Alec & Bradley Gatekeeper Toro Cigar Review and Pairing

Gatekeeper describes a cigar that is special and exclusive. Gatekeeper is the second line from Alec & Bradley Rubin following their first release, Blind Faith. E.P. Carrillo’s Tabacalera La Alianza in Santiago, Dominican Republic rolls the Gatekeeper cigar. The blend uses an Ecuadorian Habano Wrapper, Nicaraguan Binder, and fillers from Nicaragua and Domican Republic. Gothic Era artwork like the Medusa head on the cigar band inspired the branding for the cigar line.

A new crop of second generation cigar makers, Alec and Bradley Rubin, the sons of Alan Rubin of Alec Bradley Cigar Co. worked with cigar expert Ernesto Perez-Carrillo to create their first cigar. Cigar Aficionado scored the cigar a 95 rating.

Vitola: Toro

Length: 6″

Ring Gauge: 52

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Wrapper: Ecuador Habano

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic

Factory: Tabacalera La Alianza S.A.

Blender: Alec Rubin, Bradley Rubin, E.P. Carrillo

Strength: Medium

Body/Complexity: Medium

Big News in the Cigar World

A month agao the Scandinavian Tobacco Group A/S (STG) announced that the company completed the $72.5 million acquisition of Alec Bradley Cigar Distributors. The deal includes all Alec Bradley’s cigar brands. Other cigar companies produce all the Alec Bradley cigars. The brands include Alec & Bradley Kintsugi, Alec Bradley Double Broadleaf and Alec Bradley Prensado. The Alec bradley Prensado was Cigar Aficionado’s Cigar of the Year for 2011.

STG said the deal is effective immediately.

This transaction moved fast. Alan Rubin started Alec Bradley cigars in 1996. The company shows sales of $25 million, according to STG, and produces 10 million cigars a year.

Founder Alan Rubin will work with STG as an advisor on the Alec Bradley brand.

Corporate giant STG is one of the world’s largest cigar companies. They show revenues of around $1 billion and a host of cigar brands that include Macanudo and CAO. Also the non-Cuban versions of Hoyo de Monterrey, Punch, Cohiba, La Gloria Cubana and many more. STG also owns Cigars International, the leading Internet retailer of cigars.

Now back to the Gatekeeper Toro cigar review.

Unwrapping the Alec & Bradley Gatekeeper Toro cigar

The Alec & Bradley Gatekeeper Toro slides out of its cellophane sleeve with an oily wrapper, and a bit of sheen on the leaf. A firm cigar but with enough spunge and moisture. The foot of the cigar has pre-cooked meaty aromas.

The cold draw is smooth and easy, one a bit firm with some resistance. The flavour is complex with nutty and toasty tastes. There is a prominent creamy cocoa taste which reminds me of chocolate mousse. The cold draw offers flavours of white pepper, milk chocolate, malt, espresso, and aged tobacco.

Gatekeeper Toro cigar Aromas

Aromas are mild and earthy. There are notes of milk chocolate, white pepper, espresso and moist earthy tobacco notes.

The cigar offer scents of:

Spice

Earthy Mushroom scents

Cured meaty tobacco notes

Honey walnusts and perserved figs

Gatekeeper Toro cigar

The cigar has a copper brown dark coffee wrapper. In sunlight and strong light the wrapper glows with an oily orange sheen.The wrapper skin is super smooth with hidden seams and many veins.

Gatekeeper Toro cigar first puff

Let see what the Gatekeeper offers.

The draw is firm with good resistence. A cigar with super flavours to start. A hint of sweetness, a good dose of white pepper and lot's of earthy and savoury notes.

Strength is an immediate medium.

The burn is good.

It's a super Toro sized cigar to open a juicy red wine with and light a fire to cook or as a mood fire to add to the cigars spice and meaty notes.

Gatekeeper Toro cigar halfway puffs

The flavours are bold with a hint of tongue tingle from the spice and pepper. On the first few puffs the cigar offers full flavours with a big profile although the cigar strength is medium to mild.

Spicy pepper notes tend to calm down as the burn line evens out, and the cigar slow burns through the blend of toasty flavours.

Gatekeeper Toro cigar evolution

Evolving flavours develop on the Alec & Bradley Gatekeeper Toro with rounded intensity. It’s a slow progression of flavours offering a good amount of subtle spice, meauty, earthy mushroom tastes and a hint of cocoa sweetness.

Halfway the cigar continues with mild flavours but the creamy cocoa tastes become more prominent.

The cigar performance remains good, with great smoke production, and an even burn line and smooth draw.

There are still notes of cured tobacco but it’s not quite as oily and rich as the start. The puffs offer an earth and spice profile.

Wine and Cigar Pairing

I paired this wine before. It is a great wine to open with a cigar due to the underlying sweetness and full jammy body of the red wine.

Lets look at the Silk & Spice wine.

Silk & Spice Wine Pairing with the Alec Bradley Gatekeeper Toro cigar

Silk & spice wine Aroma

Juicy

Sweetness

Dark fruit jam

Herby and Spicy

Silk & spice wine Tastes

Sweetness

Dry spice

Light herbs with black berry tastes

Silk & Spice Tasting notes

Intense, deep ruby color, with a bright red rim. The predominant flavours are ripe, cooked black fruits. Sweet notes of vanilla and hints of mocha. The first impression in the mouth is rich and full. The wine has excellent balance of tannins and acidity, with a long, smooth finish.

This wine's fresh and fruity profile suggests immediate drinking, though it does have an estimate of positive aging of at least 5 years.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Portugal

Silk & Spice pays homage to the sense of adventure, knowledge and courage of the Portuguese sailors. They explored the world in the 15th century and opened the silk and spice trade routes between Europe and Asia.

WINEMAKER: Diogo Sepulveda

VARIETIES: 35% Touriga Nacional, 35% Alicante Bouschet, 15% Baga, 10% Syrah, 5% Tinta Roriz

The balanced profile of this wine and the easy taste make it suitable to drink outside at mealtime. It is also a great combination to enjoy with grilled meat and cheeseburgers.

Álcohol: 13,5%

Gatekeeper Toro cigar progression Towards the Final

The flavours become a mix of meaty, earthy and light cocoa sweetness. It does develop into a bit of charred flavours. The best way to mellow the flavours is to puff slower instead of smoking too warm.

The core flavours are light pepper spice, meauty, earthy and a nutty toasty burn.

This is a great cigar to pair with a juicy jammy red wine. The red wine sweetness enhances the cigars creamy notes and tones down the linger cigar spice.

A combination of cocoa and jammy sweetnes evolves through the puffs of smokey flavours and sips of red wine.

Cigar and wine pairing:

Cocoa

Berry jam

Fruit spice

Dried fruits tastes

Think and taste chocolate flakes and melted butter on a fresh croissant. I guess that would be a Pain au Chocolate paiirng. Add the espresso flavours from the cigar and the delicious dark fruit dry sweetness from the wine, and you have a pairing hard to resist.

The experience of lighting up an Alec Bradley Gatekeeper Toro cigar while opening and enjoying a Big jammy juicy Silk & Spice Portuguese red wine is one of pure pleasure and indulgence. Savour the moment and enjoy the pleasant earthy, nutty and woody aromas from the Gatekeeper Toro. The complexity of the cigar's flavour profile heightens with each sip of the Big jammy juicy Silk & Spice Portuguese red wine, which adds notes of dark berries, plums, and spice.

As you continue to puff and sip, the flavours of both the cigar and the wine intertwine and compliment each other, creating a Silky smooth and spicy taste experience.

To light the Alec Bradly Gatekeeper Toro cigar,

Click this link below to order now.

Alec Bradly Gatekeeper Toro Cigar