Don Papa Rum was founded in
2011 by Stephen Carroll, former Remy Cointreau executive, after visiting the sugar capital of
Negros, Philippines.
The
Rum is distilled in the fertile foothills of
Mt. Kanlaon, an area where some of the finest sugarcane is milled producing rich, sweet molasses.
Don Papa is inspired by the charismatic leader
Dionisio Magbuelas, more popularly known as
Papa Isio, a healer, shaman, seer, rebel, and leader of the shamans, known for his influence in the 19th century
Philippine Revolution.
The distillery remains undisclosed, but the blending is overseen by a master blender from Ginebra San Miguel.
Don Papa has a sweeter profile and unofficially claiming the title "the Philippines first real sipping Rum." The Phillippine elixir is bottled in a bespoke, award-winning, imaginative vial inspired by colonialism.
The bottle is from France, the cork from Portugal, the label from Italy, and the brand image was designed in New York by Stranger & Stranger.
If you look closely you can spot all of the
50 animals hidden in the label endemic to the southern Philippine islands of Bohol, Samar, and Leyte.
The Rum itself is very
light in character and produced at an undisclosed multi-column, continuous distillation facility.
Aged for a
minimum of seven years and presented in a sweetened and vanilla added style, perhaps more akin to a spiced Rum. The range also encompasses a 10-year-old and a limited edition Rare Cask.