Don Papa Rum, the small batch rum from the island of Negros in the Philippines, released a new addition to their growing rum portfolio.
Since 2017, the Bleeding Heart Rum Company, makers of Don Papa Rum, has been adding various rum bottlings in the local and global markets. Currently, the brand carries Don Papa 7 Years (its original rum release), 10 Years (aged ten years in re-charred oak casks), Rare Cask (the first innovative product from the company—aged in special STR, shaved, toasted, and roasted barrels), Don Papa Masskara (the brand’s spiced rum, inspired by the annual MassKara festival in Bacolod, pot-distilled and infused with calamansi and siling labuyo), and Sherry Cask Finish (first aged for four years in American Oak ex-bourbon casks, followed by 18 months in four different types of Sherry Casks: Fino, Pedro Ximenez, Cream, and Palo Cortado).
The release of Limited Edition Sevillana Cask Finish celebrates the historical Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade during the period 1565 to 1815. The galleon trade was instrumental in exporting and importing various goods from Asia to the Americas as well as the European markets. The trade route became an economic lifeline for the Spaniards and various products like spices, chocolate, cocoa, porcelain, ivory, lacquerware, gunpowder, processed silk, fruits like coconuts, mangoes, and different citruses became available in many countries. The products included Seville oranges, a cross between a pomelo and a mandarin, which earned their name from Seville, Spain, where they were introduced from Asia during the galleon trade and became a symbol for the city.
The Sevillana Cask Finish still carries the Don Papa Rum’s style of packaging, which maintains the brand’s signature flora and fauna images but in a tangerine tone and showcasing images of the oranges in Rococo style. The liquid is a blend of five and fifteen-year-old rums distilled from 100% Negros Island sugar cane molasses. First aged in American ex-bourbon barrels for several years then followed by three years in two different types of Spanish casks—Oloroso Sherry casks and Andalusian orange wine casks known as Vino De Naranja. If you’re not familiar with Vino De Naranja, it is a popular fortified Andalusian wine, made with an Oloroso sherry base, aged in American oak barrels between five and seven years, and goes through a Solera System*. The sour Sevillian orange peel is later added to the mix and macerated for 18 months.
*Solera System is the process of aging fortified wine or brandy by fractional blending different aged barrels. Barrels are stacked in a pyramid, with the oldest liquid on the bottom and the youngest on top. Read more
Don Papa’s signature vanilla notes mix well with the flavor characteristics of the Spanish fortified wine barrels. The resulting liquid offers sweet and bitter orange aromas, with notes of salted caramel and a subtle hint of oak. It is good as a sipping rum but will also make an excellent base for tangy cocktails.
During the recent launch in Manila, Don Papa collaborated with Ferran Tadeo, executive chef of Hong Kong-based La Rambla by Catalunya, to present a menu that complements sippings of Sevillana Cask Finish and Don Papa rum cocktails prepared by Don Papa Rum brand ambassador Lloyd Misagal.
The limited run of Don Papa Rum Sevillana cask releases only 60 bottles in the Philippine market, which might make the price rack up later on due to the limited availability, so, best to grab one while it is fresh in the market. When Don Papa Rare Cask launched in France, Italy, and other parts of the UK, the bottles lasted only for two weeks in the shelves, and a lot of bottles ended up in auction sites, some even reached up to €500 (P31,173) from the original retail price of P3,750. Don Papa Rum Sevillana retails for Php3,500 and will be available in select bars and local liquor stores.
In other parts of Asia, Don Papa Rum Sevillana cask will be available in Taiwan, HK, Singapore, and Japan markets.
