Fine & Rare—The Return
The 2013 iteration of Alec Bradley Cigar Co.'s Fine & Rare, a cigar rolled with 10 different tobaccos, is scheduled to hit store shelves the first week of September. And this version is a carbon-copy of the 2011 original.
Rolled once again at the superb Raices Cubanas factory in Danlí, Honduras, this year's version of Fine & Rare is actually the second issue of the line's debut blend called HJ10-i, released in 2011.
The 2013 Fine & Rare is, like the original, a parejo measuring 6 inches by 52 ring gauge, consisting of a Honduran wrapper from the Trojes region, dual Honduran and Nicaraguan binders and a filler blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran leaf.
While the size and blend of the 2013 is the same as the 2011 version, Sam Phillips, vice president of marketing for Alec Bradley, said this year's Fine & Rare has been aged for 14 months. The 2011 Fine & Rare scored 90 points in a blind tasting in the March 6, 2012 issue of Cigar Insider.
Fine & Rare will once again come packaged in ornately detailed wooden boxes that contain 10 cigars, with each stick resting in its own slot. Only 2,000 boxes are being produced. In year's past, the slots holding the cigars were at a slight angle, but Phillips said the company changed to a flat setup to avoid damage to the smokes.
The cigar labels will again each be individually numbered and signed by Alan Rubin, founder of Alec Bradley, and company vice president Ralph Montero, as well as the project manager, roller and buncher.
Phillips said the suggested retail price for this year's version of Fine & Rare will be $16. He added that 20 boxes of 20 will be made to donate to charity.
