# drew estate M81Blackened Review by Tato

Collaborations are common in the cigar industry, but three-way collaborations between a cigar company, whiskey distiller and heavy-metal frontman are quite rare. In fact, I only know of one—Blackened Cigars “M81” by Drew Estate. By Tato on April 25 2024 7:27:26 PM

- **Cigar:** drew estate M81Blackened
- **Reviewed by:** Tato
- **Date:** April 25, 2024
- **Rating:** 4 out of 5

## Metallica M81 over the Ocean

Collaborations are common in the cigar industry, but three-way collaborations between a cigar company, whiskey distiller and heavy-metal frontman are quite rare. In fact, I only know of one—Blackened Cigars “M81” by Drew Estate. Two out of the three collaborators are clearly noted in the name: Blackened American Whiskey and cigarmaker Drew Estate in Nicaragua. The third player is James Hetfield, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the metal mega-band Metallica (M81 refers to the year the band was formed). If there is a cigar equivalent to Metallica’s head-banging guitar riffs, this is it. Loaded with strong, dark broadleaf from both Pennsylvania and Connecticut, this amped-up blend rocked our tasting panel as it unleashed an electrically spicy smoke with heavy notes of chocolate and earth. In its subtler moments, there’s an assortment of saffron, nutmeg, cinnamon and bready notes of brioche—kind of like an acoustic guitar solo in the middle of a metal set. Ideally, one should light up this cigar while sipping Blackened Whiskey and listening to Metallica’s iconic *Black Album* but I chose coffee of course, that’s only a suggestion. Fans of strong smokes will revel in Blackened’s power either way. Light it up and enjoy