CigarsLover Magazine Awards Issue

Best Brand
Dominican Rep.
Ernesto Perez Carrillo, the man, is a living legend in
the cigar industry. Ernesto Perez Carrillo, the brand,
is relatively young. Ernesto joined his father in the
famous El Credito factory in Miami, from whom he
learned most of what he knew about cigars. He took over
the factory once his father passed away in 1980. After some
difficult years and stagnant sales, Ernesto Perez Carrillo
struck gold when he created the La Gloria Cubana brand
(the non-Cuban version). The brand grew from a "local"
Miami cigar to one of the most sought-after cigars in the
United States, and the brand's success skyrocketed in 1992.
In 1999 the Perez-Carrillo family sold El Credito to Swedish
Match/General Cigar. Ernesto worked for them until 2009.
Then, he joined forces with his son Ernesto III and daughter
Lissette and launched the E.P. Carrillo brand together. We
had the pleasure of talking to him and his daughter earlier
this year and get a peak into the brand's heart. The brand
has been red hot for the last couple of years, and this year
is no exception. Last year, they won the Award for Best Dominica
cigar with the La Historia Parents. They carried over
the momentum into 2022 and launched two new lines, the
INCH Nicaragua and the Allegiance. Surprisingly enough,
both lines are not made at Perez-Carrillo's La Alianza factory.
Instead, the INCH Nicaragua is produced in collaboration
with the Plasencia family, and the Allegiance is made at
the Oliva Cigar Co. Both factories are located in Nicaragua.
It is not the only collaboration with the Oliva Cigar Co. as the
La Alianza factory is tasked with producing the new Cuba
Aliados by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo limped edition for Oliva.
Aside from that, they also released a limited edition Lonsdale
size in the Encore line. With all this, the brand remained
constant with its remaining portfolio, and they have done
well throughout the year in numerous of our blind tastings.
In November, the company also announced that they are
expanding their Dominican production, which means we
will see even more of E.P. Carrillo in the future.
#5-2022 CigarsLover Magazine
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