A resist composition that includes a base material component (A), which contains acid-dissociable, dissolution-inhibiting groups and exhibits increased alkali solubility under the action of acid, an acid generator component (B) that generates acid on exposure, and an organic solvent (C), in which the components (A) and (B) are dissolved in the organic solvent (C), wherein the base material component (A) contains a protected form (A1) of a polyhydric phenol compound (a) having two or more phenolic hydroxyl groups and a molecular weight within a range from 300 to 2,500, in which either a portion of, or all of, the phenolic hydroxyl groups are protected with acid-dissociable, dissolution-inhibiting groups, and the organic solvent (C) comprises an alcohol.