Light and fruity on the nose, smooth and delicate in the mouth, with a long textured finish. Fruity notes up front, with sweet tangerines and apricots. This is followed by vanilla ice-cream, drizzled with runny toffee sauce. Bags-full of vanilla and cinnamon. Hints of raisin, sultana and marmalade. Medium length with punchy cinnamon on the finish.

Don Papa carries the long-standing traditions of Filipino rum making as a first-rate, expressive liquid that has amassed a cultlike following with spirits enthusiasts and industry insiders; a testament to its ability to transcend the rum category. The delicious tasting rum offers a new taste that rum drinkers, brown spirit aficionados and newcomers to the spirit category can all enjoy. Don Papa is a tribute to Papa Isio, the real and charismatic leader from Negros who, in the 1890s, helped drive the Spanish from the island and win independence for Sugarlandia.

The field-to-bottle process required to perfect ‘The Don’ is no simple task. Don Papa Rum is handcrafted on the ethereal Philippine island of Negros, also known as ‘Sugarlandia,’ where the lush, fertile land allows the sugarcane to flourish. The ancient sugar mills of Negros grind the Noble Cane, the original variety of sugar cane in Southeast Asia dating back thousands of years ago. This variant is much sweeter than others and transforms into the special ‘black gold’ molasses used in Don Papa. These ingredients are then distilled and aged up to seven years in an ultra-humid climate, intensifying the interaction between the rum and the American oak barrels, drawing out the vanilla notes from the wood.