Rated 95 and Named #7 Cigar of the Year of 2020!

For the sons of Alan Rubin (named Alec and Bradley), the Gatekeeper cigar represents their true arrival in the upper tier of cigar makers. With success like this, you can call your company whatever the hell you want, no matter how confusing it is.

At 95 points and with the honor of being the #7 cigar of 2020, the Alec and Bradley Gatekeeper is a must-smoke. But you have to wonder, how did they do it? Newbies can’t just storm the Cigar Aficionado Top 25 cigars of 2020 list, can they? Did they pop down to a Latin American blending table and put together a luxury smoke just like that?

Well, it got a lot easier when they hooked up with one of the best in the business: Ernesto Perez-Carillo.

Yes, the man behind the 2018 and 2020 Cigars of the Year (the Encore Majestic and Pledge Prequel, respectively) collaborated on the Gatekeeper blend and makes these cigars at his facilities in the Dominican Republic.

The blend the team chose includes not just Dominican long-fillers but Nicaraguan as well. This gives it a spicy peppery note to go along with characteristic Dominican leather. This complexity is then perfectly married to an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper leaf. The end product gives you that little kick that we all love so much, but then kisses it and makes it all better with caramel and nougat sweetness on the finish.

The “boys” chose a hell of a blend to make their entrance with this year, and the band features the severed head of Medusa being held up by the hand of Cellini’s famous statue of Perseus (the mythical Greek warrior who ended her life, according to the myth).

The message is clear: the sons of Rubin are joining the industry, and won’t be frozen out by any legendary gatekeepers.

What goes on behind the scenes in any industry can be as dirty as any TV drama – dirtier even – but we can confidently state that if Alec and Bradley keep making top cigars like this, we’ll all be rolling out the red carpet for them. We won’t have a choice.

All stern gatekeepers are officially put on notice: there’s a new team in town and they’ve got noses for tobacco. Stand aside or perish.

Please browse our selection of Alec and Bradley Gatekeeper cigars at your leisure.

• What are the flavors like? Leather, pepper, caramel, and nougat

• What’s the strength level? Medium

• Who is this cigar for? The Alec and Bradley Gatekeeper cigar is for people who love E.P. Carrillo blends and who also want to taste something from an up-and-coming team in the industry.

• Will I want to smoke it to the nub? It’s a fabulous smoke. You won’t want to waste it.

• What’s a good pairing with it? What a tasty stogie! We’d love to put this together with a nice Highland Park scotch – maybe the 18 years would be appropriate?

• What’s the best time/place to smoke this cigar? When you’re either standing your ground or getting ready to smash on through a way that is closed up.

• Any flaws/downsides? Nothing we’ve heard of.