If you are a hockey fan such as myself you remember the story of Scott Mellanby seeing a rat in the dressing room of the Florida Panthers and using his stick to take a slap shot with the rat. In retrospect, this is a match made in heaven. The incident led to panthers fans throwing toy rats (for the most part) on to the ice when the Panthers scored a goal.
The following is the official press release from Drew Estate
Drew Estate Announces the Drew Estate Lounge at BB&T Center and the “Year of the Rat” Commemorative Cigar
Miami, FL – Drew Estate announced today that a Drew Estate Lounge will open at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., home of the National Hockey League’s Florida Panthers. This new Drew Estate Lounge is a major milestone in the company’s Lounge Program, officially placing Drew Estate in a professional sports arena for the first time.
“This new lounge brings the Rebirth of Cigars to a broad new audience of hockey fans at the BB&T Center. On a personal level, I am a huge fan of the Florida Panthers. I became a season ticket holder this year and have been so impressed with the ownership, their management of the team and the family environment that is reminiscent of the Drew Estate’s culture, so this is especially exciting for me,” Drew Estate President Michael Cellucci said. “We’re excited to join forces with the BB&T Center for this new chapter in Drew Estate’s Lounge program.”
“Drew Estate was our first choice when partnering with a cigar company. What we expected was a cool brand with creative execution; what we didn’t expect was a friendship with a group of people we so admire and with whom we absolutely love spending time,” Florida Panthers Executive Vice President Charlie Turano said. “The Drew Estate Lounge at the BB&T Center is a special place.”
Drew Estate also announced a new cigar called the “Year of the Rat”. The new cigar will be joining the ultra-premium Liga Privada Unico Serie line and is a commemorative cigar celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Florida Panthers 1996 Stanley Cup team. This cigar will launch April 1st and will only be available for sale at this Drew Estate Lounge.
The new “Year of the Rat” cigars presented in a 5-1/2 x 46 vitola featuring the iconic fan tail featured on many Unico Serie cigars. The cigar will feature a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with a Brazilian binder and Nicaraguan and Honduran fillers. The cigar will be packaged in 10-count boxes and will have an MSRP of $14.00.
“Our Liga Privada Unico Serie line of cigars is reserved for our most exclusive, limited cigars. We wanted to create something extra special to commemorate our new partnership with the Florida Panthers and we believe the new ‘Year of the Rat’ expresses our sense of friendship with the team at the BB&T Center,” Drew Estate President Michael Cellucci said.
About Drew Estate
Founded in New York City in 1996, Drew Estate has become one of the fastest growing tobacco companies in the world. Under their mantra “The Rebirth of Cigars”TM, Drew Estate has led the “Boutique Cigar” movement by innovating new elements to the tobacco industry with their unique tobaccos and blending styles that have attracted new and traditional cigar enthusiasts. In their Gran Fabrica Drew Estate, the Nicaraguan headquarters, Drew Estate produces a variety of brands such as ACID, Herrera Estelí, Herrera Estelí Norteño, Kentucky Fired Cured, Liga Privada, MUWAT, Natural by Drew Estate, Nica Rustica, Nirvana, Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Fermented Cigars, Tabak Especial, Undercrown, and Java by Drew Estate.
About BB&T Center
Home to the Florida Panthers Hockey Club and leading international concerts and events, the Broward County-owned BB&T Center is one of the top ranked venues of its kind in the world, servicing Broward, Collier, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach Counties.
