One year after the launch of Blind Faith—the first cigar from Alec and Bradley Rubin—the duo are now ready to unveil the cigar’s followup at the annual IPCPR trade show, which is held later this month.
The cigar is titled ‘Gatekeeper,’ marking a significant move for the newly formed Alec & Bradley brand by transitioning production to the famed Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. factory in the Dominican Republic. The factory is well known for being run by industry veteran Ernesto Perez-Carrillo (aka the godfather of boutique cigars), creator of legendary brands such as La Gloria Cubana, EPC Cigars, and Cigar Aficionado’s 2018 Cigar of the Year winner, Perez-Carrillo Encore.
Where Alec & Bradley’s first offering was made at Raíces Cubanas, the factory most commonly associated with parent company Alec Bradley Cigars, the brand’s 2019 followup boasts a much different blend and overall profile. This begins with an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper, complimented by a Nicaraguan binder and fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
Differing from the small batch/limited nature of the Blind Faith project, Gatekeeper is said to be the brand’s first regular-production offering. The cigars will make their first appearance in the Alec Bradley booth at IPCPR 2019, with global shipping dates being announced at that time. The cigars are rolled in four formats, with prices ranging from $8.75 to $12.25 MSRP per cigar.
Gatekeeper Breakdown
- Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
- Binder: Nicaragua
- Filler: Nicaragua | Dominican Republic
- Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. (Dominican Republic)
- Production: Regular Production
- Packaging: 20-ct boxes
- Vitolas: 4
- Price: $8.75–$12.25 (MSRP)
- Release: TBA
- Corona: 5⅛” x 42 | $8.75
- Robusto: 5″ x 50 | $10.50
- Toro: 6″ x 52 | $11.50
- Gordo: 6″ x 60 | $12.25
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