In 2022, Alec Bradley celebrated the 11th installment of its Fine & Rare series. Over the years, the Fine & Rare has been a near-annual limited edition cigar that also has served as its most premium cigar offering. The idea behind Fine & Rare is that it involves releasing a blend with ten different tobaccos into a size that best represents the blend. Over the years, some of the releases have been new blends, while others were re-releases of previous Fine & Rare cigars but with a different vintage of tobacco. The 2022 release of the Fine & Rare was a special one. The cigar, officially dubbed the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV, captured the #1 Cigar of the Year on Cigar Coop for 2022. The Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV was packaged in a box of ten cigars, but there was a bonus cigar included. This was dubbed the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B and it’s a cigar that is shrouded in mystery. Today we take a closer look at the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B.
The Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B was packaged in a coffin nestled in the middle of the ten-count box of the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV.
The Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B was a true bonus cigar. This was a cigar that was pretty much sold only with the box of Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV cigars. I have not seen any retailers offer it as a single.
For completeness, we list the annual Alec Bradley Fine & Rare releases since 2011:
Alec Bradley Fine & Rare 2011 (HJ10-I Blend)
Alec Bradley Fine & Rare 2012 (BR1213 Blend)
Alec Bradley Fine & Rare 2013 (Second Issue – HJ10-I Blend)
Alec Bradley Fine & Rare 2014 (TA-25A Blend)
Alec Bradley Fine & Rare 2015 (JRS 10=(86) Blend)
Alec Bradley Fine & Rare 2016 (Third Issue – HJ10-I Blend)
Alec Bradley Fine & Rare 2017 (Second Issue – BR1213 Blend)
Alec Bradley Fine & Rare 2018 (Second Issue – JRS 10=(86) Blend)
Alec Bradley Fine & Rare 2019 (HOF / 506 Blend)
Alec Bradley Fine & Rare 10th Anniversary Set
Alec Bradley Fine & Rare 2021 (BC-(13)4EV and BC-(13)4EV-B)
Without further ado, let’s break down the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare 2021 BC-(13)4EV-B and see what this cigar brings to the table.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
Other than being made at the Raices Cubanas in Honduras, Alec Bradley has not disclosed the blend of the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B. The blend follows the mantra of the Fine & Rare line and incorporates ten different tobaccos (it actually says so on the band). Typically the Fine & Rare utilizes both Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos, but again this is undisclosed.
Wrapper: Not Disclosed
Binder: Not Disclosed
Filler: Not Disclosed
Country of Origin: Honduras
Factory: Fábrica de Tabacos Raíces Cubanas S. de R.L.
Vitolas Offered
The Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B is a figurado. It somewhat resembles a Belicoso and the samples I smoked both had a slightly flat head at the tip making them look like a Cuban 109-styled cap. Specific measurements were not disclosed, but this vitola was approximately 6 x 52.
Appearance
The wrapper to the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B had a wooden look to it. There were some oils on the surface. It wasn’t the smoothest wrapper as there were some visible veins and visible wrapper seams. There is a short amount of tapering near the head of the cigar and it converges to a flat tip in the spirit of the Cuban 109 cap.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw
A straight cut was used to commence the experience of the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B. Since there was a small tapering length on this cigar, I only went about 1/3 of the way down from the tip. The goal was to continue to maintain tapering throughout the smoking experience. The pre-light draw was pretty straightforward as it delivered notes of wood and sweet berry. Overall this was a satisfactory pre-light draw experience. At this point, it was time to toast up the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B and see what this cigar would bring to the table.
Tasting Notes
The Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B opened up with more notes of wood and berry. There also were notes of natural tobacco present. The natural tobacco notes moved into the forefront an became the primary note. The wood notes settled into the background. As for the berry notes, these floated in and out of the forefront. Toward the later part of the first third, some white pepper notes emerged on the tongue Meanwhile the retro-hale delivered extra layers of white pepper and berry.
During the second third of the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B, the natural tobacco notes remained grounded as primary notes. The berry notes continued to float in and out of the forefront. As the cigar reached the latter stages of the second third the berry notes settled in the background with the wood and pepper notes. Meanwhile, throughout the second third, the white pepper notes slowly ramped up.
There wasn’t much change during the final third. The natural tobacco notes remained at the forefront. By this point, the white pepper notes were the most prominent of the secondary notes. The white pepper notes didn’t ramp up much more in the final third of the smoking experience. The wood and berry notes rounded things off. This is the way the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool in temperature.
Burn
The Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B performed excellently when it came to the burn. The burn required minimal touch-ups to maintain a straight burn line and straight burn path. The resulting ash was firm with a silver-gray color. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature maintained ideal levels.
Draw
The draw was outstanding as well. It had a touch of resistance. If you have read many of my cigar assessments, you know this is something I like. The tip of the torpedo was well constructed. It never got too soft, nor too tight. Overall this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.
Strength and Body
The strength and body of the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B remained in the medium range of the spectrum throughout the smoking experience. There was a slight increase in the body, but overall it still stayed at a level I would deem medium. The body had a very slight edge over the strength throughout the smoking experience.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES
There are a lot of positives to how the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B was included in the whole Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV package. I like how the coffin that contains the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B was nestled in the middle of the packaging. I like the way the coffin pulls open instead of sliding open.
The band of the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B is the same wine label-styled/postage stamp look found on the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV. The difference is the cigar name is “BC-(13)4EV-B” which is on the band.
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
Most of the time, I am not a fan of cigar series that contain the “bonus” cigar. Usually, I find the bonus cigar doesn’t stand up to the main cigars included in the package. When it comes to the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B, I didn’t find it was at the level of the main Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV – which was cigar of the year material. What I can say is the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B was a very good cigar when it came to flavor. The cigar delivered great flavor, great balance, and had excellent construction. It fell a little short in the complexity area (which surprised me for a line known for utilizing ten tobaccos).
Coming in at 91 points, the Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV-B exceeds the threshold for Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence. This is a very hard cigar to track down, and if there are any left, you probably have to make a box purchase. However, this is a cigar I would smoke again. I sincerely hope this blend makes it to a future Alec Bradley Fine & Rare release.
Summary
Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Berry, Wood, White Pepper
Burn: Excellent
Draw: Excellent
Complexity: Medium Minus
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Finish: Very Good
Rating
Value: n/a
Score: 91
Cigar Coop Standard of Excellence
References
News Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)EV Set to Release in April
Price: n/a (Available in Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV priced at $230.64)
Source: Purchased
Brand Reference: Alec Bradley
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
Originally posted on March 28, 2023 @ 10:18 am