MANILA, Philippines - Most have probably heard the legend, how oMost have probably heard the legend about how one revolutionary in the Sugarland of Bacolod inspired a local brew now being served in the best bars the world over. That radical, as local lore has it, was not only a sugar farmer sensitive to the plight of the overworked, underpaid peasants of our feudal past, but Dionisio “Isio” Papa Magbuelas, the namesake of Don Papa rum. He was also a babaylan, raised in the mischief of the black arts.
So, for the brand’s limited-edition 10-year-old liquor, still distilled in the foothills of Mt. Kanlaon, Don Papa decided to venture into the spirit’s dark side. “We had the opportunity to go upmarket and come up with a limited-edition blend, which we could only release once a year,” explained Don Papa’s Bleeding Heart Rum Company founder Stephen Carroll.
“This batch was distilled in 2004, in extremely high temperature. The humidity causes much of the liquor to evaporate, leaving us with only 40 percent of the original product, which is stronger and more concentrated,” Carroll added. And the premise for this heady liquor — from its deep shade to its rich, spice-laden taste — is a sipping rum best enjoyed in the dead of night.
“It’s a very dark and spirited spirit. For me, it’s everything I look for in a drink. I like dark spirits and I like it having a full-body. But I like that this is smooth, and not too sweet,” quipped gourmand Elbert Cuenca, halfway through his serving of Don Papa 10. The rum’s fragrant bouquets of vanilla and caramel are born out of Bleeding Heart Rum Company’s small-batch distilling methods in charred oak casks, while hints of roasted almonds, raisins, honey, and cinnamon stem from its lengthy maturing, giving the liquor a more regal taste and mouth feel. “It’s like an evil Don Papa. It’s darker, it feels stronger, but, on the contrary, its smoother, and more subtle,” Cuenca added after a sip.
The new spirit is unlike its younger brother, the original Don Papa 7 Years, which bears the sunny side of its island origins, where pure Negros cane is the foundation for the rum’s sweet, mellow, and idyllic taste. But when the Bacolod sun sets, it is the spirit of Don Papa 10 that is on the devious prowl for adventure and a little misbehaving. “Creatively, this is what happens when Don Papa gets older,” Carroll said. “It’s now a bit black and silver. It comes in a canister, which we reproduced in black foil paper.”
“We are proud to note that we have won several awards for our packaging, which makes the rest of the world take notice,” shared Don Papa’s managing director for brand communications Monica Llamas. The product with a French bottle, a cork from Portugal, a label printed in Italy, and a brand image designed by New York design collective Stranger & Stranger earned a double medal for product packaging design at the 2013 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. “Remember, this product is fully Filipino but with a global outlook as well, and we could attribute our success to this,” added Llamas.
Now, Don Papa’s feisty spirit can be felt in Italy, Germany, Belgium, Britain, Singapore, and Malaysia. “And France, our bestselling market! They’re crazy about us in France, just as they’re crazy about Jerry Lewis,” exclaimed Llamas, before leading an anecdote on the French’s rather indelible passion for the brand. Some of Don Papa’s French patrons even went as far as having Don Papa tattooed on their flesh.
But, while flattering this brand fanaticism may be, the true proof of Don Papa’s intoxicating hold on the international market is its steadily increasing market share. Today, Don Papa exports more cases of its proud Philippine rum than what is being consumed domestically.
“It’s still a fairly small brand, and it is not competing with mass-market brands, but we’ve had an excellent reception locally, yet more so internationally, when we started exporting internationally,” explained Carroll, with his confidence that the new Don Papa 10 will capture the international market’s imaginations even more. “The reason for this is to prove to fancy bartenders in New York and London that we can come up with an excellent rum — a fun rum that they can actually enjoy.”
For Carroll, as well as Llamas, more than the global recognition and market share, it is the brand’s personal connection with its patrons that make them most proud. “We’re quite happy to say that we have found our place in so many home bars,” Llamas enthused. “That’s where we want to be, among people who can actually appreciate good spirits. And the fact that people recognize it, give it to guests as gifts, and being shared the way you envisioned it to be shared, gives you a certain pride.
“When we first launched the brand, all of these people came out of the woodwork and gave us support,” she adds. “From liquor enthusiasts to restaurateurs, mixologists and bar owners, they all declared their support for our brand early on. Maybe it’s because of the belief that the Filipino can have a revolutionary product and something that we can be proud of. And this essence is what we especially tried to capture in this spirit.”
After all the effort that Llamas, Carroll, and the rest of the Bleeding Heart Rum Co. put into developing, distilling, and distributing the liquor, it heartens me to say that Don Papa 10’s mysterious allure and flavor makes for the perfect nightcap. “After a long day at work, it works,” Llamas quipped.
With a substantial three-percent increase to the original Don Papa’s 40-percent alcohol proof, Don Papa 10 will sate the rum veteran’s quest for more substantial spirits. “We recommend having it neat, or on the rocks because it is designed as a sipping rum,” Llamas says. “But it’s a free country, so you can have it any way you want.”
In fact, Llamas says the rum can be used to make a tasty Negroni, or the traditional Bacolod cocktail the Haciendero. “It is not what you consider a ‘cocktail’ cocktail, but the farmers drink it with a separate glass of Coke,” she shared. Talk about a deconstructed Cuba Libre.
For the holidays, Don Papa is reserving 5,000 of its limited-edition 10-year-old bottles for Philippine consumption, to be carried by select partner establishments and retail outlets.
After two years of building the brand from the blades of Bacolod sugarcane to the bars of Europe, New York, and Asia, Don Papa rum has grown up, ready for nocturnal encounters.
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For more information on the limited-edition Don Papa 10 Years, visit their website www.donpaparum.com.