We’ve just added another supplier that has allowed us to bring in three new cigars scoring 95 or better in Cigar Aficionado, including a 98!
Starting with an underachieving (lol) 95 is the Alec and Bradley Gatekeeper robusto. The Alec and Bradley brothers are second generation cigar industrialists. This one is made at the Ernesto Perez-Carillo factory in the Dominican Republic from a blend of fillers with a Nicaraguan binder and an Ecuadorian wrapper.
I’m excited to try this one because Ecuadorian wrappers are typically sweet, and I think this will pair well with the full bodied filler.
From Cigar Aficionado’s notes, “…Gatekeeper finds synergy and balance with its backbone of pepper (both red and black), nougat and caramel that’s spicy in the right places, sweet in the right places and pops with savory snaps of leather.”
Cigar Aficionado Alec and Bradley Gatekeeper Review
Next up, with a score of 96, is the Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro, manufactured by A.J. Fernandez. This torpedo was the cigar of the year in 2019 and has never scored below a 94. As one might guess from the name, the Quattro Nicaragua is a true puro using only Nicaraguan tobaccos for the filler, binder and wrapper.
Cigar Aficionado states, “Every last leaf in this blend is Nicaraguan and every puff is an overture of flavors that’s at times heavy and rich with notes of dark chocolate and wood, and other times, subtle and understated with hints of fine caramel and toasted almonds.“
Cigar Aficionado Aging Room Quattro Nicaragua Maestro Review
Finally, the new King of the Humidor, E.P. Carillo’s Pledge Prequel. As you might’ve guessed, this box pressed robusto is E.P. Carillo’s namesake. Apparently, he’ll manufacture a 95 for the Bradley brothers in the Dominican Republic while retaining the best stock for his own Nicaraguan creations, with this one scoring a whopping 98.
In fact, the only higher ranking cigar is the Cuban Hoyo de Monterrey double corona from 1992!
This cigar just came out in 2020 and is ensconced in a Connecticut grown, Cuban seed Habano wrapper. This is the third cigar rolled in limited editions under the E.P. Carillo banner. His first two also scored near the top of the charts, with the Encore Majestic named Cigar of the Year in 2018.
Cigar Aficionado E.P. Carillo Pledge Prequel Review
It’s taken quite a bit of effort to bring so many world famous cigars to our walk-in humidor in downtown Sandusky, Ohio so come down to Nice Ash and enjoy some of the best cigars the world has to offer.