, you'll find hand-selected tobaccos of limited availability, slowly aged through an 18 – 36 month fermentation process that brings out the maximum amount of flavor and depth in every cigar. Explore Liga Privada—handcrafted mastery rooted in the Connecticut River Valley. Deep, complex, and unforgettable cigars for the true connoisseur. Liga Privada translates to "private blend," and this name is so befitting to the brand since it was originally crafted for private humidors and not for sale. On the upper portion of the band, a typed font reads "Hecho Exclusivamente Para El Jefe," which translates to "Made Exclusively For The Boss." What was once reserved for the private consumption of the former president of Drew Estate is now a cigar for the people.

Background

"Liga Privada" means "private blend," and this blend was created for the personal use of Drew Estate's former president. After sampling over fifty prototypes, they chose No. Liga Privada No. 9 gained its name from the nine original blends we created to highlight the majestic Broadleaf of the Connecticut River Valley. Each blend better than the last, the ninth and final emerged as our definitive favorite through its unrivaled complexity and rewarding layers of flavor. This decision proved integral in establishing the company as a leader in the realm of ultra-premium traditional smoking experiences; namely, through the debut of the Liga Privada brand in 2008. The Liga brand has since proved to be not only among Drew Estate's most popular, but one of the most highly regarded maduro blends in America. With just 250 cigars produced daily at La Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, each cigar is aged for an additional year before it graces the shelves of fine retailers.

History

In 2004 Drew Estate moved its headquarters from New York to Miami, followed by the hiring of industry guru Steve Saka as president in the summer of 2005. This decision proved integral in establishing the company as a leader in the realm of ultra-premium traditional smoking experiences; namely, through the debut of the Liga Privada brand in 2008. Drew sees Liga Privada No. 9, which he estimates sells about 500,000 each year, as the company's "OpusX." In 2013 and 2014, Liga Privada topped Cigar Insider's retailer survey when it was named Hottest Brand in the United States. Additionally, the cigar continues to score well within the pages of Cigar Aficionado, earning a spot in the magazine's Top 25 Cigars of the Year list in 2014 and 2015. Definitely a hard-to-find vitola, this Pig took an important role in changing industry perception of Drew Estate in its most critical years. Dense, powerful, and memorable, Flying Pig was akin to our certificate of authenticity as a world-class, ultra-premium cigar manufacturer.

Reputation

Liga Privada No. 9 was honored with Top 25 honors for 2015 (#10 overall) and received a well-deserved 94-rating noting: "complex range of strong earthy flavors, a sweet quality redolent of perique tobacco and a sweet tarry finish." I am now thoroughly convinced that the Liga Privada No. 9 is one of the top Maduro sticks available today. Never does its characteristic Maduro sweetness steal any part of the show from the spiciness one expects from a Cuban seed cigar. The Drew Estate Liga Privada No. 9 Cigar lives up to its reputation as the top cigar from the brand. Cigar Aficionado awarded Liga Privada No 9 cigars multiple 90+ point ratings. Even more importantly, Liga's success demonstrated to the cigar industry that Drew Estate could compete in the traditional market.