PCA Magazine Fall 2019

18 PCA The Magazine | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2019 PREMIUMCIGARS.ORG F YOU’RE A FAN of the Emmy Award-winning PBS show Downton Abbey , you’re probably familiar withHighclere Castle, as it is the filming location of the series and upcoming feature film. But did you also know that the castle has a deep history with cigars, dating back to 1826? The longstanding ritual was to retire to the library after dinner for cigars, whiskey and conversation. It is tradition that Lord Carnarvon, the eighth Earl of Carnarvon, godson to Queen Elizabeth II, and owner of the 5,000-acre Highclere Castle estate inNorthHampshire, intends to continue with the founding of Highclere Castle Cigars. The Highclere Castle Cigar project initially began when Adam von Gootkin, founder of Onyx Spirits Company, befriended Lord and Lady Carnarvon while developing a gin project (releasing later this year and calledHighclere Castle Gin). During one of their many conversations, cigars naturally came up and were smoked; and the idea for blending a cigar bearing the castle’s name took off. These conversations led them to seek out von Gootkin’s good friend, Nicholas Melillo, owner of Foundation Cigar Company, to begin discussing blends. Melillo readily accepted the challenge. “Adam introducedme to Lord Carnarvon, and we hit it off,”Melillo says. “He’s just so down to earth, just an amazing guy.” To develop just the right blend, self-proclaimed history buffMelillo BY BR I AN LEDTKE Highclere Castle Cigars The Blend I