Today, we review the Montecristo Bardstown. The Montecristo brand is part of the Tabacalera USA portfolio and is primarily sold by Altadis U.S.A. The Montecristo Bardstown is distributed by Santa Clara Cigars, which is also part of Tabacalera USA. Santa Clara serves as the distribution arm for JR Cigars and Casa de Montecristo. While the Montecristo Bardstown is available at these two retail stores, Santa Clara ensures its nationwide distribution.
Montecristo Bardstown is a limited-edition project that debuted in 2025. It’s part of Santa Clara’s Distillers Select Series, which features collaborations with distilleries. There tend to be two types of projects where cigar and spirit companies come together. The first involves blending a cigar and pairing it with a particular spirit. The second way goes further, with some of the tobacco aged in barrels used for spirits. From the information we have been given, the Montecristo Bardstown uses the first type of project. In this case, it was blended to pair with Bardstown Bourbon’s Origin Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
Without further ado, let’s break down the Montecristo Bardstown and see what this cigar brings to the table.
SPECIFICATIONS
Blend and Origin
The Montecristo Bardstown is a Nicaraguan puro. These tobacco varieties are entirely grown in Nicaragua. The varietals and regions have not been disclosed. The cigar is produced in Nicaragua by the Plasencia family. While much of the Montecristo line has been produced in the Dominican Republic, over the past decade, Tabacalera USA has established partnerships with Nicaraguan factories – mostly AJ Fernandez and Plasencia.
- Wrapper: Nicaraguan
- Binder: Nicaraguan
- Filler: Nicaraguan
- Country of Origin: Nicaragua
- Factory: Plasencia Cigars S.A.
Vitolas Available
The Montecristo Bardstown was produced in one size – a 6 x 52 Toro. Each cigar came in a ten-count box. There was a total production of 7,000 boxes.
Appearance (*)
The Nicaraguan wrapper of the Montecristo Bardstown had a very nice caramel color. There wasn’t much in the way of oils on the surface. The surface of the wrapper had some thin visible veins. In addition, there were some very thin visible wrapper seams. The cigar itself had a soft-box-pressed shape – meaning there was a slight curvature around the pressed corners.
PERFORMANCE
Pre-Light Draw (*)
Before lighting up the Montecristo Bardstown, a straight cut was used to remove the cap of this cigar. Once the cap was removed, it was time for the pre-light draw phase, which delivered a very sweet yet natural-tasting tobacco note. In addition, there were also some hay notes present. Overall, I found this to be a pleasant and satisfying pre-light draw. At this point, it was time to toast up the footer of the Montecristo Bardstown and move into the smoking phase.
Tasting Notes
The Montecristo Bardstown opened with notes of natural tobacco, mixed pepper, hay, and wood. Early on, the natural tobacco notes moved to the forefront. The wood, hay, and pepper notes settled in the background. The natural tobacco had a mix of sweet and bitter flavor components. The sweet and bitter components balanced nicely earlier on, but as the cigar moved through the first third, the bitter component became more prevalent. Meanwhile, on the retro-hale, there was an additional layer of black pepper.
As the Montecristo Bardstown moved through the second third, the natural tobacco remained the primary note. Meanwhile, the mixed pepper, wood, and hay notes settled in the background. Throughout this stage, there was a slight increase in the pepper notes.
By the time the cigar reached its final third, the bitter natural tobacco notes remained dominant. The pepper notes were now the most prominent secondary note. There were still notes of hay and wood remaining. There was an underlying harshness to the flavor profile. This is the way the Montecristo Bardstown came to a close. The resulting nub was soft to the touch and cool to the finish.
Burn
Construction-wise, the Montecristo Bardstown is solid. The cigar maintained a straight burn line and straight burn path from start to finish. This was not a cigar that required excessive touchups. The resulting ash was mostly light to medium gray. This ash was skewed toward the firmer side. Meanwhile, the burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.
Draw
In terms of the draw of the Montecristo Bardstown, it performed quite well. The draw had a touch of resistance, which I really like. At the same time, this was a low-maintenance cigar to derive flavor from.
Strength and Body
This was definitely a bolder Montecristo. While a pairing wasn’t done for this assessment, I think a bolder cigar pairs better with bourbon. This vitola started out medium-strength and medium- to full-bodied. There was a gradual increase in the intensity of both the strength and body. By the final third, the strength level crept into the medium-to-full range, while the body had just enough to reach full.
In terms of strength versus body, the body maintained a significant edge from start to finish.
BANDING AND PACKAGING NOTES (*)
The packaging for the Montecristo Bardstown is on point. I really liked the white painted boxes these cigars came in. There are two bands on the cigar. The primary band is a combination of the brown and gold Montecristo fleur-de-lis band, with the lower portion having a white background with the Bardstown logo. Another white band serves as the secondary band and reads “DISTILLERS SELECT.”
OVERALL ASSESSMENT
Final Thoughts
When it comes to how I review cigars, each is reviewed individually. In other words, when the cigar is blended to be paired, it is not assessed as a pairing but as a standalone cigar. That being said, as I smoked the Montecristo Bardstown, there was no doubt this cigar was blended with pairing in mind. As a standalone cigar, it had excellent construction. But, in terms of flavor, it really didn’t have me doing handstands. There are certainly better Montecristos than the Montecristo Bardstown, so, as a standalone cigar, it’s one I would most likely pass on. In the end, I’d still recommend trying a sample to see if pairing is your thing. Perhaps a Let’s Get Pairing candidate.
Summary
- Key Flavors: Natural Tobacco, Wood, Hay, Pepper
- Burn: Excellent
- Draw: Excellent
- Complexity: Medium Minus
- Strength: Medium (1st 2/3), Medium to Full (Remainder)
- Body: Medium to Full (1st 2/3), Full (Remainder)
- Finish: Good
Rating
Value: Try a Sample
Score: 86
REFERENCES
Photo Credits: Cigar Coop
(*) Indicates this is not factored into the score or value rating
