Alec Bradley Cigar Co.

Alan Rubin left a family door-hardware business to start Alec Bradley in 1996, naming the company after his sons Alec and Bradley. The venture arrived just as the cigar boom was ending and spent its first decade building distribution rather than volume. The turning point was Tempus, followed by Prensado, a Honduran-made blend that took Cigar Aficionado's top annual ranking and moved the company into the front rank of American brands.

Alec Bradley has never owned a factory, working instead with established Honduran and Nicaraguan manufacturers. The catalogue includes Prensado, Tempus, Black Market, American Sun Grown, Magic Toast and Project 40, spanning a wide range of prices and strengths, and the company built a reputation for aggressive retail support during a period of heavy industry consolidation. The company also sold accessories and sampler packs, which supported its position with smaller retailers.

Scandinavian Tobacco Group agreed to buy the company in 2023 in a transaction valued at 72.5 million dollars, and the brand was subsequently moved into STG's Forged Cigar Company division. Alan Rubin and his sons joined the acquiring group at the time of the sale. Forged is STG's division for brands sold through the specialist tobacconist channel, and the Alec Bradley lines have continued in production under that structure.