Darren Alff (bicyclingtouringpro.com blogger/vlogger) reported premature failures with two sets of Continental Town and Country tires in 2012 and 2014. He says he's not partial to any brand and has toured many miles on ordinary tires that held up just fine, so he considers these failures exceptional and noteworthy.

Despite that, I went ahead and bought a set of Conti Speed Rides (wire bead) about a month ago and have been very satisfied with the performance and wear. No long term results, of course, but I'm satisfied enough that I plan to buy at least one of the folding bead versions as a backup for long self-supported rides. I haven't read anything to indicate problems with batches or lots of other Continental tires.