My Favorite Cigar
Facundo L. Bacardi • Chairman, Bacardi Limited • Montecristo No. 2 (pre-Castro)
When you think of Bacardi rum, you think of Puerto Rico as that’s where the bulk of the company’s flagship brand has been made since the 1960s. But Bacardi had an even longer history as a Cuban distiller before its holdings were nationalized following the 1959 communist revolution. So it’s no surprise that Facundo L. Bacardi’s favorite cigar is a pre-Castro Montecristo No. 2 from the 1950s.
The current chairman is the namesake of Don Facundo Bacardi Massó, his great-great grandfather, who founded the world’s largest family-owned spirits company in Santiago de Cuba in 1862. The aim was to “tame” what was then considered a very raw liquor. The younger Facundo, who took the reins in 2005, has not forgotten the family’s Cuban roots even while the company has grown exponentially and spread across the globe. He took a hands-on role in the introduction of the four-part, ultra- Facundo Rum Collection for the company’s 150th anniversary. The intention was to share rums that the family has been enjoying for years and the packaging was heavily influenced by the family’s Cuban heritage. The chairman’s words echoed the sentiments of his ancestor: “We have the rums that can compete with Cognac and Scotch.”
