Sugarlandia has almost become a place of legend on the Negros island. It is often described as an odd-land in which unexpected and unexplainable things often occur. As such, the legends surrounding Sugarlandia, and by extension the growing legend of Don Papa, have become a crucial part of the island’s rum industry. If rum had the rules and regulations of Scotch or Bourbon this stuff wouldn't even be allowed to market itself as rum. Small batch?!? LOL! Next time you're in the Philippines I dare you to visit this charming boutique distillery... Perhaps spend an evening sampling their rum and experiencing the terroir of the region. I'm sure a day at the distillery, which absolutely isn't some industrial beverage facility, would be very beautiful and romantic...

The brand recently released a new premium bottling, Don Papa 10, which is aged for 10 years in re-charred American oak barrels. The aged rum is darker and bolder, offering flavors of dried fruits, cacao, and vanilla. To highlight the maturation of this rum, the image of the man on the label now has a longer beard to signify the extended aging. Some of Don Papa’s label designs come from an art competition. 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.Cyril at DuRhum had this run through a lab test and that evaluated it with 29g/L sugar, 2.4 g/L glycerol and a massive 359 mg/L of vanilla. Let’s focus on the french market if you don’t mind, since it is the one I know and can talk about (been part of the industry for several years now). The name Don Papa is a reference to activist Dionisio Magbuelas, who was also known as Papa Isio, as a tribute to his leadership in the Philippine revolution. Papa Isio was widely regarded as a local hero for his role in driving the Spanish away from the island of Negros in 1898, so his image felt like the perfect fit for the brand to convey the spirit of the island on the label. It is considered the country’s first sipping rum. Just to confuse matters, there’s also spiced rum, which is blended with additional fruit and spices. How we test rum

If so, they were mistaken. Even bumping it up to 43% for some added bola ng bakal didn’t do much. It had the same nasal profile of sour cream, yogurt, some sweetish fruits, and over-generous helpings of vanilla, bubble gum and yes, there it was again, that distasteful excess of soda pop sprite and fanta and pepsi masquerading as “rumminess”. And no tart raspberries this time, but some dampened down dark grapes, overripe ones, plus a twist of licorice. Oh joy. My glass runneth over.Perhaps the biggest reason for this is the sheer success of the brand. So not content with offering us a 7 Year Old version of their delicious elixir they felt that a further aged version of their wonderous concoction, was just what the rum world needed. 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. It hails from Sugarlandia (I kid you not), Phillipines and Don Papa is a tribute to Papa Isio. His legend was instrumental to the independence of the island during the Revolution of the 1890s. The figure of Don Papa on the bottle is inspired by Papa Isio. Don Papa Rum Aged 10 Years. Alongside Bumbu, Don Papa have become the poster boys for adultered rum masquerading as premium. You could throw a few other rums into the mix, that use additives but Don Papa’s offerings are met with dismay and derision by most serious rum enthusiasts.

For an enthusiastic and uncritical perspective by a “lifestyle writer” (I will not use the term “journalist” because that would be like saying Don Papa is a real rum) I direct you to this Forbes article from May 2017. It’s just another in a spate of recent rum-themed articles that are written by people who seem to want to advertise that they really know nothing at all about the subject.

years ago, for 99% of the french population, rum was a strong harsh booze made in the french caribbean just good to be cooked with. End of the line. Seriously. The last 1% knew rum could be more than that because they travelled to Guadeloupe or Martinique or had family living there. Open Google and type “Don Papa contre étiquette” and there you go… You will see the mention “Boisson Spiritueuse”, meaning “spirit drink” in french. It has been the case for several years now… Fortunately because your taste buds have been assaulted in such a way you probably won’t even notice the finish. It’s very much a blink and you miss it kind of affair. A tiny hint of something sweet and woody – and its gone. All that is left on the palate is artificial bitterness. We may have already mentioned it, but we can’t start a review of a bottle of Don Papa rum without first mentioning the fascinating label that adorns the bottle. Artistic in nature, this label is covered in so many fine details that you could spend hours examining it. You will also find a small blurb that explains more about the rum and its origins, highlighting just how much respect the manufacturers have for their rum and their craft.