Alec Bradley released the Alec Bradley Black Market Filthy Hooligan last year just before St. Patrick’s for the 5th year in a row. The cigar was originally released in an all candela wrapper, but changed to a barber pole wrapper last year. Barber pole cigars are always eye catching so when cigar companies use them, they are usually quite good sellers. The Alec Bradley Black Market Filthy Hooligan is a limited release cigar with only 2000 boxes of 22 cigars made which is released yearly a month before St. Patrick’s Day.
- Wrapper: Honduran candela and Nicaragua Jalapa
- Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra
- Filler: Panamanian and Honduran
- Vitola: Toro
- Size: 6 x 50
- MSRP: $8.75
- Factory: Plasencia Tabacos de Oriente S.A.
Cigars purchased at The Cigar Shop in Biloxi, MS.
Pre-Light
The Alec Bradley Black Market Filthy Hooligan, while cool looking with the barber pole wrapper, is pretty rough looking. The cap looks pretty gnarly as well, but you cut that off so it doesn’t matter. It is well applied though. The draw is a little tighter than I would like, but not too bad. The notes on the cold draw is wood and hay.
First Half
The Alec Bradley Black Market Filthy Hooligan starts off somewhat sour for the first inch. After that, I can get more notes of cedar, caramel and bread with a slight spice note. The flavor profile is a little simplistic, but still tasty. None of the notes dominate the other, but the caramel flavor does give it an almost dessert type flavor. The draw, while a little tight in the beginning, turned out to be fine during the first half. The cigar is burned well and is medium flavored with a mild to medium body.
Second Half
Not much has changed with the Alec Bradley Black Market Filthy Hooligan. I’m getting the same flavors as the first half with a little more spice on the retrohale. The burn is still quite good, but the sourness reappears in the last of the second half, but at that point, the cigar is finished anyway. The draw was great for last half with a medium body and flavor.
Conclusion
The Alec Bradley Black Market Filthy Hooligan is a gimmick cigar, but being of Irish ancestry, I don’t really mind that for this one. All joking aside, the Alec Bradley Black Market Filthy Hooligan had some nice flavors and smoked quite well. It not a complex cigar so don’t expect too much, but it’s a nice cigar to smoke while enjoying some green beer out at a St. Patrick’s Day festival. I don’t think its box worthy, but having a few on had for St. Patrick’s Day isn’t a bad idea.
