From the thousands of nominations of outstanding cigars, accessories and lounges that were sent to us this year, our readers selected the best via online voting. In September, the winners of the public votes were announced and the Cigar Trophy Awards were thus awarded for the sixteenth time since 1998. Not all of the nomination categories made it through to the voting period. Due to the lack of nominations, this year, no prizes were awarded for the countries of origin Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico and Europe.
In total, 15 categories were voted on. Four awards were not decided by the public but by a jury. These included the Ambassador prize, which went to the Cigar Authority, the Charity & Community award for charitable projects (Plasencia Cigars), as well as the award for Lifetime Achievement, which was given to Manuel Quesada.
Cuba
Partagás
Partagás, one of Cuba’s best-known and most respected cigar brands, received the title of Best Brand Cuba 2016. The 170-year-old brand has been awarded Cigar Trophies multiple times in past years, but in 2016 readers decided that it was not only the best brand in Cuba, but that its Series D. No. 5 was also best Cuban cigar.
Dominican Republic
Davidoff Winston Churchill
Since its re-launching in early 2015, the Davidoff Winston Churchill line has caused a sensation. That year, the blend’s Churchill format, which features an Ecuador wrapper, a Mexican binder and filler tobaccos from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, made it to Cigar Journal’s Top 25. By voting it Dominican Republic’s best brand, our readers have now confirmed these ratings.
Honduras
Alec Bradley Black Market
For years, Alec Bradley’s Black Market has been one of producer Alan Rubin’s most popular cigar lines. The blend of Honduras wrapper, Sumatra binder and filler tobaccos from Panama and Honduras was victorious in 2014, and this year readers chose it again as the best Honduran brand.
Nicaragua
Perdomo Double Aged 12 Year Vintage
Die seit 2014 erhältliche Perdomo Double Aged 12 Year Vintage ist ein in unterschiedlichen Deckblattausführungen erhältlicher Blend, dessen Tabake einem zehnjährigen Aging in Ballen, und einer Nachfermentation in Bourbonfässern unterzogen wurden. Ebenfalls in Cigar Journals Top 25 of 2015 gelistet, wurde die Linie nun zur Best Brand Nicaragua 2016 gewählt.
USA
Tatuaje Reserva
Pete Johnson’s Tatuaje Reserva cigars are part of Selección de Cazador (also known as Brown Label or Miami), with which he achieved his breakthrough into the cigar industry over ten years ago. Blended by Pepín García and rolled in the US, the cigars were awarded a Trophy in 2011 and 2013, and this year won Best Brand USA.
This article was published in the Cigar Journal Winter Edition 2016. Read more
