Padrón 60th Anniversary: 5 Great Alternative Cigars
This past December, the critics at Cigar Aficionado awarded Padrón 60th Anniversary their coveted ‘Cigar of the Year’ honors for 2025 with a superb 97-point rating, marking the fifth time a Padrón cigar has received the title, the most of any brand in the industry. As with many cigars earning this prestigious award, their availability quickly becomes scarce. Consumers buy up every last cigar at their local brick-and-mortar retailer, and online, leaving the manufacturer scrambling to produce enough to meet overwhelming demand. If you’re like thousands of cigar lovers waiting to smoke a Padrón 60th Anniversary, here’s an overview of this magnificent smoke, and five worthy alternatives to enjoy in the meantime.
Padrón 60th Anniversary
Even without its recent ‘Cigar of the Year’ accolade, Padrón 60th Anniversary is one of those rare cigars that radiates its high-end status the moment you see it, from its expensive packaging to its elaborate shape and its exclusive blend of vintage Nicaraguan tobaccos. This meticulous Perfecto swells to a 56-ring gauge at its thickest point, tapering to a 48-ring near the head.
The cigars come in shiny individual bullion-gold coffins, packaged in a set of ten inside a brown, piano-gloss box. The whole set costs $770, or $77 per cigar. The cigar is available in a Natural and Maduro wrapper, although the Natural blend won ‘Cigar of the Year’ honors. Due to the cigar’s complex size, only a handful of rollers craft the 60th Anniversary, making the wait to find them even more painstaking. Classic Padrón tasting notes of cocoa, cedar, molasses, cinnamon, and nutmeg unfold over an hour-and-a-half smoke. Save the 60th Anniversary for a special occasion.
5 Alternative Cigars to Padrón 60th Anniversary
While your local retailer is waiting for the next batch of Padrón 60th Anniversary cigars to trickle in, we’ve got a few backup cigars to consider. Here are five outstanding alternatives to savor.
1. Padrón 80 Years
Padrón 80 Years is the easiest and most obvious replacement for the 60th Anniversary. This elite Perfecto is handcrafted in a 6.75-by-54 box-pressed size, and it’s also blended from supremely old reserves of premium Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos tucked beneath a Natural or Maduro wrapper leaf. Notes of coffee bean, cedar, cayenne, cocoa, and cinnamon culminate in an impressive format handcrafted by the most talented rollers at the Padrón factory. The critics at Cigar Aficionado rated 80 Years 96 points and ranked it as the ‘#2 Cigar of the Year’ in 2008.
2. Ashton ESG – 24-Year Salute
The 94-rated Ashton ESG hails from the Dominican Republic, where Carlito Fuente blends it from an exclusive recipe of the finest Dominican long-filler tobaccos and an oily, brown Sun Grown Dominican wrapper leaf cultivated on the famous Chateau de la Fuente estates. The 24-Year Salute is handcrafted in a flawless 6.625-by-48 Perfecto. Savory notes of graham cracker, cedar, molasses, and black pepper layer the palate throughout a luscious crescendo, also earning ‘Top 10’ honors from the critics during multiple years. Indulge in an opulent Dominican Puro that rests atop the renowned Ashton portfolio.
3. Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial – Figurado
The My Father brand is no stranger to ‘Cigar of the Year’ titles, racking up three of its own for Flor de las Antillas, My Father Le Bijou 1922, and My Father The Judge. Prominent father-and-son cigarmakers Pepin and Jaime Garcia blend this collection from powerful Nicaraguan tobaccos they cultivate on an extensive network of estates. We suggest Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial in a 5.625-by-52 Figurado when you’re in search of a robust Perfecto, similar to a Padrón 60th Anniversary. Deep notes of leather, dark cocoa, earth, and black pepper linger in a complex smoke drafted from hearty Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos and a toothy Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. At just over $10 per cigar, Reserva Especial is the most affordable cigar on our list and an excellent price for a Figurado.
4. La Aroma de Cuba Noblesse – Monarchy
Pepin and Jaime Garcia produce the historic La Aroma de Cuba portfolio in Nicaragua, and Noblesse is a first-class addition to this prestigious brand. A dark, succulent San Andrés Oscuro wrapper leaf embraces an intricate core of vintage Nicaraguan long-filler tobaccos cultivated on select Garcia estates in Estelí, Jalapa, and Namanji. Every leaf of tobacco undergoes a patient triple fermentation to achieve optimal taste and aroma. Every cigar is rolled in entubado fashion and finished with a traditional Cuban-style triple cap to ensure flawless performance in four popular sizes, including the 6.5-by-56 Monarchy, a soft-box-pressed gem that burns for over an hour. Intricate notes of dark chocolate lava cake, espresso bean, and Turkish fig mingle with hints of salt and pepper before a decadent finish resonates.
5. Plasencia 1865 Alma Fuerte – Generación V
The Plasencia family has been farming tobacco for five generations and is among the largest growers in Central America. While they’ve been producing cigars for dozens of today’s best-known brands for decades, their eponymous brand continues to win admirers, thanks to complex smokes like Plasencia 1865 Alma Fuerte. This potent recipe is drawn from a medium to full-bodied blend of premium Nicaraguan long-fillers, harvested in Estelí, Condega, Jalapa, and Ometepe, all finished in a spicy Criollo wrapper leaf. Best of all, the Generación V is an impressive 7-by-58 Figurado that bears a similar silhouette to the Padrón 60th Anniversary. Indulge in a bold profile of leather, cocoa, earth, and toast with a consistent foundation of spice from the first puff to the last.
Which Alternative to Padrón 60th Anniversary Is Right for Me?
When deciding which alternatives to Padrón 60th Anniversary to try first, consider what appeals to you most about the Padrón 60th Anniversary. Is it the size and shape, the age of the blend, its strength, or specific tasting notes that sound intriguing? Padrón 80 Years will offer approximate tasting notes and strength, while Plasencia 1865 Alma Fuerte Generación V is the closest size. Ashton ESG 24-Year Salute provides an exquisite introduction to the Perfecto format, but with all Dominican tobaccos. Each cigar on our list is worth exploring.
