Don Papa Rum 70cl - 40% ABV Dark Aged Sipping Rum: Distilled in Sugarlandia, Philippines | Expertly Matured in American Oak | Great for Cocktails

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It smells like a liqueur – it is ludicrously sweet. It is as far away as a 10-year-old molasses based rum from say Barbados or Jamaica as it is possible. The very idea this can even be labelled as a rum is frankly, a complete embarrassment to the category.

Though Don Papa is not specifically Papa Isio, it is a cultural figure that is inspired by the small island’s most important figure. To the Don Papa Rum company, Don Papa represents the spirit of Sugarlandia, making this figure ideal as a representative of a rum that showcases what the island has to offer. Wether you like it or not, Don Papa has helped MASSIVELY in getting people to understand that rum can be more than that. Unsurprisingly, the rum has an extremely sweet smell, which is representative of the sugar canes of Sugarlandia. A little further exploration will reveal some deep vanilla notes, which pair marvellously fruitier notes of coconut, mango, and banana. This trio of fruits lends the rum the exotic touch that is often so coveted in these types of drinks, in addition to showcasing why this rum is perfect for summer. Don Papa Rum carries the long-standing traditions of Filipino rum making as a first-rate, expressive liquid that has amassed a cult-like following with spirits enthusiasts and industry insiders – a testament to its ability to transcend the rum category. The complex and delicious tasting rum offers a new taste that rum drinkers, brown spirit aficionados and newcomers to the spirit category can all enjoy.

Nutella biscuits, Herta Bio charcuterie, and Don Papa Masskara botanical rum. What do all of these items have in common? They were all included on the list of the top 10 most successful product launches in French grocery stores in 2018. This is a testament to how popular the Don Papa brand has become in European markets. Don Papa is passionate about conservation. This rum is a cynical cash grab concocted by corporate marketers and ad men attempting to appeal to the discerning drinker. And by "discerning" I mean: has money and knows diddly squat about spirits, especially rum. The nose is very familiar – huge wafts of raspberry flavoured bubblegum. Notes of sweet artificial saccharin. Cherry flavoured boiled sweets and a slight hint of some kind of spice trying to break out but its just overpowered by the artificial confected notes.

All right, so by now it’s clear that I’m late to the party here and all the discussions and post mortems have been done on this industrial grade spiced Phillipine rum, which it doesn’t admit to being, but which I say it is. And while there was a firestorm of online vituperation which greeted the release of the rum, making you believe that the majority of the rumworld absolutely hates this thing, the truth is actually more prosaic. Reviewers hate the rum…but most casual imbibers at whom the Don Papa is aimed are actually quite tolerant of the rums they scarf down, and the amount of people in the world who truly want a more detailed sense what they’re drinking — or have access to and desire for what we term top class hooch — is still a minimal part of the rumiverse in spite of all us bloggers’ doing our best to raise the bar. But everyone agrees on one point: bad or good or in-between, the makers of the Don Papa should absolutely have disclosed its adulteration. Maybe they thought the age statement would allow them to skate around such petty concerns

By now you should have few illusions left: the palate offered no redemption, leading any reasonable tippler to ask in genuine bewilderment, “What on earth was the rum doing for three additional years?” I mean sure, there was some bite and bitter in the mix (which initially gave me hope), just too little. And the few aromas of peaches and cream were bludgeoned into insensibility in labba time by wave upon wave of more vanilla, soda pop, the syrup in canned peaches (minus the peaches), cola…it was all just too much, too sweet, too cloying, and with few discernible differences from its younger sibling, and a finish that was to all intents and purposes the best thing about it, because at least now the experience was drawing to a close. It is a tribute to the late and great Papa Isio, who was the charismatic leader of the Negros Island in the 1890s. This Philippine island was the subject of an invasion and colonisation by the Spanish earlier in the 1800s. Papa Isio played a crucial role in organising the rebellion against the Spanish, which ultimately resulted in the island, specifically Sugarlandia, earning its independence. And I said “rare YET important”, not “rare and important”… It makes quite a big difference. Once again, the issue with your article is that is doesn’t take the state of the market into consideration at all… Aside from this Don Papa acquisition, Diageo also signed a deal to distribute Ron Santiago de Cuba internationally in 2019. Diageo already has Captain Morgan, which is popular for their spiced rum, and Ron Zacapa, which has become notorious due to their using the number 23 as a fake age statement and adding of sweeteners.