The Philippines’ Don Papa Rum is attempting to give the traditional Caribbean drops a run for their money in Asia, discovers Nick Walton.
You could be forgiven for initially thinking Don Papa Rum was a brand as old as the sugarcane plantations that dot the Caribbean. With its savvy, award-winning packaging and dark, seductive hue, sippers might never guess that the spirit not only comes from the Philippines but that it only launched in 2012. However, Don Papa is making significant headway among rum lovers, both new and established, while also courting more than a little controversy in the process.
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Created by the Bleeding Heart Rum Company of Manila, Don Papa is a small-batch, single-island spirit produced using the natural sugarcane of the exotically-named Philippines island of Negros Occidental, which is famed for the fertility of its volcanic soil. Aged for seven years (or for a decade in the case of Don Papa 10 years) in American oak barrels in the foothills of the island’s Mt Kanlaon, the spirit is then charcoal filtered to remove any tannins and impurities, before being blended.
Notice how I’m not using the word ‘rum’ all that much? That’s because while Don Papa – named for the Negros native and Philippines revolutionary hero Dionisio Magbuelas, better known locally as ‘Papa’ Isio – has an ever-increasing fan base, this isn’t a purist’s rum, thanks to claims of added glycerol and sugars. True rum connoisseurs may pick up on a certain synthetic nature when they first try Don Papa, but for the majority of sippers – especially those whipping up a Dark n’ Stormy or the like – this is simply a rum with more of the sweetness they’re looking for in a spirit.
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Despite the murmuring of rumophiles, Don Papa has pleased palates across the globe, picking up a pool room’s worth of awards in the process, including Silver in Best Execution at the Los Angeles International Spirits Competition; double gold at the San Francisco International Spirits Competition; and First Place at the Dieline Awards, although most of its accolades were bestowed on the Don Papa ten years.
Whether you consider Don Papa a rum or not is between you and your bartender, but there’s no doubt that its vanilla-forward flavour profile, accented by touches of honey and candied fruit, has been created to reach whole new ‘rum’ audiences, in Asia and further afield. In the words of David Marsland from Drinks Enthusiast “keep an eye out for the name, it seems that rums from all over the world are catching on to the palates of the consumers. Who needs the Caribbean when you have the Philippines?”
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“We are quite pleased with the growth of Don Papa Rum and the warm reception it had received from both trade and consumers alike in the markets we have entered,” says Bleeding Heart Rum Company founder Stephen Carroll. “We are quite excited that now as we enter our fifth year we are achieving a new milestone with the introduction to the US market. The introduction of Don Papa ten-year-old further enhances the liquor experience.”
In the end, with rum regulations as they are, it’s all down to personal preference, but don’t be surprised if you increasingly see The Don gracing the shelves of your favourite cocktail bar before long.
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